This analysis investigates the relationship between the availability of daylight in classroom and performance of elementary and middle school students in three daylit schools designed by Innovative Design for Johnston County Schools in North Carolina. Results show that students attending daylit schools outperformed students attending artificially…

This digest in Spanish examines schools' dress-code policies and discusses the legal considerations and research findings about the effects of such changes. Most revisions to dress codes involve the use of uniforms, typically as a way to curb school violence and create a positive learning environment. A recent survey of secondary school principals…

This book addresses the importance of student involvement in improving the quality of schools. It demonstrates how bringing together students of all achievement levels using empowering activities helps everyone. Chapter 1 demonstrates how student involvement can be used to alter the culture of a school and includes examples of specific projects to…

This digest examines schools' dress-code policies and discusses the legal considerations and research findings about the effects of such changes. Most revisions to dress codes involve the use of uniforms, typically as a way to curb school violence and create a positive learning environment. A recent survey of secondary school principals found that…

Research on educational facilities is important to help industry and school districts make decisions on funding and maintaining good educational environments for their students. This paper presents findings from three syntheses of 232 studies on educational facilities and funding decisions, followed by discussions of practical solutions designed…

This report addresses the expanding role that schools play in a child's everyday life and presents three creative initiatives in Seattle, Washington, designed to reconnect schools with their surrounding communities and help schools meet their growing role as an extended family. The three elementary school case studies, which each address a…

This 7:50-minute videotape describes the architectural design and structure of the Roy Lee Walker Elementary School, illustrating why the school is considered the most energy efficient and environmentally sound school ever built. The videotape highlights the sustainable, award-winning design features such as the innovative use of daylight to…

This report examines the relations between school design and student productivity and informs policy decisions. It contains three analytic sections: an analysis of school facilities characteristics and student productivity, a review of other research examining school facilities and student productivity, and an analysis of the need for school…

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) presents a study of facilities' needs for the Abbott School District's 28 educational facilities and provides recommendations concerning how the state should address those needs, including appropriate and alternative funding. Study assessment data show the estimated cost for existing facility…

Children are threatened, teased, taunted, and tormented by schoolyard bullies every day in the nation's schools. In a study of junior high and high school students from small Midwestern towns, 88 percent of students reported having observed bullying, and 76.8 percent indicated that they had been a victim of bullying at school. Bullying can…

This paper presents the findings of the University of Alaska Anchorage's (UAA) 1996 survey of student needs. The objectives of the survey were to gain insight into the students' goals and motivations, and to measure students' needs and satisfaction as part of institutional accountability. The survey is intended to be used as a guide to…

This book presents a discussion of new ideas for education and the factors needed to approach educational change. It is designed to be easily read by anyone interested in education. It considers educational and multi-disciplinary practices, and the concerns that impact education and student success. The book is divided into four sections. Section…

This guidebook provides information on improving urban school grounds in the United Kingdom to enhance children's lives. Chapters provide the experiences from other schools on the topics of greening the urban school grounds; the multi-cultural aspects of developing urban school grounds; organization of limited space; issues involving seating,…

This paper presents a framework for assessing the economic and social costs of drug abuse in rural areas. The first section considers definitions for three key sets of concepts: (1) what is rural, the great diversity within rural contexts, and how to distinguish rural from urban; (2) the nature of social costs, as they affect communities as well…

Students represent a great untapped source of assistance in the management of the educational system. The returns in student motivation, student responsibility, and pertinent suggestions for program improvement may make student committees worth operation. The Central Kentucky Vocational Educational Evaluation Project (VEEP) reports on a sub-study…