The average public school building was built around 1968 -- more than 50 years ago -- and the National Center for Education Statistics reports that half of all public schools in the United States need at least one major facility repair. Mary Filardo, Jeffrey Vincent, and Kevin Sullivan explain how poorly maintained school buildings have a negative…

Facilities access is arguably the largest and most persistent challenge facing new and expanding charter schools. Creating a charter facility "incubator" can help solve this challenge. This case study provides an in-depth look at the design and operations of one such incubator, "Building Pathways," a nonprofit that serves as…

A 2014 study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) found that 53% of public elementary and secondary schools need to spend money on repairs, renovations, and modernizations to put their onsite buildings in good overall condition. The study estimated that the nationwide spending…

With growing knowledge about the effectiveness of collaborative or team-based learning in developing important skill sets among students, the development of collaborative and active learning space (CALS) classrooms has gained increasing momentum in recent years. However, there currently exists a paucity of research evaluating the impact of these…

Active learning, a constructivist approach to learning, can be an effective pedagogical tool. As active learning becomes more ubiquitous and begins to replace some lecture-style content delivery, the built environment should also change. A design case study, "a description of a real artifact or experience that has been intentionally…

Charter schools have always had difficulty finding affordable buildings. In response, charter school supporters have explored many policy and market approaches, ranging from strategies easing access to district facilities to increasing both public and private revenue options for facilities purposes. This paper, produced by the National Charter…

Despite mandates that require schools to be safe places for all students, issues persist around the provision of safety for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, trans-sexual, and trans-gendered students and staff. The current study reports the initial two stages of an action research project undertaken in a New Zealand secondary school, which aimed to enhance…

The north star of quarterback organizations is to increase the number of high quality schools serving low-income students. Quarterbacks consistently point to a lack of affordable facilities as a barrier to their ability to serve more students. Where such barriers exist, Education Cities believes its members can and should play a key facilities…

School districts continue to face economic challenges as they evaluate the need to make improvements to support student learning. Public school buildings across the United States are in need of immediate repairs and renovations. In some cases, schools need to be rebuilt in order to meet the educational needs of students. As school districts…

Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) were founded with humble beginnings. From the movement's inception, the founders used any available community space to teach classes, including church basements; trailers; and older, government buildings constructed for purposes other than teaching, lab, or office use. There were other limitations. Many…

The Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education provides funding and priority recommendations for Nebraska State College, University of Nebraska, and Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis (NCTA) capital construction budget requests, as outlined in Nebraska's Constitution and Statutes. The overarching principle used in this…

Active learning spaces form an important part of university learning environments and have the potential to enhance student learning, yet studies on student and faculty perceptions of collaborative learning pedagogies indicate that many remain resistant. To overcome this resistance, an academic department developed and implemented an active…

Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) is radically pressuring institutions of power to rebuild and support Baltimore's families with livable-wage employment through their jobs movement, called Turnaround Tuesday. The organization has secured over 800 living-wage jobs for its participants, with a 2-year retention rate of 83% with…

California's K-12 school facilities require significant new and ongoing investments. Funding for facilities comes mostly from local sources, and depends crucially on local property wealth. The state provides some funding for facilities through the School Facility Program (SFP), which usually requires local matching contributions. The authors begin…

This document contains the technical appendices for the report "Equitable State Funding for School Facilities: Assessing California's School Facility Program." Appendices include: (1) Data Sources; and (2) Supplemental Tables and Figures. [The authors received research support from Joseph Herrera. For the full report, see ED617949. For…