Provides national data on the condition of public school facilities and the costs to bring them into good condition; school plans for repairs, renovations, and replacements; the age of public schools; and overcrowding and practices used to address overcrowding. Data are from the Public School Facilities Survey of the National Center for Education…

Discusses the easing of overcrowded schools through the use of portable classrooms and provides an example from Elk Grove Unified School District (California) which has opened entire elementary schools using only portables. Fifteen tips for installing relocatables are highlighted. (GR)

Schools adopt extended year calendars for various reasons, including fuel conservation and improvement of educational opportunities for students. This article describes a program in Jefferson County (Colorado) established to alleviate overcrowding in a large suburban school district that failed to pass bond issues for funding new schools. (MLH)

Describes Capistrano (California) Unified School District's use of portable classrooms to solve overenrollment problems while complying with Governor Wilson's directive to reduce class size in primary grades. When evaluating the merits of relocatable classrooms, school leaders should consider acquisition and use, identification of responsible…

Given the breadth and complexity of the current school improvement movement, the upgrading of physical structures may be the only specific reform area demanding a straight-forward approach. The widespread physical disrepair and overcrowding characterizing today's innercity schools provide students with no viable alternative to urban squalor and…

Year-round schooling is a positive alternative for the Woodburn School District, a district experiencing an overcrowding problem. The year-round education system has not yet been implemented in Woodburn, but the proposal is getting serious attention by administrators, teachers, and parents. The Utah Foundation Research Report identifies 10…

Year-round education is an essential component of California public education. Through creative calendar planning, space utilization is being increased by 25 to 50 percent, depending on the selected configuration. Although growth remains the driving force, there is increasing acceptance of the learning, employment, and lifestyle benefits of…

This report takes the experience of one city--Chicago, Illinois--and uses it as a detailed example of how the struggle to rebuild U.S. schools, particularly a large-scale program, has fared in the real world, highlighting the need for a federal role in helping state and local governments fix its school buildings and relieve overcrowding. Chapter…

Discusses the reasons why schools choose year-round multi-track (YRMT) scheduling. Asserts that YRMT scheduling seriously affects music teachers since they spend less time with the students and must plan in smaller increments. Provides the results from a survey where music teachers in Florida (Orange County) commented on their experiences with…

A Utah school district, faced with a legislative freeze on new-school construction, has implemented an aggressive and diverse program to accommodate increasing enrollment. The strategy relies on alternative scheduling, with year-round schools and an eight-period modified schedule; alternative staffing patterns; and use of capital funds for…

A severe space crunch and dismal academic performance prompted a Texas school district to adopt multitrack year-round education. Six years later, crowding is under control and test scores and attendance are up. In an interview, the superintendent and assistant superintendent discuss the district's success with this controversial schedule. (MLF)

Describes the Youth Art Month exhibit in Howard County (Maryland) where students submitted their art focusing on school buildings and their interiors. Their art reveals concerns and desires about overcrowding, space utilization, school building height, outside lighting, solitude needs, and visual stimulation. The artwork is discussed in terms of…

The increasing number of young people filling U.S. classrooms will be a defining feature of American education for years to come. This report, which includes a message from U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, describes the impact of the rising number of young people and gives special attention to the large number of teenagers who…

Enrollment growth and a lack of classroom space influenced the school district of Jefferson County, Colorado, to consider a year-round school program. A study committee decided that a plan called Concept 6 was the most appropriate for addressing local needs. Under Concept 6, there would be six instructional terms; students would attend school for…