PreK-12 Ed


President's FY 2013 Education Budget

This year's budget is further complicated given it is a Presidential election. Some believe the budget is more of a campaign document than a budget that addresses the economic and deficit issues facing the nation. So, it is unlikely that any education app

15 Low-Cost Tips for School Interiors

Perhaps more important than reducing costs, these kinds of ideas can help to fashion a contemporary, active-learning environment. They brighten and color spaces, bring in natural light and create innovative visual themes that will excite students as well

You'd Better Shop Around

Purchasing cooperatives promise to lower cost, save time and reduce redundancy for their members. While their popularity, and potential profitability, has caused their numbers to skyrocket in the last few years, buying co-ops may not always be the right a

The Integration Step

The addition of security technologies, including video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection, has for many schools and districts contributed to improved school security. For schools that have made a good start, the next step will integrate

State-of-the-Art Safety

Successfully implementing electronic access control in K-12 environments requires extensive planning as well as processes to ensure maximum usage of the technology. The following steps are recommended to successfully implement electronic access control in

Building Out Pests of Interior Spaces

Designing, maintaining and operating school buildings and grounds with a focus on pest prevention pays off in fewer pest complaints — up to 90 percent fewer — and less pesticide use. This article focuses on pest proofing in kitchens and cafeteri

Happy Birthday to Us

The New Year has arrived and with it our 50th anniversary. School Planning & Management has been covering education since 1962. Over the last 50 years, we have seen drastic changes in publishing, the country and education.

Learning by Experience

As outdoor learning spaces become more and more incorporated in school design, one can't help but ask, what needs to be considered when designing them to ensure that they're useful? The experts have several thoughts.

Dealing With the Digital Natives

Fundamental changes must occur within our schools if we wish to prepare American students to compete in the world economy. The necessary changes will require the integration of classroom technology, changes to classroom configurations and funding for retr

A Look Ahead

2012 isn't easy to predict, but the future isn't necessarily bleak. Carrying on our beginning-of-the-year tradition, here is what we can look forward to during 2012, from the viewpoint of several people who dedicate their time and talents for th

Pushing Back Against Zero Tolerance

Zero tolerance originally addressed illegal activities like selling drugs. Over time, however, the policy has broadened in scope to include behaviors that pose no threat to others such as truancy and even dress code violations. Student protestors call zer

Lunch by Design

There are numerous criteria to consider in the design of a K-12 kitchen and cafeteria. There is a lot of planning that should and must be done. It's a lot easier to plan for and provide the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, space, adjacencies and dur

Fixing the Title I Comparability Requirement

In far too many places, Title I money is filling budget gaps rather than being used to close achievement gaps. In a plan for this year's reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, the Obama administration proposes closing the loopholes in the current compar

Window Film

Retrofitting 
with window film is also a more cost-
effective option than installing new windows. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy's laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), says that &&a

Close It Up & Lock It Down?!?

No matter what your memories are of school days gone by, there can be little debate about today's need for improved building security. Meeting the need to protect students, staff and visitors requires the effective implementation of access control me

No Blinding Light

Today commercial grade windows for K-12 classroooms often include internal features that contribute to students' thermal comfort. One such feature is between-the-glass venetian blinds (sometimes called interstitial, internal or integral blinds).

Re-Inventing School

Modern K-12 school designs can take advantage of three different technologies that give schools forward-looking capabilities: administrative technologies, educational technologies and smart building technologies.

A Safe Environment

The EPA's first-ever federal guidelines for locating school facilities encourage high-performance schools, stress the importance of locating schools near populations and infrastructure and promote schools as diverse centers of communities. They urge commu

An Important Decision

Risk and vulnerability for today's school environment is of great concern to not just school boards, administrators and teachers, but also to parents and other students. The technology behind IT security and vulnerability is often too much for a scho

Optimizing Print Services Saves Big Money

school district has printers, copiers and multi-functional printers (MFPs) of varying ages and capabilities and contracts spread throughout the district. There's no real control over who uses them or how much they're used, and no one's keep

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