This report presents findings and recommendations of the Little Hoover Commission regarding California's efforts to provide schools that are economically built, adequate, safe, and well maintained. Findings and recommendations are presented in the following areas: school facility building and maintenance; leadership needs in managing construction…

The 2007-09 state general fund executive recommendation (including general fund capital projects) is $470.2 million for the eleven campuses, UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Forest Service and North Dakota University System Office, which is an increase of $81.8 million or 21.1% over the 2005-07 adjusted appropriation. The total…

Standards established by Maryland public schools for information and communication distribution systems in new construction and renovation projects are detailed. The function of the communications distribution room (CDR) is to house the distribution equipment of the school's communications systems and may contain gateways, tuners, video cassette…

This chapter from a North Dakota guide for early childhood special education personnel focuses on staff and facilities for programs for young children with special needs. Following an introduction, the first section presents North Dakota guidelines concerning qualification of teachers, physical facilities, required instructional time, and…

This study determined the perceptions of selected architects, administrators, and teachers concerning essential design elements for new middle schools. Professionals from 14 south and southeastern states ranked statements from not applicable to essential in the following 5 categories: planning, design, site selections; environmental factors; space…

This packet contains resources on five topics relevant to rural school administrators. "Assessing Parent Involvement: A Checklist for Rural Schools": discusses educator beliefs that support successful parent engagement programs, challenges and advantages of rural schools attempting to involve parents and community, and aspects of…

To address the inadequate condition of school buildings across the city, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) established a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) in 1996, an ongoing plan for reviewing and upgrading CPS infrastructure over 5 years. Capital projects include additions, annexes, new replacement schools, and new area schools. This report…

Five educational planners make brief predictions about how the current baby boom will affect schools' organization and facilities. Common themes include the need to upgrade existing facilities, to make long-range plans, and to design new schools that are flexible and could be converted to other uses. (MLF)

A self-awareness checklist is provided for teachers to assess the safety of their classroom environment. Aspects of school safety included in the checklist are: student behavior policies, teacher responsibility, facilities and equipment maintenance, and planning for emergency procedures. (FG)

Describes how Oregon State University was able to implement an effective facility stewardship plan for its Student Union building. Details how previous plans did not allocate enough money for renewal and maintenance and how administrators worked with students, state funding agencies, and federal programs to renovate and maintain the structure.…

Presents an annotated review of human factors literature that discusses computerized environments. Topics discussed include the application of office automation practices to educational environments; video display terminal (VDT) workstations; health and safety hazards; planning educational facilities; ergonomics in computerized offices; and…

Inventories of space characteristics and utilization evolved into college space planning guidelines. Several approaches and methods for calculating space needs are described. The guidelines that an institution selects depends on its organization, the availability of the data the models call for, and the amount of work that one wants to do.…

Traces how state departments of education have evolved because of external pressures; how this is related to the responsibility of departments of education with local school systems in facility planning; how this varies by state; and how issues of educational equity, maintenance needs, and capital projects may increase departments' involvement.…

Describes the services and responsibilities of the state department of education in North Carolina. (MLF)

Addresses design and safety issues of which school business administrators should be aware when they become involved in integrating a preschool facility with an elementary school. Discusses building environmental factors, safety, health codes, play surfaces, energy conservation, and architectural considerations. (KDP)