Stanford Begins Construction on New Facility for Graduate School of Education

Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony for a new home for the university’s Graduate School of Education, according to a university news release. The project entails the renovation of the current Education Building and the construction of a new facility. These two structures will be connected to the existing Barnum Center for Family and Community Partnerships via a 13,500-square-foot courtyard (including an outdoor classroom and garden) to create a three-building, 150,000-square-foot GSE campus.

The new space will feature a wide variety of teaching, conference, convening, and community spaces. It will also allow room for growth with changing technologies and project-based work, according to the news release. It will play home to the Stanford Teacher Education Program and the Stanford Accelerator for Learning.

“The new campus [is] a tangible representation of all that’s happening at the school,” said Dan Schwartz, Graduate School of Education Dean, at the ceremony. “It will help facilitate new research aimed at solving some of the biggest challenges in learning…It will foster collaborations to take education into a currently unimaginable and brighter future. In the end, the campus will do what architecture does best: orchestrate social interaction.”

The construction and renovation are scheduled to take a total of about two and a half years. A significant portion of the project’s funding comes from philanthropic support from a variety of donors.

“The Graduate School of Education’s new, expanded home will be a very highly visible beacon of the promise and the potential of education,” said University Provost Persis Drell. “It will draw students, faculty, researchers, and practitioners from diverse fields who share the desire to improve outcomes for every kind of learner at any stage of their educational journey.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Bradley Company Highlights Hygiene Tips for Global Handwashing Day

    In honor of Global Handwashing Day on October 15, commercial washrooms and emergency safety solutions provider Bradley Company recently released the results of its 2026 Healthy Handwashing Survey. The findings indicate simple, practical steps that facilities managers can take to encourage good hygiene on campus.

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • Wold Completes Geothermal Projects at Two Minnesota Schools

    Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has completed two geothermal expansion projects for Mounds View Public Schools in Shoreview, Minn., according to a news release. The work at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School serves the district’s long-term goal of reducing energy costs and dependency on non-renewable fuel sources, as well as improving building performance.