In 2009, a replication of the Pool study was conducted. This study, however, focused on the school systems classified as Class III districts. Nebraska has 252 Class III districts. Compared with Class II (21), Class IV (1), and Class V(1) districts, the Class III districts offer a wide array of school settings, from urban to extremely rural, and…

The extent to which school buildings support education has been an important topic for policymakers. One issue is the physical condition of the buildings, particularly as school buildings age. Another is the ability of the buildings to accommodate shifts in the nation's population: some communities have experienced decreases in school-age…

Currently, in the United States, 75% of school buildings are in need of repair or renovation. The current physical condition of those school buildings and the effect they have on educational achievement has been a major topic of concern among policymakers, community members, parents, taxpayers, and educators. Just to bring the United States'…

Instead of selling the idea of a new middle school building, an Ohio school district engaged people in an 18-month conversation about community financial and educational needs. The plan succeeded, due to unconventional leveraging strategies, full staff participation, elimination of diversions, involvement of community leaders, personalized…

Given the breadth and complexity of the current school improvement movement, the upgrading of physical structures may be the only specific reform area demanding a straight-forward approach. The widespread physical disrepair and overcrowding characterizing today's innercity schools provide students with no viable alternative to urban squalor and…

Classroom density may be a more important planning consideration than size. The lower middle range for human social distance is 7 feet--not met in most classrooms containing 20 to 25 students. Students need ample space, since crowding causes behavior problems and increased maintenance costs. (Contains 10 references.) (MLH)

This report examines the class size conditions in New York City's lowest performing schools--the 408 Schools in Need of Improvement (SINI) or Schools Requiring Academic Progress (SRAP) identified by the state. This report examines a detailed analysis of class size and enrollment data for each grade in each of these schools and determines how many…

Year-round education is an essential component of California public education. Through creative calendar planning, space utilization is being increased by 25 to 50 percent, depending on the selected configuration. Although growth remains the driving force, there is increasing acceptance of the learning, employment, and lifestyle benefits of…

New York City's public school system was challenged during the 1990s by fiscal pressures that coincided with a surge in student enrollment. The focus of this report is how the City's schools performed under these combined pressures. There were four major conclusions relating to disappointing school performance: school buildings grew more crowded;…

Aging buildings and increasing enrollments are putting school construction back on school boards' agendas. Planners can expect sticker shock, due to rising construction costs, and wiring, lighting, and other accommodations for technology. They must also rethink designs for libraries, traffic control, parking, and security, and consider…

Better physical conditions produce better student outcomes. Other factors affecting a school's physical environment and academic productivity include school structure, school size, teacher-pupil ratio, school location, grade-level configuration, and classroom size. Building or remodeling schools according to obsolete images is fiscally and…

Defining stress as a "misfit" between individual needs and environmental attributes, this paper reviews research on areas where the designed environment, on both a schoolwide and a classroom level, interacts with the educational process. These interactions are considered from the perspective of stresses imposed on both teachers and students. The…

To address the inadequate condition of school buildings across the city, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) established a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) in 1996, an ongoing plan for reviewing and upgrading CPS infrastructure over 5 years. Capital projects include additions, annexes, new replacement schools, and new area schools. This report…

The objective of this report is to answer the big questions about whether in the foreseeable future most school overcrowding in New York City will be eliminated and all city children will have class sizes and access to school libraries, science labs, art/music rooms, and physical fitness activities that are the norm for students in the rest of the…