The Accountability Plan is an annual report that is closely aligned with the Board of Governors' 2025 System Strategic Plan. This report enhances the System's commitment to accountability and strategic planning by fostering greater coordination between institutional administrators, University Boards of Trustees and the Board of Governors regarding…

National reports have raised concerns about the physical accessibility of public school facilities for people with disabilities. These facilities serve important roles as schools, voting locations, and emergency shelters, among other things. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine the physical accessibility of public school…

The 2017 Thought Leaders report focuses on "Transforming Facilities to Achieve Student Success." The report makes the case that student success starts with retention and graduation, but it can expand to include factors from personal career goals to social responsibility. A key message from the report is that through strategic investment…

This paper identifies approaches, challenges, and best practices related to planning and designing today's academic library learning spaces. As part of the Project Information Literacy (PIL) Practitioner Series, qualitative data is presented from 49 interviews conducted with a sample of academic librarians, architects, and library consultants.…

This study aims to inform the California Department of Education (CDE) in ensuring the standards contained in Title 5 appropriately promote the planning and design of healthy, safe and educationally suitable K-12 school facilities. The study gathers and analyzes K-12 facility standards in ten case study states across the country to understand…

The purpose of this study was to inform the California Department of Education (CDE) in ensuring the standards contained in Title 5 appropriately promote the planning and design of healthy, safe and educationally suitable K-12 school facilities. The study gathers and analyzes K-12 facility standards in other states across the country to understand…

In the past 50 years, the share of students enrolled in U.S. Catholic schools has declined from approximately 12% to 3%. In reaction, many urban Catholic schools have closed and subsequently reopened as public charter schools in order to receive governmental funding and to increase enrollment. As public schools, these Catholic- affiliated charter…

In the last several years, the growing demand that education institutions incorporate sustainable design and construction concepts in school facility plans has created a greater emphasis on using life-cycle costing. The use of long-lasting materials and equipment enables schools and universities to avoid the unnecessary consumption of energy and…

A charrette (pronounced shuh-ret) is a collaborative planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create a shared vision and a feasible plan for implementation. The charrette consists of an intense period of design activity where variables are clarified, reasonable limits established and collective…

Why do construction projects fail? Ineffective communication and collaboration, and poor pre-planning processes are among the reasons given by building owners in a recent survey. To avoid those pitfalls, colleges and universities need to take a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to preplanning, financing and carrying out their master plans…

This study examines the current use of manufactured relocatable (portable) classrooms in the public school districts of Florida to determine whether their use is a cost efficient and educationally effective and safe means of handling short-term accommodation needs. Areas of research include: economic impacts; the physical classroom environment;…

Examines renovation efforts involving an old urban, magnet high school (North Fort Myers, Florida) that transformed it into an up-to-date school facility without interfering with the school's operation. Discusses design and planning strategies, materials used, and the environmental concerns that needed to be addressed. (GR)

Answers the question of whether educational facilities funded under the Community Education Facility Act are being used by the community. The 19 funded projects surveyed addressed issues pertaining to kinds of projects, daily operation responsibilities, evaluation provisions, degree of community use, cooperation promotion, and compliance of state…

Examines the role that state departments of education in California, Florida, Maryland, and Washington play with local school districts in planning, designing, constructing, and/or operation and management of educational facilities. (MLF)

In July 1979, the Florida legislature commissioned a comprehensive evaluation of the state's educational fixed capital outlay (EFCO) program, through which the state funded all capital projects at all levels of public education. The study, completed for the 1980 legislative session, comprised 18 topical reports including EFCO funding recipients,…