Building Green and educational environments for special-needs students.
A survey published in a recent issue of USA Today asked average Americans how likely they were to shop for environmentally responsible products during the economic downturn. The answer surprised me. Thirty-four percent were more likely to, and only eight
The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) recently released Learning Teams: Creating What's Next, a report detailing an impending wave of teacher retirements and new solutions to address the supply of teachers in our natio
Why should school districts worry about today's down economy? After all, the vast majority of their income comes from state legislatures and local property taxes, with some additional funding from the federal government.
School business officials sh
To better understand the current rage for "green" buildings, it is important to refer to fundamental principles of sustainable design. Of these, the most basic ideas can be found in passive solar strategies that incorporate many traditions of in
Imagine a place where rainwater and ecology are part of a child's curriculum, where the amenities around the school are developed upon a framework of design principles that reintegrate students into the environment.
Total Project Management (TPM) is an exclusive process that provides a single source of responsibility for all planning, architecture, and construction needs. This process increases accountability, eliminates the blame game, streamlines the scope of work,
School district decision-makers face a multitude of challenges, but possibly one of the biggest responsibilities they are charged with is creating schools that offer productive learning environments while being fiscally responsible to tax payers. They wan
With the recent passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, school districts nationwide have an unprecedented opportunity to construct new high-performance schools and modernize existing facilities to significantly decrease energy consumption a
Building Green and educational environments for special-needs students.
Educators are typically not experts in security and law enforcement and sometimes question which type of approach is best for providing security and/or law enforcement staffing for schools and special events. There are numerous approaches, ranging from un
Schools also need to do their homework on all of the elements of building or renovating green sustainable sites, water and energy efficiency, protection of natural resources, use of recycled and re-used materials, and the protection of indoor envir
Our current economic climate has affected numerous areas in education, including libraries. Districts have less money to go around, but their libraries may find some relief through money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Sure price matters, but it's not the most important factor when making furniture purchases. Purchasing managers keep a lot of different balls in the air when deciding what to get and from whom. If your school is buying in the future, here are some fa
I do not know how many Astroturf or similar playing fields are still in existence, but the original enthusiasm has declined, in part because of the hardness of the playing surface. But the problem that Astroturf seemed to solve the overuse and dete
The technology for effectively cleaning carpets and rugs has been in place, or so it might be assumed, for many decades. However, in 2000, the Dalton, GA-based Carpet and Rug Institute, Inc., responding to customer complaints, made some startling discover
I may be a little biased when it comes to supporting music and the arts, but with good reason. I spent my happiest (and most productive) days in college as a part of a performing group, the I-Uppers. Our director, Leonard DeFabo (head of IUP's psycho
Video analytics systems make security officers proactive. The technology sees potential safety or security problems as they take shape and alerts a security officer who evaluates the situation and decides to intervene or not. It transforms video surveilla
Schools are no longer equipped with the old gun where you pull the lever and hear bells ringing all over. Instead, today's schools are outfitted with technology-rich public address systems, intercom systems, and clocks that keep lines of communicatio
As our culture embraces the concept of reuse or recycling in its many forms, it is only appropriate to focus on how some school districts have tapped the creativity of board members, architects, and/or planners to restore, renovate, or rebuild some their