Catastrophes can occur at any place and for any reason. Within the past years an extraordinarily high number of catastrophic events have happened to public schools. From a high number of tornados to excessive flooding and unseasonable weather, the country has experienced a considerable number of very difficult environmental disasters that have…

Evaluations of Public-Private Partnership arrangements as alternatives to traditional government procurement methods for the delivery of public infrastructure projects have been anecdotal at best. This paper proposes a framework to evaluate a public university's infrastructure asset management performance and a specific measure based on a new…

Traffic lights are an important part of the transportation infrastructure, regulating traffic flow and maintaining safety when crossing busy streets. When they go awry or become nonfunctional, a great deal of havoc and danger can be present. During power outages, the street lights go out all over the affected area. It would be good to be able to…

Participatory Action Research employs social sciences research methods to develop actionable local knowledge. In seeking meaningful and inclusive ways of generating knowledge together in the workplace, Participatory Action Research practitioner-researchers combine action and reflection with theory and practice to improve local situations and…

This annual report examines information on school construction completed and underway during 2014 and planned to start in 2015. Among the findings of this report: (1) school districts in the United States spent more than $14 billion ($14,123,865,000) on construction projects completed during the 2014 calendar year; (2) most of the construction…

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa are investing in education and future generations with a new tribal college campus. The new Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) campus in northern Minnesota will greatly improve not only the college's physical appearance, but will also elevate the community's sense of pride and self-esteem. The impact of the new campus…

Not long ago universities, colleges, and schools identified the management of facilities as the Physical Plant Office. Albeit, the services provided by the physical plant office included complex and highly technical functions, they were mainly focused on keeping building systems operating and the campus looking good. As important as these…

The constitution and statutes of Nebraska assign the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education the responsibility for comprehensive planning for postsecondary education in Nebraska. The purpose of the "Comprehensive Statewide Plan for Postsecondary Education" is to provide direction for the future of postsecondary education in…

This study aims to inform the California Department of Education (CDE) in ensuring the standards contained in Title 5 appropriately promote the planning and design of healthy, safe and educationally suitable K-12 school facilities. The study gathers and analyzes K-12 facility standards in ten case study states across the country to understand…

The purpose of this study was to inform the California Department of Education (CDE) in ensuring the standards contained in Title 5 appropriately promote the planning and design of healthy, safe and educationally suitable K-12 school facilities. The study gathers and analyzes K-12 facility standards in other states across the country to understand…

When new learning environments are built, numerous variables are taken into consideration. For example, school systems consider the instructional needs of the students they serve, enrollment, and whether to replace or remodel an old building. The concept of "going green" encourages school system planners to consider the natural…

Prevalent new paradigms are emphasizing the need for more powerful learning opportunities that meet the needs of 21st century learners. One way to change education to better meet the needs of the 21st century is to reimagine school architecture. The purpose of this research was to study the ways practitioner inquiry can serve as a mechanism for…

This field report is the third in a series produced by the Center on Innovations in Learning's League of Innovators. The series describes, discusses, and analyzes policies and practices that enable personalization in education. Issues of the series will present either issue briefs or, like this one, field reports on lessons learned by…

A growing number of educational institutions have discovered that a guided self-assessment solution helps them to consistently and cost-effectively obtain facility condition information and make better-informed capital planning decisions. Facility self-assessment employs a consistent, repeatable process for internal staff to quickly assess assets…

Transforming space to facilitate and compliment learning has become an integral component in the redesign and renovation of academic libraries. This article offers a framework of discussion based on the redesign and renovation of the existing curriculum materials center at East Carolina University Joyner Library. The curriculum materials center,…