APPA's Facilities Performance Indicators (FPI) Survey and Report has grown from 190 institutions to a survey reflecting the input of 225 institutions, another 36 institutions preparing to participate in the survey, and 150 institutions that participated in a customized utility consortium survey through a partnership between APPA and the Midwestern…

As the reconstruction efforts continue in China in the wake of the Great Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008, the China Development Research Foundation, with the support of the OECD Centre for Effective Learning Environments, organised an International Training Programme on the Post-Earthquake Reconstruction of Public Facilities from 1 to 11 December…

The tax credit portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (also known as the economic stimulus package or ARRA) has three different entities that can be used for various school construction including new, modernization, renovation and acquisition of sites for school projects. The bond rule notice and allocations have been issued…

A charrette (pronounced shuh-ret) is a collaborative planning process that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create a shared vision and a feasible plan for implementation. The charrette consists of an intense period of design activity where variables are clarified, reasonable limits established and collective…

This article reports that Florida State University officials are gearing up for what could be another bruising battle this month over a proposed biomass plant that could bring the campus cleaner, cheaper energy and monetary support for alternative-energy research. Or, it could bring noise and pollution to a nearby neighborhood, according to…

The campus security standard of care continues to evolve. Technology plays a more important role than ever before, and manufacturers want their equipment to become the solution of choice at education facilities across the nation. Campus administrators need to know more about these security technologies and how they might fit into a campus security…

"Yes we can!" Those famous three words of the Obama campaign could serve as the theme for the culture of hope and excellence at the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many of the students arrive in the 9th grade with reading and math skills at an early elementary school level. Others lack the basic life skills to…

This article is part of a series that has offered insight on planning a facilities project, hiring professionals, delivery system options and owner's responsibilities. In this article, the author focuses on some of the planning and design concepts one may be asked to consider in providing direction to his design and construction team. These…

Colleges and universities need to support their basic science research and education missions while simultaneously upgrading or replacing aging infrastructure, and finding ways to attract top faculty and students. To satisfy all these demands, higher-education institutions are constructing state-of-the art science facilities that are expected to…

In November 1996, the voters of Montgomery County (Maryland) approved by referendum an amendment to the County Charter that changed the County Council's review and approval cycle of the six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) from an annual to biennial cycle. The referendum specified that in odd-numbered fiscal years (on-years) the County…

In Chile, as many other countries, understanding how high-qualified teachers are distributed across schools and which are the relationships that may lead to teachers' potential sorting are key aspect of the teacher labor market and it is central to addressing student achievement gaps. The first paper uses rich new data on all elementary public…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare student achievement with three school design classifications: movement and circulation, day lighting, and views. Design/methodology/approach: From a sample of 71 schools, measures of these three school designs, taken with a ten-point Likert scale, are compared to students' outcomes defined by six…

Purpose: Accompanying the recent concern for the quality of our nation's educational infrastructure, a growing body of research connects the quality of school facilities to both student outcomes including achievement, behavior, and attitude as well as to teacher attitude and behavior. Less is known about the mechanisms of these relationships. This…

High-quality sports facilities are an essential tool in recruiting top collegiate athletes and coaches. They enhance the school's competitiveness and enable expansion of the school's sports programs. In choosing schools, top athletes and coaches assess the quality of the stadium, playing fields, track and courts. But they also will be looking at…

This paper on strategies for school environmental management in Nigerian secondary schools was carried out in Calabar, Nigeria. To guide the study three research questions were formulated. This was achieved through administration of structured questionnaires in three randomly sampled schools. Findings show regular grass clearing, sweeping of the…