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

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • Houston K–12 District Opens New Elementary School

    The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) recently announced the completion of a new elementary school in a western suburb of Houston, Texas, according to a news release. Haygood Elementary School measures in at 110,000 square feet, has the capacity for 854 students, and is the first of three new schools scheduled to be built in the Cross Creek West community.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.