PreK-12 Ed


Commitment to Community

Good schools are the foundation of a healthy community. Unfortunately, too many schools are planned by architects and administrators without community input or involvement.

SO MANY CHOICES

Whether you are building a new school or maintaining an existing facility, you are going to be faced with questions about what is your best bet concerning the roof.

PLANNING AND DESIGN

The best way to avoid pitfalls and complaints is to have a system-wide master plan that is comprised of these six essential elements.

SHARING PRIVATE SPACES

Public school facilities are being designed and used in many areas to be shared with the community, which makes perfect sense, but it does raise some design issues about locker rooms and restrooms.

Some Days This Job Is for the Birds

One day, a colleague called to complain about sea gulls that were making numerous deposits on his tenants and their automobiles. He indicated that this was our problem to correct since the gulls were using our middle school as home.

FINAL THOUGHT: COMPUTER LABS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS?

Are computer laboratories needed in elementary schools? Three separate incidents have me thinking about this question.

COST-EFFECTIVE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE

School facilities are expensive to build, and they become even more expensive if they are not properly maintained. That is why capital planning and budgeting are essential tools for districts.

EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK: INNOVATIVE FINANCE

The question is, where will the additional funds come from? The answer — many schools are changing their buying habits to ensure the most“bang for the buck.”

THE NEXT WAVE: NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Never before has the success of the learning enterprise been more important than it is today.

RUSSIAN ROULETTE

Searching a student for weapons is a deadly game of Russian Roulette, with innocent people often paying the price for this dangerous practice along with those who chose to gamble with the lives of others.

Turf Wars

Turf battles are one of the most unpleasant aspects of keeping schools safe.

Solutions For Accessibility Challenges

Here is expert information and solutions on accessibility issues for all school administrators.

DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS

While dual enrollment programs are not problem-free, families trying to find a way the pay for a college education consider them a godsend.

THE (HIDDEN) COSTS OF TECHNOLOGY

Technology affects square footage allocations, furniture, spatial relationships and infrastructure program requirements, and has a huge impact on the overall cost of your facility.

THE END OF KINDERGARTEN AS I KNEW IT?

If kindergarten is going to be just another place where children are taught to read and write, if there is no longer time and space for play, for sharing, for experiencing art and music and just having fun, when will children learn these really important

LANDSCAPING SCHOOLS

School projects require that design professionals look for opportunities to link indoor and outdoor space in ways that encourage active use and socialization.

ADAPTABLE SPACES

Portable room dividers make it easy to manage educational spaces that need to be able to adapt to different venues and changing teaching methods.

ACCESS DENIED

Schools need to be safe, but they also must be welcoming for students and other members of the community. So, what constitutes reasonable access control for schools?

MAINTAINING OUR SCHOOLS

Neglect is the worst enemy of our school buildings and the budgets for maintaining them. With proper planning the enemy can be defeated. It is a matter of priorities.

DATA COACHES

There is little chance that overextended staff members will be able to manage the level of data that are being generated. Therefore, we will soon all need a new type of team member — one with the skills to manage, interpret and communicate the infor

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