Accessing affordable facilities has long been identified as one of the most significant challenges facing charter schools. In response to this challenge, an array of policy and market-based approaches has emerged over the years. Examples of these approaches include: public and private credit enhancement, tax-exempt bond financing, community…

During the early 1920s, the question of who should control the schooling of African American children caused controversy in several Southern states, including Georgia. White educationists and bureaucrats were divided into two groups: the conservatives who called for educational needs to be determined and funded locally, and a growing reformist…

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…

The community of East Lake, home to Charles R. Drew Charter School (Drew), is 6 miles from downtown Atlanta. In 1995, crime in East Lake was 19 times higher than the national average. Now, violent crime is down 95 percent. In 1995, 88 percent of residents were unemployed. Now, only 5 percent receive welfare. In 1995, just 5 percent of fifth…

There is excitement in the air at Clarke Central High School in anticipation of a $28 million renovation planned on its 27-acre, urban campus located just minutes from the University of Georgia in Athens. This extensive construction aims to fulfill a board of education mandate to provide equity among the Clarke County school facilities and will…

Recent reforms in Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) appear to be gaining traction and producing welcome improvements in student achievement and success. Enrollment has increased, educators are replacing unsuccessful programs with innovative ones, and new resources and organizational partnerships are being brought into the system.…

The "Closing the Achievement Gap" series explores the Casey Foundation's education investments and presents stories, results, and lessons learned. This publication presents an in-depth look at the Foundation's multi-year investment in a school district feeder pattern in Atlanta, and stories about Casey contributions to district…

Describes efforts in suburban Atlanta's Clayton County to improve existing schools, build new ones, and retire old debts through the passage of a special local-option sales tax. Discusses increases in student achievement, improved technology training and implementation, and relations with the community. (LRW)

Discusses the financial strengths universities possess that can help them provide privatized on-campus housing that benefits the school and students while allowing a profit to the developer. Georgia's success in establishing a financial structure to develop apartment-style student housing that would allow no recourse against the state or affect…

The state of Georgia provides funds to assist local school systems in meeting their needs for public school facilities. This overview examines the implementation of Georgia's Capital Outlay and Exceptional Growth Programs initiative, its implementation, the formula used to calculate each school system's entitlement earnings under both the regular…

The purpose of this guide is to facilitate the work of Georgia planners in systematically determining the size, nature, and functions of spaces needed for the construction or renovation of media center facilities after the minimum requirements for school media centers established by the Georgia Board of Education have been met. The first section…

The purpose of this report is to present a description of the instructional program, funded in part under Title I of the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act, and the findings of the study which assessed pupil performance in reading and mathematics and related estimated costs to pupil performance. The following projects were utilized as…

The preservation of school safety should be a primary commitment of all educators. This paper presents findings of a study that examined school facility safety in 27 Georgia schools. Data were gathered from a survey of 9 elementary, 11 middle, and 7 high schools in south Georgia. The surveys elicited information related to both school-site safety…

This document addresses the physical state of the more than 170 buildings at 28 technical schools administered by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, concluding that although some progress has been made in reversing the deteriorating condition of the state's school facilities, funding at the current level is not keeping up…

Describes how the media center at Mt. Bethel Elementary School (Marietta, Georgia) was redesigned to make better use of electronic resources. Discusses the initial preparations and the remodelling process. Outlines the four components of managing change--vision, planning, funding and implementation. (AEF)