This article reports on the opening up of a new, rich seam of interdisciplinary research that brings together historians of education with historians of art and architecture to examine the meaning and incidence of "The Decorated School". It examines the origins of the idea of art as educator in the nineteenth century and discusses how…

When trying to reach their sustainability goals, schools and school districts often run into obstacles, including financing, training, and implementation tools. Last fall, the U.S. Green Building Council-Georgia (USGBC-Georgia) launched its High Performance, Healthy Schools (HPHS) Program to help Georgia schools overcome those obstacles. By…

One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in the history of the United States ripped through the southeast Missouri town of Joplin on May 22, 2011. As it traveled along a 13-mile path it claimed 161 lives and caused more than $151 million in damages. Ten schools were damaged or destroyed and Joplin High School was a total loss. Just 48…

In an increasingly global world, where events in one corner of the world simultaneously affect other remote areas of the planet, global competition is becoming a continuously evolving phenomenon. Competition is also increasingly becoming an individual endeavor. Individual's own knowledge and skills will be the differentiators in a global economy.…

States jockey for position as the U.S. Education Department readies billions of dollars in "Race to the Top" awards--the stimulus program's grand prize. Even before they've finished spending their first block of federal stimulus aid, states are getting a head start in a national "race to the top" for better public education,…

Public education is one of the central tasks of a democratic society, and the buildings that house this important task not only shape the way one teaches, but provide icons and symbols for the values people hold common as a society. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this context has placed school buildings squarely in a position of debate and innovation…

"American Places" calls for campuses to be designed with attention to traditional virtues of campus coherence, human scale, and place distinction, not only to heighten the quality of the learning experience, but also as working demonstrations of ways in which places everywhere can be transformed into more healthy, humane, civic…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on schools and address the structural dimensions of the organization as well as the hierarchical design of information flows between stakeholders. The paper highlights current structural barriers to creating learning organizations. Design/methodology/approach: This paper utilizes a conceptual model.…

The Educational Facilities Laboratories (EFL), an independent research organization established by the Ford Foundation, opened its doors in 1958 under the direction of Harold B. Gores, a distinguished educator. Its purpose was to help schools and colleges maximize the quality and utility of their facilities, stimulate research, and disseminate…

Today, California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB)--founded in 1994 as the 21st campus of what is now the 23-campus California State University System (CSU)--occupies approximately 1,300 acres of the former Fort Ord Army base. The initial CSUMB master plan called for a large, sprawling campus footprint. Academic buildings would have been…

This book examines the postwar building boom in higher education, describing the diverse approaches to the creation of new campuses in the United States, England, Canada, West Germany, and France and exploring the range of responses to "utopian dreams" from students, academia, and the public. The chapters are: (1) "USA: Campus vs.…

Regardless of roles in society, people will be affected by what happens in the field of education in the coming decades. The impact may be personal and direct as a child or grandchild moves through the schooling process. Or, it may well relate to the quality of employees and, thus, chances for business success. Certainly, the impact the…

Describes the physical organization, philosophy, and methodology of the Rachel McMillan Nursery School in London, England. Compares the differences between British and United States nursery schools. Suggests ways in which the McMillan philosophy might be implemented in United States nursery schools. (BB)

New facilities at schools and universities are being designed that embrace the latest learning techniques and philosophies. The article describes two facilities that exemplify this trend: Thomas Jefferson Hall at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and Cass Technical High School library in Detroit, Michigan. Libraries, once thought…

DesignShare/School Construction News (DS/SCN) Jurists have often critically reflected on their desire to know more about how teachers and students really experience so-called innovative award-winning schools. Through the DesignShare Post-Occupancy Evaluation Program, the intention is to give voice to the individuals whose lives are directly…