PreK-12 Ed


BEWARE THE COST CUTTERS

In virtually every school construction project, there comes a time when the desires of the educators clash with the realities of the budget.

Better Safety: Millions Less

As I have for the past six years in this column, I urge readers to avail themselves of quality free resources.

MAKING THE GRADE

Giving your students the best for the performing arts should include the best possible acoustical environment — whether that's an auditorium, gym or cafetorium.

Long-Term Fitness

Physical and health education in schools needs to be about more than winning "The President's Physical Fitness Award" and receiving a patch — it needs to be about developing a healthy way of life.

SCHOOL ACCESS

How well are schools doing in adhering to the ADA guidelines?

ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR ME

Here's how administrators at Spokane Public Schools make sure all teachers have the furniture they need.

Best Practices for School Construction

The results from a new survey of the largest K-12 public school districts in the nation indicate that the school systems that had model five-year master plans were more likely to have fewer problems in the school construction process.

Fighting the Last War

Evaluate school safety information with a critical eye to the future as well as the past.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Investing in all kinds of technology makes sense for many reasons, not the least of which include improved education, productivity and efficiency for real financial savings.

NO MORE BLAND INTERIORS

Time was, interior designs for schools imitated the worst examples of institutional blandness. But times change.

Putting Facilities Into Words

Too little thinking goes into the development of new concepts and new understanding of how children learn, concepts that often are spoken about by teachers, principals and others but are seldom reflected in the schools we build.

Commitment to Community

Good schools are the foundation of a healthy community. Unfortunately, too many schools are planned by architects and administrators without community input or involvement.

SO MANY CHOICES

Whether you are building a new school or maintaining an existing facility, you are going to be faced with questions about what is your best bet concerning the roof.

PLANNING AND DESIGN

The best way to avoid pitfalls and complaints is to have a system-wide master plan that is comprised of these six essential elements.

SHARING PRIVATE SPACES

Public school facilities are being designed and used in many areas to be shared with the community, which makes perfect sense, but it does raise some design issues about locker rooms and restrooms.

Some Days This Job Is for the Birds

One day, a colleague called to complain about sea gulls that were making numerous deposits on his tenants and their automobiles. He indicated that this was our problem to correct since the gulls were using our middle school as home.

FINAL THOUGHT: COMPUTER LABS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS?

Are computer laboratories needed in elementary schools? Three separate incidents have me thinking about this question.

COST-EFFECTIVE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE

School facilities are expensive to build, and they become even more expensive if they are not properly maintained. That is why capital planning and budgeting are essential tools for districts.

EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK: INNOVATIVE FINANCE

The question is, where will the additional funds come from? The answer — many schools are changing their buying habits to ensure the most“bang for the buck.”

THE NEXT WAVE: NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Never before has the success of the learning enterprise been more important than it is today.

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