Impact on Learning

The March issue of School Planning & Management is one of my favorites because it features our Impact on Learning program. It has always been my personal belief that the facilities our students attend have an impact on their health, safety and ability to learn. I don’t need to read a study to tell me that I need light to see, heat to stay warm or clean air to breathe. Common sense tells me that. It also tells me that poorly maintained, overcrowded classrooms or temporary trailers are not conducive to learning. Why then do facilities end up at the bottom of our wish list?

Adequate school facilities are not a luxury. They are an integral part of a good education — an education necessary if our students are to have a bright future. The effect of a good school is felt not only by the students, but by the community as well.

But how can we create good schools with limited funds? By spending wisely and making every dollar count. If you read our last month’s construction report, you may have noticed that schools and universities are shifting their focus from building new, to repairing, replacing and retrofitting the facilities that they have. This means looking at purchases through a different lens and taking into account more than the lowest sale price.  

A noticeable “ripple effect” of advantages can result from a simple, well-thought-out change. For example, 21st-century learning requires a collaborative environment. The selection of flexible furniture will support varied teaching and learning styles, encourage collaboration and blur the lines between formal and informal learning spaces. Proper lighting and lighting controls can save energy and facilitate the use of various audio-visual technologies that will improve learning. Healthy environment means less sick days and more learning. Building green saves energy, conserves water and creates a more healthful facility. Superior facilities help attract students and inspire excellence.

Every decision we make has an impact on learning. We can guarantee that our students will have a safe, secure and nurturing place in which to learn by making informed decisions based on more the lowest cost. If you don’t have funding to do it all … add to the plus column by improving your educational environments one piece at a time.  

Featured

  • Texas A&M Adds ALPR Technology to Parking Solutions

    Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, recently integrated automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology into its parking services and enforcement strategies, according to a news release. The university’s Transportation Services division deployed Genetec AutoVu ALPR to manage the campus’ 36,000+ parking spaces.

  • Lewis C. Cassidy Elementary School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Lewis C. Cassidy Elementary School has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Minnesota District Partners with Kraus-Anderson on Four Construction Projects

    Stillwater Area Schools in Lake Elmo, Minn., recently announced a partnership with Kraus-Anderson for construction projects at four schools in the district, according to a news release. The projects’ funding comes from a $175-million referendum passed in November 2023.

  • ClassVR Wins Tech & Learning Best of Show at ISTELive 25

    Avantis Education recently announced that its flagship product, ClassVR, won the Tech & Learning Best of Show Award at ISTELive 25 in San Antonio, Texas, according to a news release. The program is designed to celebrate products that are “transforming education in schools around the world and that show the greatest promise for the industry,” and this is the fourth consecutive year that Avantis has claimed the award.

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