Duncan Praises Honorees: Announces 2nd Annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour

For the third consecutive year, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and Districts Sustainability Awards received accolades at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. for their sustainable, healthy facilities, wellness practices and sustainability learning. In addition to the ceremony, honorees participated in a celebration offered by the Center for Green schools and Senator Tom Harkin’s office, where they met their Congressional representatives, and in a range of tours offered by numerous federal partners. To learn more about this year’s U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees, visit our website.

…And Announces Second Annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour
Federal, state and local officials will be traveling to a select number of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees as part of the second annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour, hosted by state education agencies.  This year's tour, with the theme "Healthy Schools, High-Achieving Students" will visit West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, Colorado, Minnesota, and Maryland.  The tour is open to the public and press.  It is a great opportunity to learn from and share with ED-GRS honorees.

The dates of the tour are:
August 18th -22nd: West Virginia and Kentucky
Sept. 4th-5th: South Florida
Sept. 16th -17th: Denver and Ft. Collins, Colorado
Sept. 23rd-24th: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct. 8th: Maryland

Featured

  • Chicago District Completes Construction on New Elementary School

    North Chicago School District 187 in North Chicago, Ill., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Forrestal Elementary School, according to a news release. The new school marks a major investment in military-connected students and families at Naval Station Great Lakes.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.