To demonstrate the impact facilities can have on learning, some exemplary elementary schools that made the decision to provide a good educational environment are presented. To assess the impact of these facilities, students, teachers, parents, superintendents, and other administrators were interviewed. The book opens with a discussion of whether the building does make a difference in education and concludes that the physical surroundings wield a profound effect on children and personnel. Discussed next are various philosophies that influence structural design and how classrooms should be constructed to help children learn. The school environment should stimulate and motivate children, and it should support educational initiatives, not hinder them. Some of the specific areas that are discussed at length include communications and technology, enrichment and support space, and outdoor learning and play. The theme of the text, "a place where people want to be", is the focus of the last chapter. Each section features numerous interior and exterior photographs of school buildings. An appendix lists the schools that are featured in the text. (RJM)