The New Schoolhouse
Building Facilities That Work
November 29, 2017
School facilities are the literal foundation for the learning that takes place every day in some 13,000 school districts large and small. Building and maintaining them is a gargantuan financial lift—an estimated $49 billion per year for new schools and major capital projects nationwide, and $46 billion a year for maintenance and operations, according to a 2016 joint report by the 21st Century School Fund, the National Council on Facilities, and the Center for Green Schools.
This Education Week special report is all about the concrete—and equally crucial—topic of school facilities and what it takes to assure that the nation’s 56 million schoolchildren have a modern, fully-equipped, well-maintained school to attend, and a place where all that theory and educator experience can be put into practice.
This Education Week special report is all about the concrete—and equally crucial—topic of school facilities and what it takes to assure that the nation’s 56 million schoolchildren have a modern, fully-equipped, well-maintained school to attend, and a place where all that theory and educator experience can be put into practice.
School & District Management School Planners Face Daunting Task in Matching Facilities, EnrollmentPredicting and preparing for growth and deciding where to site schools forces officials to take the long view—and to expect the unexpected.
School Climate & Safety Showcasing Creativity in School ConstructionIn some communities, new designs for schools support the academic goals of educators—and push the boundaries of traditional K-12 architecture.
School & District Management High Costs, Wary Taxpayers Make School Projects a Hard SellAgainst a backdrop of tight local budgets and competing priorities, local officials get creative in seeking community support for the capital financing they need for school facilities.Education Funding Bond Market Offers 'Green' Option for Building Eco-Friendly SchoolsA growing segment of the municipal-bond market serves communities hoping to leverage the promise of energy efficiency and environmental responsibility to finance big-ticket projects.
School Climate & Safety Energy Efficiency Is Built Into the Mission at 'Green Schools'Innovative designs aim to save money, protect the environment, and boost student performance and health. But there’s a lot to consider in making such schools truly sustainable.
School & District Management 8 Tips to Prepare Schools for Potential DisastersSmart planning includes an eye toward the types of catastrophic events that might affect your region, and lining up resources needed for facilities and technology to bounce back.
School & District Management Centuries of Schooling in One Historic BuildingThe Atkinson Academy, a K-5 school in a small, New Hampshire town, began life as a one-room schoolhouse more than 200 years ago, and parts of the early 19th century building are still used by students today.
School Climate & Safety School Facilities Form a Foundation for LearningDebate over the nation's schools often focuses on the abstract and academic, but planning, building, and maintaining 21st century facilities can prove crucial to student achievement.School & District Management Which Large Districts Have Grown the Most Since 1988?The Education Week Research Center looked at school districts with 20,000 students or more as of the 2014-15 school year and ranked how much they’ve each grown since 1987-88.
School Climate & Safety Infographic Data: U.S. School Buildings: Age, Condition, and SpendingHow well are America's public school buildings and other facilities holding up? Data gleaned from a variety of sources fuel that discussion.
