The problems of planning and designing educational facilities are outlined with regard to the ever-changing educational programs, teaching methods and technological facility needs. Problems of flexibility are concerned with how much flexibility is required and how much flexibility can be economically justified. Requirements for flexible school…

This report concerns the capital building programs and their costs. Comments and recommendations are made concerning enrollment projections and their bearing on the need for additional school accommodation, utilization of existing accommodation, procedures for approval of capital building projects, and financing capital building programs.…

This report focuses on the structure of the district, criteria for progress, and educational research data that provide background for implications for change. The report makes five recommendations: (1) reorganize the school structure to early childhood (ages 3-7), elementary (ages 8-10), middle school (ages 11-13), and high school (ages 14-17);…

This review cites documents and journal articles previously announced in the ERIC catalogs regarding the conventional aspects of site development, as well as some new trends in schoolhouse design. Economic necessities and changing educational practices suggest that the traditional concept of the school as a separate island within the community is…

In an applied facility experiment, two early 1900s conventional laboratory/classrooms were converted to an experimental setting designed to support educational programs. The two areas were cleared of all fixed benches and cabinetry and then renovated into a highly variable and flexible, open plan facility. A panel system was used to define areas…

Two articles discuss the management of space in library facilities. The first focuses on three general aspects of space management: how to organize for space management; necessary data collection; and human factors. The second article focuses specifically on space requirements for library technical processes. (CLB)

Provides strategies for school-level personnel to take an active role in improving how their facility functions in the education process. Includes advice on seeking a role in facilities design, encouraging the district to use facilities management tools, considering the unusual, and championing the cause of better school facilities. (SD)

Provides examples of middle school facilities design considerations for both new and remodeled buildings. Argues that the planning process is critical and offers advice including developing and reviewing the philosophy, selecting planning participants, conducting a Futures Workshop, beginning the process, planning at the microlevel, research, and…

A high school librarian's scenario for school libraries of the 21st century. Discusses function-based space allocation (computer, reference, and media production), quiet space, collection development, reading-socializing wings, lecture/presentation areas, learning labs, school libraries and community service, librarian publication, planning and…

Describes an undergraduate sociology project in which students conducted research at working class and upper-middle class shopping malls. The research focused on social stratification and its manifestation in architectural character, spatial relationships, advertising, and consumer behavior. Includes an appendix that reproduces the fieldwork…

Presents an analogy between classroom space utilization and Peter Brook's 1968 play, "The Empty Space," used in a modern, dramatic literature, college course. Taught from a feminist and student-centered perspective, students configured the classroom and class members as part of their dramatic readings. Stresses the indispensability of…

In an ethnographic study, teachers investigated a cultural difference between Anglos and Hispanics involving organization of space and activities at home, and applied the findings to high school classroom organization. The research was undertaken in a small community where a significant proportion of Hispanic students have…

The new year-round calendar implemented at Western State College (Colorado) is described, and the corresponding changes in curriculum and facility use are highlighted. The Western Scholars Year, with four alternating 12-week and 8-week terms, replaces the traditional 16-week semester schedule. Regular academic courses are scheduled over four…

The major purpose of this guide is to show teachers of kindergarten through third grade students how to create an environment in which young learners can begin to develop the thinking and behavioral skills they will need to function effectively in their school and personal lives. It is based on an educational philosophy, the Responsive Education…

Developed to meet the need for a comprehensive, up-to-date instrument to measure the quality of school facilities, this guide has as its purpose the evaluation of school facilities in terms of their general condition and suitability to meet the educational program of the school system and community. Appraisal criteria are categorized according to…