A novel set of civic activists arose in Los Angeles in the 1990s, gaining independence from neoliberal advocates and labor leaders to advance a variety of school reforms over the next three decades. In turn, student learning climbed steadily during the period. This paper first describes the rise of these "new pluralists" -- a diverse…

User participation is a key element in decision processes concerning the accommodation of dynamic organisations such as schools. This article addresses the discrepancy between the perspectives of the architects and engineers, as the makers of school buildings, and school management, teachers and students, as the users of the buildings, and…

The 2018 elections were historic on many levels, with the highest turnout in a midterm year since 1914, record numbers of women winning office, and the first Native American and Muslim women ever elected to Congress. At the state level, 36 governors' races were on the ballot, and 20 newly elected governors take office in January. As these 20 new…

This field report is the third in a series produced by the Center on Innovations in Learning's League of Innovators. The series describes, discusses, and analyzes policies and practices that enable personalization in education. Issues of the series will present either issue briefs or, like this one, field reports on lessons learned by…

The United States has about $2 trillion tied up in aging school facilities. School districts throughout the country spend about $12 billion every year keeping this infrastructure going. Yet almost all of the new money we pour into school facilities reinforces an existing--and obsolete--model of schooling. In "Blueprint for Tomorrow,"…

Just days before a massive tornado devastated their community last May, a group of Joplin, Mo., educators and other community members had a meeting about "21st-century learning." Then May 22 arrived, bringing the catastrophic storm that ripped through the community of 50,000 in the southwest corner of the state. The tornado killed 161…

"Designing for Education: Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities 2011" showcases over 60 recently built or refurbished educational facilities from 28 countries. Collectively, these projects demonstrate state-of-the-art design in this field and each one is lavishly illustrated with colour photos, plans and descriptions. [A free PDF is…

With the help of close to $30 million in grant monies from Career Technical Education (CTE) and Overcrowding Relief grants, and Joint-Use and High Performance grants, Lake Tahoe Unified School District and architect LPA, Inc., have already completed a CTE "Green" Construction and Transportation Academy, a new classroom building and the…

The brief from local government called for an environmentally sustainable school that establishes new models for excellence in curriculum, teaching, and learning. With its visionary sine wave design concept, flexible learning areas, shared community spaces and "extensive" green roof system--a first for an Australian school--the new $33…

I'll never forget my amazement when my favorite jazz vocalist, also my teacher, revealed that even as a veteran musician, she still gets nervous on the stage. "Nervous energy encourages me to take chances" she said, emphasizing that taking chances is key to the musical improvisation for which she is known to this day. I enjoy finding…

Implementation of user interfaces designed to explain sustainable practices and provide opportunities for integration into curriculum include the new Renton Secondary Learning Center near Seattle, Washington. The Renton Secondary Learning Center (RSLC) builds upon a "Continuum of Services" to expand offerings and opportunities for…

The Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI) has recently initiated a pilot project to develop a new prototype school, involving users in the design phase. This is the first time in Korea that users have been consulted on issues relating to school design. One of KEDI's objectives is to integrate specific elements into school design such as…

As people become more sophisticated in their understanding of the workings of the human mind, it becomes increasingly clear that the processes of teaching and learning are more complex and subtle than was once thought. Models of education that were appropriate in the past are now obsolete. Cornell (2002) proposed an emerging paradigm of teaching…

The Labour Government launched the "Building Schools for the Future" programme (BSF) in February 2003 with the aim of refurbishing or rebuilding all secondary schools in England over a 15-year period, with an anticipated budget of 45 billion British Pounds. In this article, we locate BSF in a wider public policy context which has already…

Contemporary education design strongly emphasises stimulating, adaptable learning environments, with spaces able to support various styles of teaching and learning. Delivering successful school buildings requires a close collaborative relationship between the architect and all key stakeholders from initial briefing through to project handover. The…