This study investigates the extent of portable classroom use in the province of Ontario between the years 2010 and 2020. The research uses administrative data obtained from the Ontario Ministry of Education and from the 27 largest school boards in the province. The findings reveal that portable classrooms are used as long-term solutions to address…

There is growing global concern concerning South African learners' mathematics achievement, with research identifying many factors contributing to poor mathematics achievement, with class size being one of them. When classrooms are overcrowded, this may lead to a stressful environment which can negatively impact the quality of teaching and…

This article examines the impact of African American migration into Kansas City, Missouri, on the city's segregated school system in the 1940s and early 1950s. Substantial increases in the number of African American elementary school-age children produced chronic overcrowding in the segregated black schools, which was not easily relieved due to…

In 2008, Western North Dakota experienced an extraordinary energy boom, creating waves of new residents seeking employment in the lucrative oil fields. Resultantly, many communities in the area, which were almost exclusively isolated and rural, dramatically changed. The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to investigate the…

This article uses Chicago public school closings as a case study for the rise of mayoral control and the decline of democratic participation -- two common responses to stiff competition from global markets -- in urban public schools in the United States. In response to the 2013 Chicago decision to close 50 schools and move 30,000 students, this…

Provides national data on the condition of public school facilities and the costs to bring them into good condition; school plans for repairs, renovations, and replacements; the age of public schools; and overcrowding and practices used to address overcrowding. Data are from the Public School Facilities Survey of the National Center for Education…

Discusses the easing of overcrowded schools through the use of portable classrooms and provides an example from Elk Grove Unified School District (California) which has opened entire elementary schools using only portables. Fifteen tips for installing relocatables are highlighted. (GR)

Schools adopt extended year calendars for various reasons, including fuel conservation and improvement of educational opportunities for students. This article describes a program in Jefferson County (Colorado) established to alleviate overcrowding in a large suburban school district that failed to pass bond issues for funding new schools. (MLH)

Describes Capistrano (California) Unified School District's use of portable classrooms to solve overenrollment problems while complying with Governor Wilson's directive to reduce class size in primary grades. When evaluating the merits of relocatable classrooms, school leaders should consider acquisition and use, identification of responsible…

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)

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…

According to a Department of Education report, 92% of nonpublic schools would accept students from overcrowded urban public schools only if they were allowed to maintain their current admissions, curriculum, and religious instruction/activity policies. These are powerful arguments against school vouchers or use of nonpublic schools to alleviate…

Two studies examined the relationship between classroom crowding and the behavior of handicapped students in a total of 74 special classes. Both studies found the frequency of disruptive or aggressive behavior higher under the crowded conditions. (Author/DB)

Growth in student enrollment is a statewide phenomenon in California. Options to overcrowding include year-round education, portable classrooms, new school construction, and maintenance of existing schools. The Association of California School Administrators is seeking specific legislative remedies. (MLF)