Facilities DO impact learning. Researchers have repeatedly found a difference of between five-17 percentile points between achievement of students in poor buildings and those students in above-standard buildings (when the socioeconomic status of students
While the goal of optimizing energy efficiency once required such straightforward considerations as the orientation of the building on a site or the installation of high-performance HVAC systems and flexible lighting controls, the range of alternatives to
On July 21st, Bill Gates spoke to the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting in Philadelphia about creating common national standards and data systems to measure and document student and teacher achievement. We spoke with Harry Barfoot about th
Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology is a software-based approach to building design that incorporates 3D data, performance data, and more. BIM is not new technology. It is, however, just now "rising to the consciousness of a substantial nu
As important as proper school crisis plan development, distribution and training are, the methods used to properly equip staff to function under extreme stress are at least as important and, in some cases, are more important than the quality of crisis pla
Brilliant ideas are definitely needed in school maintenance and operations departments as budgets become more and more stringent in this current turbulent economic climate. Maintenance and operations managers share what they're doing to save money while,
A trend called convergence is all the rage today in the commercial security world. Convergence aims to integrate various forms of security: the physical security of people, physical facilities and network facilities; the security of information flowing ac
While traditional construction has its place, other methods may be more practical and appropriate for different circumstances and needs. In addition, these alternative solutions are being designed to offer energy efficiency, durability and design flexibil
Today, there are more than 600 green schools in 47 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to the Congressional Green Schools Caucus. And it has largely been Individuals leading the "green schools" movement a gras
Today's educational leaders are confronted by a barrage of new and emerging technology options on a daily basis. The challenge becomes, how do educational leaders make decision in times of limited resources on which technology to invest our time, ene
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a new resource for implementing a district- or school-wide energy-efficient operations and maintenance (O&M) program, the Guide to Operating and Maintaining EnergySmart Schools. We provide a brief overvi
Success is not achieved through creative budgeting or being frugal, it is achieved by simplifying, focusing our efforts, leveraging untapped resources, building in flexibility and being innovative. Focus only on the short-term, and you run the risk of sti
While the research is varied it is conclusive; the use of color can have a significant impact on emotion, which can ultimately influence an individual's working and studying. In fact, studies on emotion and color show a direct link between color and posit
The Modular Building Institute recently commissioned me to provide a report that specifically aligned the modular building industry with the Prerequisite and Credit requirements imbedded in the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC's) Le
If you face a crisis next year, your efforts today will determine how your response unfolds during that crisis. This is particularly true in two areas that are often not fully addressed in school crisis planning integration of the National Incident
The main idea of security is captured in the following areas deterrence (discouraging unauthorized actions), detection (recognizing unauthorized actions), delay (slowing unauthorized actions) and response (reacting to unauthorized actions). If you
Today's school officials often wish to achieve the best of two goals having solid security while maintaining a warm and caring human environment. These dual goals are actually often complimentary and can usually be accomplished with the right
What options are available for the rest of us? Most public schools have bare bones models, if that. Locker-related crises, usually involving contraband, have led some frustrated districts to toss the lockers altogether. Although such actions may be justif
Preparing for a pandemic influenza (panflu) outbreak is an extremely daunting task. It is essential that all school communities coordinate with other planning groups in preparation of a pandemic outbreak, and to establish operational protocols to help gui
More and more, we rely in technology for any but especially mass communication. And communication comes in many forms: between schools, between school personnel, between personnel and students, between school administrators/teachers and pare