Using the example of Clark County school district in Las Vegas, discusses the challenges faced by administrators of rapidly growing areas. Districts confronting rapid growth must find enough money to build needed facilities, secure appropriate sites for new schools, juggle multiple construction projects, and not let the focus on new facilities…

Many districts (like District 28 in Tempe, Arizona) that made major cuts in their arts programs in the 1980s have rebuilt them only to be challenged by burgeoning student populations. Some, like one Colorado district, have begun sharing arts facilities with community organizations. Community support is essential. (MLH)

Uses the example of award-winning Black Hawk Middle School in Minnesota to examine: (1) developing a middle school architecture; (2) benefits of the house concept; (3) the need for staff involvement in school design; (4) assembling houses into schools; (5) reduced discipline problems; (6) fostering teacher collaboration; and (7) measuring success.…

Describes the design of a K-8 school that incorporates classroom clustering around a shared common area. The classrooms are clustered along a linear block of support spaces that resembles a traditional multibuilding educational campus. The school design shows ample use of windows and glass-walled stairwells as well as easy access to outside…

Discusses the lessons learned from Disney's K-12 Celebration School when trying to apply the latest research on teaching and learning to the school's design. Explores the future of business/school partnering in school planning, and offers expert advice on the school-planning process. (GR)

Explores how research can confirm that customer-driven educational-facilities planning actually works. Describes a matrix format for gauging value scores on a school renovation's importance to a community and on how the community believes the building is performing against that value. (GR)

As serving as its own contractor, a small district in western Montana saved money, had better control over the project, and inspired public confidence. Major advantages were cost savings, controlling the pace of construction, and the ability to cope with change orders. (MLF)

Examines the process of developing a school design, from the curriculum plan to building schematics. General phases discussed include advance preparation, educational specifications development, steering committee feedback, and architectural design review and critique. (GR)

School planning isn't easy. Compromises can inadvertently undermine critical health and safety features. Errors can go undetected until too late, becoming apparent only after the cement is dry. As a school design consultant, the author is often pointing out dysfunctional elements in otherwise fine school buildings. He would much rather catch them…

As education institutions more readily pursue stronger connections with the entire community, joint-use programs allow them to forge those bonds more effectively--providing entire communities with more access to facilities and services, often critically needed in some areas, and more efficient use of tax funds. Through joint-use agreements,…

Most universities have invested in extensive infrastructure in the form of computer laboratories and computer kiosks. However, is this investment justified when it is suggested that students work predominantly from home using their own computers? This paper provides an empirical study investigating how students at a regional multi-campus…

This article describes how the author changed a gloomy and outdated library into a cheery and welcoming place for teaching and learning. When the author was hired as the new library media specialist at Tri-County Career Center Library in Nelsonville, Ohio, the library was antiquated, uncomfortable, and not geared for the present-day hills of…

The Detroit Public Schools (DPS) have been battered by substantial outside forces over the last decade. The school system was taken over by the state; its elected school board was dissolved and replaced by an appointed body; its many operating systems were privatized; its citizenry were encouraged to flee to charter schools; and its resources have…

Since its unveiling in 2003, professors and college students have flocked to the virtual world of Second Life. Professors use Second Life to hold distance-education classes, saying that communication among students becomes livelier when they assume digital personae. Anthropologists and sociologists see the virtual world as a laboratory for…

This chapter chronicles the emergence of a research university, beginning when the university was just a twinkle in some eyes and noting the obstacles that had to be surmounted to arrive at opening day. After outlining the complexities that faced administrators in building a new research university, the author focuses on the political and…