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This book provides a detailed discussion of all of the processes involved in planning a school building. From a discussion on how to organize the local staff to the final evaluation of the building, the separate processes are described in detail.
'The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning: A Synthesis of the Evidence provides an excellent literature review of the resources that explore the areas of focus for improved student learning, particularly the aspiration for “accessible, well-built, child-centered, synergetic and fully realized learning environments.†? Written in a style which is both clear and accessible, it is a practical reference for senior government officials and professionals involved in the planning and design of educational facilities, as well as for educators and school leaders. --Yuri Belfali, Head of Division, Early Childhood and Schools, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills This is an important and welcome addition to the surprisingly small, evidence base on the impacts of school infrastructure given the capital investment involved. It will provide policy makers, practitioners, and those who are about to commission a new build with an important and comprehensive point of reference. The emphasis on safe and healthy spaces for teaching and learning is particularly welcome. --Harry Daniels, Professor of Education, Department of Education, Oxford University, UK This report offers a useful library of recent research to support the, connection between facility quality and student outcomes. At the same time, it also points to the unmet need for research to provide verifiable and reliable information on this connection. With such evidence, decisionmakers will be better positioned to accurately balance the allocation of limited resources among the multiple competing dimensions of school policy, including the construction and maintenance of the school facility. --David Lever, K-12 Facility Planner, Former Executive Director of the Interagency Committee on School Construction, Maryland Many planners and designers are seeking a succinct body of research defining both the issues surrounding the global planning of facilities as well as the educational outcomes based on the quality of the space provided. The authors have finally brought that body of evidence together in this well-structured report. The case for better educational facilities is clearly defined and resources are succinctly identified to stimulate the dialogue to come. We should all join this conversation to further the process of globally enhancing learning-environment quality! --David Schrader, AIA, Educational Facility Planner and Designer, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE)
The mission of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is to ensure that all students acquire the knowledge, skills and values necessary to live rich and fulfilling lives as responsible, productive and enlightened members of a democratic society. It is the vision of the District of Columbia School System that it will be known as one of the best urban school districts in the country. It will offer an outstanding education to every student within a safe, healthy and educationally appropriate environment, and will be among the first major urban school districts to eliminate the achievement gap among all sub groups of the student population. The District of Columbia Schools will dynamically engage parents and the community in the lives of students and schools, and will be the first and best choice for families living in the District of Columbia. This Master Education Plan details how the District of Columbia Public Schools intend to achieve this vision, and goals by addressing eight areas critical to education excellence: (1) strong learning standards, curriculum, instruction and assessments--a challenging academic core for all students; (2) teachers and principals who are prepared to deliver high-quality instruction to every student; (3) a culture of inclusion that offers a wide range of learning opportunities for diverse students; (4) increased supports and assistance that meet students' individual needs; (5) partnerships that take advantage of the Capitol City's global stature and many community assets; (6) schools that are organized in ways that better serve students and families; (7) an accountability system that more clearly defines the responsibilities of the central office and the schools, and proposes a series of interventions to turn around low-performing schools; and (8) a commitment to equity that ensures that every student has access to an appropriate range of educational resources. For each of these eight interlocking areas, the plan provides a picture of progress to date and identifies steps DCPS must take to achieve sustainable, systemic reform. It also lays the groundwork for further discussion of how DCPS can best use its facilities and other resources to support the necessary changes and provide safe, healthy and effective learning environments. Some of the strategies addressed by this Plan will be implemented immediately; others will require additional planning. All interventions will be regularly monitored and evaluated; as necessary, revisions will be made. To help the community monitor action, the superintendent will present an annual progress report. This report concludes with a discussion and outline of future steps to be taken as well as budget implications. [This Plan was produced by the staff of DCPS under the direction of Michelle J. Walker, Chief, Strategic Planning and Policy.].
Model Policies in Support of High Performance School Buildings for All Children is to begin to create a coherent and comprehensive set of state policies that will provide the governmental infrastructure for effective and creative practice in facility management. There are examples of good policy in many states, but no state has a coherent set of policies designed to intentionally support the planning, design, construction, utilization, and management of high performance public school buildings--so they are the educational and neighborhood assets that they need to be, as well as environmentally and fiscally responsible. The purpose of this paper is to provide policy guidance and recommendations to elected and appointed officials and administrators at the State, local, and school district level to improve facilities management in order to support and enhance the delivery of educational programs and services for students and teachers. The Building Educational Success Together (BEST) partners present a four-part policy agenda: (1) Increase the coordination of school district and municipal planning and ensure there is public participation in the planning process; (2) Create and support schools as centers of community that offer school-based supports to children to eliminate barriers to success and serve the broader community; (3) Improve facilities management, including maintenance and capital improvement programs; and (4) Secure adequate and equitable facilities funding. In each section the authors summarize the challenge in the policy area, what the objective of new or reformed policy is, and its rationale. Then they include model school facility policies and legislative examples, where they existed in 2005. ["Model Policies in Support of High Performance School Buildings for All Children" was produced by the Building Educational Success Together (BEST) Partnership, which includes the following organizations: (1) 21st Century SchoolFund, Washington, DC; (2) Center forCities and Schools; University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; (3) Education Law Center, Newark, NJ; (4) KnowledgeWorks Foundation, Cincinnati, OH; (5) National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, Washington, DC; (6) New Visions for Public Schools, New York, NY; and (7) Save our Schools, New Orleans, LA.].
The state of America's schools is a major concern of policymakers, educators, and parents, and new programs and ideas are constantly proposed to improve it. Yet few of these programs and ideas are based on strong research about students and teachersâ€"about learning and teaching. Even when there is solid knowledge, the task of importing it into more than one million classrooms is daunting. Improving Student Learning responds by proposing an ambitious and extraordinary plan: a strategic education research program that would focus on four key questions: How can advances in research on learning be incorporated into educational practice? How can student motivation to achieve in school be increased? How can schools become organizations capable of continuous improvement? How can the use of research knowledge be increased in schools? This book is the springboard for a year-long discussion among educators, researchers, policy makers, and the potential funders-federal, state, and private-of the proposed strategic education research program. The committee offers suggestions for designing, organizing, and managing an effective strategic education research program by building a structure of interrelated networks. The book highlights such issues as how teachers can help students overcome their conceptions about how the world works, the effect of expectations on school performance, and the particular challenges of teaching children from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. In the midst of a cacophony of voices about America's schools, this book offers a serious, long-range proposal for meeting the challenges of educating the nation's children.
This title is no longer available in print. However, please visit the NCES website at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp'pubid=2003347 to view an electronic version of the text. As America's school buildings age, we face the growing challenge of maintaining the nation's education facilities at a level that enables our teachers to meet the needs of the 21st century learners. This tool has been developed to help readers better understand why and how to develop, implement, and evaluate a facilities maintenance plan. It focuses on: maintenance as a vital task in the responsible management of an education organization, the needs of an education audience, strategies and procedures for planning, implementing, and evaluating maintenance programs, a process to be followed, rather than a canned set of "one size fits all" solutions, and recommendations based on "best practices", rather than mandates. The document offers recommendations on the following important issues, which serve as chapter headings: Introduction to School Facilities Maintenance Planning Planning for School Facilities Maintenance Facilities Audits (Knowing What You Have) Providing a Safe Environment for Learning Maintaining School Facilities and Grounds Effectively Managing Staff and Contractors Evaluating Facilities Maintenance Efforts
This book includes a thorough conceptual framework, with descriptions and "how to" applications of educational planning, architectural design, and research. Serving as both a reference and textbook, each of the 18 chapters includes exercises to expand traditional and computer-assisted facilities planning and design activities. The book is amenable to web-assisted instruction and there are numerous citations from the Internet. Each chapter provides a special "reality-based" contribution to the educational facilities planning and design process. Ideas are conveyed through comprehensive descriptions, illustrations, summaries, and extended activities developed to increase understanding and emphasize the relevance of school planning and design in a regulated, political climate. The reader is guided to visualize a broader context for educational planning and design, where design principles are categorized according to building organization, primary education, shared school and community resources, character of all spaces, and site design and outdoor spaces.