Discusses the importance of creating retreat spaces for young children in child care settings. Identifies special challenges and opportunities for creating such spaces in family child care homes. Outlines research findings detailing the benefits of retreats for children, and discusses the contributions of location, form, and materials in creating…

Key requirements for a successful music program include a supportive environment, constructive communication, an effective floor plan, and quality equipment.Unless music education's value is recognized, adequate resources, funding, and equipment will not be committed. Music programs require substantially more space and soundproofing than regular…

Examines two preschool programs in the New Orleans area in terms of their arrangement of indoor and outdoor space to implement developmentally appropriate practices. Explains that they can serve as inspiration to other early childhood professionals who struggle to create meaningful experiences for young children in "second-hand" space. (EV)

Examines the school-within-a-school approach to middle-school design in creating multiple specialized learning environments for students. Discusses planning and designing these types of school environments, with emphasis on not confining or restricting students from experiencing the larger school environment's other functions and activities. (GR)

Gifted teachers possess a talent for generating an atmosphere of connectedness and focus in the classroom, and state standards emphasize the importance of student engagement. This article presents suggestions for teachers that can increase the chances that their students will be fully engaged during a lesson. The issues of time (length of…

In the first seventy five years of the seventeenth century twenty two enclosed convents for English women were founded in exile where more than 1950 women were professed. In order to lead the strict religious life following the requirements of the Council of Trent for enclosure for women religious, these foundations required specialised buildings…

The use of retreat spaces by 65 children in 9 family child care homes was assessed in this study. Family child care providers used daily diaries to collect information about children's retreat frequency and associated behavior. The findings revealed that nearly half of the children used informal, readily available retreats during the research…

Embedded in the public mind and school architectural design is a deeply rooted image of teaching. This traditional image, established well over a century ago, persists despite a continued interest and repeated efforts on the part of educators to change the every day experiences of teachers and students. Indeed, examinations of teacher practices…

Student safety is an important goal when teaching physically active skills, and school safety standards should be considered as important as the dance content standards for students. More than being complementary, safety standards and content standards are functionally related, because "consistently enforcing safe practices within the…

The California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) conducts policy research and analysis to support long-range planning and student success. The community college enrollment projection is the first in the "Ready or Not, Here They Come" series that will be developed over the next six months. Community college projections were…

An early childhood education consultant to a Parks and Recreation Department implemented and evaluated a practicum intervention intended to promote active learning by means of a redesigned indoor preschool environment. Additional goals were to improve the behavior and engagement of the children in the environment; increase parental approval of the…

This publication provides the latest information available on the equipment and operation of mobile libraries operating out of road vehicles. The guide provides details on the establishment of mobile library services, financing, vehicles, furniture and equipment, staffing, collections, service base, and publicity. Some generalizations with regard…

This document presents an inventory of current physical facilities of universities in Ontario (Canada) as of the 1992-93 academic year and a review of trends over the past 10 years. Section 1 is an introduction. Section 2 reviews trends of the past 10 years in seven graphs. Section 3 contains tables providing data by institution. They include…

This report examines academic calendars at Illinois' institutions of higher education and presents data for the 12 public universities on the number of instructional days as well as the number of days that instruction was not offered during the 1992-93 academic year. Data are also presented on the academic calendars of samples of Illinois public…

The use of instructional facilities at University of Alaska campuses was assessed in 1982 through a comparison of usage rates and prescribed standards. The objective was to assist the state legislature evaluate present and future capital improvements requested by the university and to enhance institutional managerial decisions regarding the need…