This special journal issue addresses concrete masonry in educational facilities construction. The issue's feature articles are: (1) "It Takes a Village To Construct a Massachusetts Middle School," describing a middle school constructed almost entirely of concrete masonry and modeled after a typical small New England village; (2) "Lessons Learned," explaining why concrete masonry can be the material of choice for educational facilities; and (3) "CM Profiles: A High Performance School in Panther Country," discussing a concrete masonry school in Texas exhibiting best practices in school design and construction. The issue's regular departments "Around the Block" and "Detail of the Month," discuss Utah prototype schools and energy-efficient school designs for new construction. (EV)