Presents survey data on school maintenance and operations (M & O) budgets that show school districts nationwide are allocating, for the second year in a row, a smaller proportion of their budgets to preserve and run their facilities. M & O comparable cost-data are listed on a per-student and per-building square-footage basis for nine…

Presents survey data on school maintenance and operations (M & O) budgets that show colleges are addressing facilities concerns by increasing M & O funding. M & O comparative-cost data are listed on a per-full-time student and per-building square-footage basis for all colleges, and two- and four-year schools. M & O administrative…

Describes efforts in suburban Atlanta's Clayton County to improve existing schools, build new ones, and retire old debts through the passage of a special local-option sales tax. Discusses increases in student achievement, improved technology training and implementation, and relations with the community. (LRW)

Examines the award-winning Commonwealth Hall, a new education and development center at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, that helped the campus acknowledge the beauty of its rural location and the region's industrial history. Discusses the building design's connectivity with other facilities, its blending in with the surrounding…

Presents results from a survey of engineering design graphics educators who responded to questions related to current trends and issues in the profession of graphics education. Concludes that there is a clear trend in institutions towards the teaching of constraint-based modeling and computer-aided manufacturing. (Author/YDS)

Explores questions of renovation or new construction when evaluating older gymnasiums in schools. Discusses the drawbacks of older structures and the relevant issues of building a new gym, such as access and the use of space, daylight, and materials. Offers tips on using the school landscape and provides a case example. (RJM)

A recent study developed efficiency indicators (grouped into price, personnel, productivity, and policy categories) as part of an ongoing internal benchmarking process to help six affluent New York school districts manage their facilities maintenance and operations processes. Based on data analysis, the greatest area for potential savings (from…

Describes the new elementary school in rural Hancock County, Tennessee, financed as a result of efforts to equalize funding throughout the state. Compares conditions in the new and old schools. Discusses the greatly expanded space, new technology features, the school clinic, after-school activities, and various special student services. (SV)

This 1946 paper discusses ethical issues and procedures that school nurses should follow when faced with public criticism of unsatisfactory health conditions within the school, focusing on dealing with substandard building conditions, home visits, and school health councils and explaining how the nurse should react in order to maintain…

In the first seventy five years of the seventeenth century twenty two enclosed convents for English women were founded in exile where more than 1950 women were professed. In order to lead the strict religious life following the requirements of the Council of Trent for enclosure for women religious, these foundations required specialised buildings…

The author of this article, an art teacher at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado, describes how her experience teaching in a new school presented an exciting visual challenge for an art teacher--monotonous brick walls just waiting for decoration. This school experienced only minimal instances of graffiti, but as an art teacher, she did…

Design activities allow students to create their own solutions, drawing upon a personal understanding of science principles and examples. We created the 'Houses in the Desert' project to engage middle school students in designing a passive solar house that will keep its owners comfortable in the desert climate. Students used their knowledge of…

This article describes the results of a study on user behavior in relation to environmental comfort conditions. A case study was conducted in school buildings in the region of the city of Campinas, So Paulo, Brazil. The methodology adopted was based on field observations of technical aspects of the school environment and of types of user behavior…

Some construction projects that colleges and universities have recently undertaken--residence halls, dining halls, student centers, athletic and recreation centers--have attracted significant criticism. Critics have taken issue with the proliferation and design of buildings intended to structure the use of students' free time and attract…

The restoration of an historic school building in Battipaglia, Italy, will provide new public facilities and is hoped to boost urban renewal. The municipality of Battipaglia, in the province of Salerno, held an architectural competition for renovating the E. De Amicis Primary School and the surrounding area. The winning project, submitted by a…