The federal government last formally assessed the state of the nation's schools in the 1999 report "Condition of America's Public School," which estimated that it would take $127 billion to bring the nation's schools to "good condition." The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issued its own report card the same year. In…

Growing up in a more eco-conscious world, incoming students are more savvy about "greening" the world around them. A decade ago, green college campuses were those that offered recycling bins in residence halls. Now education institutions are integrating sustainability efforts into as many aspects of their campus operations as possible. And that…

In 2002 the Council of the Great City Schools and its members set out to develop performance measures that could be used to improve business operations in urban public school districts. The Council launched the Performance Measurement and Benchmarking Project to achieve these objectives. The purposes of the project were to: (1) Establish a common…

Now that green building has become more popular, school facility directors and architects are beginning to make different choices during construction. These choices may involve energy-efficient lighting, window size, building materials and design elements. Often, though, what happens during construction has unexpected consequences--unwanted…

Houston Independent School District (HISD) District and School Profiles provides parents, staff, community members, and other interested parties summary information regarding student performance and outcomes, demographics, and school programs for each HISD school. These profiles are divided by instructional level: elementary, middle, high,…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of superintendents who have conducted both successful and unsuccessful school construction referendums in the state of Indiana from 2008-2010. This research will serve as a guide for superintendents who will undergo a school construction referendum, especially in Indiana. This study will…

Air pollution is air pollution, indoors or out. Good indoor air quality (IAQ) contributes to a favorable learning environment for students, protects health, and supports the productivity of school personnel. In schools in poor repair, leaky roofs and crumbling walls have caused additional indoor air quality problems, including contamination with…

This report and accompanying tables provide the findings of the 15th Annual Survey of College Construction prepared for "College Planning & Management" magazine. Representatives of Market Data Retrieval sent survey forms and made follow-up telephone calls to every college in the U.S. seeking information on their construction…

People often use the term "green energy" to refer to alternative energy technologies. But green energy doesn't guarantee maximum energy savings at a minimum cost--a common misconception. For school business officials, green energy means getting the lowest energy bills for the lowest construction cost, which translates into maximizing green energy…

This article asks the following questions: (1) Is there a link between new construction and student achievement? (2) What role does socioeconomics play in the answer? Data were collected for seven academic indicators and two behavioral indicators. The high schools ranked in the lowest wealth quartile were then divided into two groups: schools with…

More than 10 years ago, the U.S. Department of Education estimated that the average age of American school facilities was 40 years. With the slowing education construction market, one can assume that this age is continuing to rise. And this system of aging school facilities begs the question: Renovate or replace? When schools are looking at their…

Houston Independent School District (HISD) District and School Profiles provides parents, staff, community members, and other interested parties summary information regarding student performance and outcomes, demographics, and school programs for each HISD school covering the last five years. These profiles are divided by instructional level:…

Houston Independent School District (HISD) prides itself on being a global district in a global city, and the district works tirelessly to ensure that it's students graduate ready for the world. With the help of community and business partners, as well as leaders from Houston's largest industries and institutes of higher education, HISD has…

"Towards Healthy Schools: Reducing Risks to Children" is the fourth in a series of triennial state of the states' reports from Healthy Schools Network and its partners in the Coalition for Healthier Schools, dating from 2006. Previous reports assessed state-by-state environmental health hazards at schools, offered compelling personal…

Good architecture responds to contemporary challenges, irrespective of fashionable trends, and is characterised by rigorous building processes. Office buildings, housing, stadiums and theatres offer outstanding examples of this principle. But do school buildings figure among them? Happily, in Germany they do, although they are still too rare. This…