The New Zealand Ministry of Education is undertaking a project to provide information that can assist schools to design quality environments that will improve student learning outcomes. The project started in 2004 with the ministry surveying boards of trustees, principals, teachers and students on what features of property design they believed…

When one sees the new Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST), the first thing one will likely to notice is the building's impressive design. The school looks more like a Silicon Valley biotech firm than a typical new Colorado high school. Indeed, the innovative structure, modeled on a similar facility in San Diego, has already garnered…

A Local Area Network (LAN) allows computing equipment to share information from any device on a network with other devices on the same network. Uses for LANs in schools include sharing printers and programs, centralized file sharing, access to library databases and catalog, cost-effective connection to external networks, electronic mail, school…

Quite often, the people responsible for spending school facility dollars have little information with which to make wise investment choices. The process is typically driven by vendors, consultants, and public opinion. The result is that the schools become a poorly performing component of the education process. This document was developed to…

Designed to provide instruction for New York State inspectors and school administrators completing the annual "Fire Safety Report," this document provides information regarding: (1) the Regulation and Code requirements; (2) inspection and enforcement processes; (3) disputes and procedures for appeal; and (4) financial considerations…

This guide for school administrators and staff is intended to be used in conjunction with the "Guidelines To Provide Uniform Wiring Service for Telecommunications in North Carolina Public Schools" as they: begin planning for cable implementation in the schools; work with architects and builders in the design and implementation of cabling…

The Center for Child Development facility on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa was opened in 1990. The facility includes three classrooms, a playground, and a room called "the Exploratorium." The exploratorium is 2,304 square feet in size and contains three built-in areas: a kitchenette, a water/science/arts center, and an…

This book looks at the structural causes of America's present educational malaise and proposes a reconceptualization of public education policy. The United States educational system has been caught in a highly unproductive trap because education has been delegated to a government agency and allowed to be managed through a bureaucratic chain of…

The results of building a new school in Edmonton (Alberta) in accordance with energy efficient principles are described in this report, the third and last in a series describing three projects utilizing different approaches to energy conservation. The Sweet Grass Elementary School project consisted in designing, building, and monitoring an energy…

Produced for use by educators and administrators in Scotland involved in planning and developing learning resources centers in elementary and secondary schools, this guide contains: (1) examples and discussion of the allocation of space for resources centers in schools with different architectural layouts, (2) three case studies of schools which…

This study attempted to answer two major questions: (1) Does a significant difference exist between the mean gain scores for achievement in reading and mathematics, as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), among students from three different architectural school settings (open space, traditional, and mixed); and (2) Do reading…

GUIDELINES FOR CREATING IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS ARE PRESENTED WITH SUPPLEMENTARY DRAWINGS, DIAGRAMS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS. POLICY DECISIONS ARE RELATED TO--(1) THE SCHOOL'S RESPONSIBILITY TO THE FUTURE, (2) INDUSTRY'S RULE IN EDUCATION, AND (3) BUILDING PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES. EDUCATIONAL PLANNING IS DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF--(1) ART…

In 1977, the Penrose "Whanau House" evolved from a need for new school buildings and an examination of professional needs in secondary education. A group of 25 administrators and personnel affirmed that New Zealand secondary schools should be neighbourhood and comprehensive. Social and community interaction should be stressed, and there…

This four-part report presents the findings of a study conducted by the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) to assess methods of effecting savings in energy usage at college facilities, to determine curricular areas in which energy-related instruction could be increased, and to examine ways of saving energy through scheduling and…

A summer conference on school planning resulted in a series of summary statements by participants on a number of topics related to the future of education and school building design. General areas of discussion included--(1) educational changes, (2) instructional methods, (3) educational media and information systems, and (4) technical and…