School Planning & Management

Looking to the Future: Trends for 2014 and Beyond

Protecting Our Children at School

By Mo Canady

Protecting children at school is one of the most important issues facing American educators and families today. From school resource officers to high-tech security systems, the options for providing safety are growing every day.

Looking to the Future: Trends for 2014 and Beyond

P3: Selling the Value in Learning Spaces

By John K. Ramsey

Quality schools need funding to be properly planned and built to the highest standards. Selling the value of this funding can be easy

Looking to the Future: Trends for 2014 and Beyond

It's a Mid-term Election Year!

By Fritz Edelstein

Trying to predict which federal education legislation will pass is never an easy thing to do, especially when it is a Mid-Term Election year.

Technology (Enhancing + Engaging + Connecting)

What Kind of Cloud Are You Getting?

There are many benefits to using cloud-based services, but local infrastructure still plays an important part in making effective use of those services.

By Steve Thorburn, PE, LEED AP, CTS-D, CTS-I

When planning any change in classroom technology, the details can make all the difference. This is especially true for schools installing cloud-based services. Knowing what you’re getting now can save headaches later.

Safety & Security (Prepare and Be Aware)

Tight As a Drum

Schools can easily evoke warm, welcoming environments when security is balanced with positive human interaction.

By Ellen Kollie

School safety can often evoke images of cold cement buildings. Many schools are now trying to strike a balance that allows students and staff to be safe, but also one that is warm and welcoming.

Facilities (Learning Spaces)

How To Stop Deferring Maintenance

Believe it or not, some school districts don’t worry about the cost of deferred maintenance - because they don’t defer it.

By Michael Fickes

Deferred Maintenance can cost schools many times what the initial repair charges might’ve been. With school infrastructures growing older and budgets slimmer, the question of when to defer maintenance costs is critical.

Facilities (Learing Spaces)

Vibrant Opportunities for Learning

Fullerton community celebrates the opening of the new Sensory Garden at Commonwealth Elementary School.

By Jess Block Nerren

The entire Fullerton community had reason to celebrate when the new Sensory Garden was installed at Commonwealth Elementary School. Both its great opportunities for learning and its incredible story make the garden a truly special place.

Business Practices

Gift, Curse or Both?

Managing your district's BYOD program.

By Marcus LaFountain

The concept of BYOD in the K-12 environment has been growing steadily over the past few years. Reaping the benefits of this model, while avoiding its pitfalls can be as simple as having a good mobile management strategy.

Editor's Note: The View From Here

Change Is Happening

Challenges and rewards are in store for education in 2014.

By Deborah P. Moore

At the start of each New Year, many people consider turning over a new leaf and trying to live differently. The world of education is no different, as the New Year can only mean one thing: changes are on the horizon.

Emerging Technology

E-Rate Funding

Almost free black and white TVs?

By Mike Raible, Andrew LaRowe

Using E-rate funding has allowed many school districts to purchase technology connectivity at rock-bottom prices, but does the slow purchase/approval time coupled with the accelerating pace of technology change put districts in an increasingly untenable situation?

Trends in Green

Customized Green Strategies

Telling your story through green design.

By Terrance R. Liette

Every school design tells a story. These stories can come in the form of energy efficient windows and lighting, or even a digital gauge that displays how much energy the school is using at any given time.

Maintenance & Operations

Sometimes, It Just Has To Happen

Successfully managing facilities in a climate of change

By Alyce Honore’-Hubert

While change can be considered the only constant in life, it can also be one of the most daunting aspects of leading any organization, especially in the arena of school maintenance.

Fire & Life Safety

Important First Step

Auditing your fire prevention strategic plan.

By Mike Halligan

During a crisis is not when you want to analyze your fire prevention plan. Looking at your fire prevention plan in times of calmness can allow you to assess it’s effectiveness in a critical situation.

Building Blueprints (Facilities in Focus)

Designing for the Arts

Each program has its own needs, but some aspects are common.

By Lowell Tacker

Designing a large school theater in New York City may include different considerations than a tiny theater for a rural community school. Yet, in each case there are similarities that are common to any good theater design.

Products that Work

January 2014

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