The purpose of this article is to explore spatial orientation and wayfinding behavior of newcomers in an unfamiliar environment and to emphasize the importance of landmarks and spatial differentiation in the acquisition of environmental knowledge. One setting with a symmetrical layout and regularly organized, monotonous units on different floors…

In this article, the author talks about The Trove, a children's space--library doesn't quite cut it--located in the White Plains Public Library, New York. Sandra Miranda, the library's director, came up with the idea for The Trove, although it took the work of many--from her staff to the architects to theatrical designers and fabrications--to…

Business educators understand the value of improving students' written and oral communication skills. However, too often assignments used to develop these important skills are taught in isolation. The purpose of this article is to enhance a student's written and oral skills by integrating all aspects of the job search written documents and…

Over the last decade, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has pursued educational reform in elementary teacher education. Because elementary teachers and teacher education are central to the reform agenda, there is a need to gain empirical evidence about how PNG teacher trainers' understandings about learning and teaching impact on their practice. The study…

This doctoral research work explores the quality of educational experiences and access to opportunities for girls with disabilities in selected rural primary schools in Malawi. The context for this study lies within four of the six goals contained within the World Declaration on Education for All doctrine, a document which lays out a framework for…

School leaders are increasingly being asked, whether by rhetoric or policy, to measurably improve student achievement. The resultant need to assist school leaders in their ability to improve teaching and learning for all students in their schools led to the establishment of the National Institute of School Leadership's (NISL's) Executive…

A synthesis of ideas and proposals that have emerged in the course of recent Programme on Educational Building activities places emphasis on issues relating to the economic management of existing building resources. In recent years the development and administration of educational building policies have been affected by changes in the organization…

Sooner or later, every teacher and administrator fantasizes about starting a school of their own. Few, however, move from off-the-cuff theory to the practical steps required to open the school house doors to real students and teachers. Fewer still manage to start an urban high school of their own while only in their mid-30s, a school that manages…

Using the past 3 years of data, for 2003 to 2005, from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) database, the yearly national fire loss for fires on nonadult school properties is estimated at $85 million. Such losses are the result of an estimated annual average of 14,700 fires that required a fire department response. Fires on school…

Most facilities renovation projects occur because someone at the executive or board level has lobbied successfully for them. Often in public schools, the voters have agreed to the project as well via a building referendum. Therefore, facilities projects are highly visible to the community. Unlike many other issues in schools, facilities projects…

New York City's public school system was challenged during the 1990s by fiscal pressures that coincided with a surge in student enrollment. The focus of this report is how the City's schools performed under these combined pressures. There were four major conclusions relating to disappointing school performance: school buildings grew more crowded;…

This book offers and examines a number of suggestions for school architecture. The book consists of a review of 22 school projects from around the United States. The text opens with a brief history of school design in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but the focus throughout the book focuses on several distinct elements: designing schools…

An examination was made of five major campus fires between 1971 and 1983 in an attempt to better understand the fire hazards associated with the operation of a modern U.S. college or university campus. Overall research revealed a general lack of interest in campus fire safety by colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Analysis…

This eighth edition of "Wisconsin School Buildings" contains basic data and floor plans for each new construction project reported as being completed during 1991-93. It includes 146 projects, 46 of which were new free-standing buildings. A survey of Wisconsin school districts provides evidence of a continuing need in planning for…

This curriculum guide, one of six modules keyed to the building maintenance competency profile developed by industry and education professionals, provides materials for a plumbing procedures unit of seven lessons. Lesson topics are: safety procedures, joining pipes, water systems, fixtures and appliances, maintenance and repair, drainage systems,…