The 2030 Promise Plan is shaped by the ideas, experiences, and expertise of nearly 2,800 Hawai'i stakeholders who responded to the call for equity, excellence and innovation in public schools. Feedback gathered during Board of Education (BOE) meetings and community meetings over the past two years is also reflected. This plan frames collective…

Every day in America more than 50 million children go to neighborhood public schools. Parents send them off with every hope they will be safe while there. And yet, as has been the case in too many cities, violence shatters that hope. The Council of Educational Facilities Planners International (CEFPI) seeks to lead in the effort to bolster schools…

School districts throughout the country are suffering from aging schools, repair and maintenance backlogs, and budget short-falls. The result is insufficient government resources to ensure that students are provided adequate classrooms and facilities to enhance learning and student achievement. In Hawaii, the repair and maintenance backlog for…

There has been a slow but steady increase of research on the impact of public school facilities on educational achievement and community outcomes and of the rigor of the research. This summary of studies is part of a larger literature review conducted by the 21st Century School Fund with funding from the Charitable Trust of the Council on…

Just imagine...a school designed and constructed to produce as much energy on site as that which is consumed from the electric grid. The electricity and gas bills would be 10% or less of that of a typical building; there would be no water bills for site and landscaping irrigation. What was merely a conceptual thought as little as five years ago is…

The dream--combining two nationally recognized Cincinnati Public Schools, the current School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) for grades 4-12 and Schiel Primary School for Arts Enrichment for grades K-3, into the new K-12 School for Creative and Performing Arts--has come true. This article discusses how Cincinnati made it to reality.…

In this paper, the 21st Century School Fund and the Center for Cities and Schools at the University of California Berkeley provide a conceptual frame for the joint use of PK-12 public school buildings. There is a growing conversation about and demand for joint use as a way to provide services to children and families in convenient locations,…

There has been a slow but steady increase of research on the impact of public school facilities on educational achievement and community outcomes and of the rigor of the research. This summary of studies is part of a larger literature review conducted by the 21st Century School Fund with funding from the Charitable Trust of the Council on…

Open plan schools have been largely contested in Portugal; many teachers, administrators and even parents consider this model of schooling inappropriate and therefore a failure. Recently however the Escola da Ponte, one of the open plan schools that has survived, was recognised as one of the country's most innovative educational facilities.…

Most facilities renovation projects occur because someone at the executive or board level has lobbied successfully for them. Often in public schools, the voters have agreed to the project as well via a building referendum. Therefore, facilities projects are highly visible to the community. Unlike many other issues in schools, facilities projects…

Describes the award-winning design of the Centennial Middle School (Minnesota) that was built to hold 1,800 students but designed to not seem impersonal or institutional. Explains a design approach that helped give the school a small feel despite its large size while also complementing the surrounding community. (GR)

Late in 2006, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) released the first report in this series, "Building Minds, Minding Buildings: Turning Crumbling Schools into Environments for Learning." This second report, which covers the green schools movement is a natural follow-up; it highlights the work of AFT members and affiliates involved…

This document presents winners of the 2001 International School Construction News and Design Share Awards for elementary, secondary, and higher education facilities deemed to represent state-of-the-art designs. Section 1 presents an introduction and a review of the honor award winners. Section 2 includes merit award winners, an explanation of this…

Presents selected winners of the Texas 1997 Exhibit of School Architecture Design Competition. The Caudill and honor award winning projects are listed along with facility photos, brief descriptions, project credits, and the names of the construction companies used. (GR)

Presents selected winners of 1998 Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators school architecture competition. Award winners are listed in following categories: Caudill Award; educational appropriateness; innovation and design; value and planning; and value. Facility photos, brief descriptions, project…