School Facilities & Design

Explainer

What to Know About PCBs in Schools: A Visual Primer
Key facts about a toxic chemical that continues to contaminate older schools.
Image of a water fountain with running water.
Jesse Martin Williams/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Many Schools Have Lead in Their Drinking Water. What the Feds Are Doing
A new federal rule cracks down on lead pipes in public water systems. But that focus is unlikely to have a limited effect in schools.
Mark Lieberman, October 15, 2024
5 min read
Photo of chained school doors.
istock
School Climate & Safety Opinion ‘Homemade’ Solutions to School Safety Can Be Fire Hazards. Here’s What to Know
With the threat of school shootings, it’s natural to guard against intruders. However, this urgency can lead to equally unsafe measures.
Lauris Freidenfelds, October 2, 2024
4 min read
An empty classroom with chairs, desks, and a green chalkboard, illuminated by sunlight, evoking education concept. 3D Rendering
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Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Many Classrooms Lack Natural Light. Teachers Say That’s a Problem
Natural light is vital to the mental and physical health of students and teachers.
Arianna Prothero, September 30, 2024
5 min read
Pink Piggy Bank with a vote sticker on the back and a blurred Capitol building in the distance.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Billions of Dollars for School Buildings Are on the Ballot This November
Several large districts and the state of California hope to capitalize on interest in the presidential election to pass big bonds.
Mark Lieberman, September 26, 2024
6 min read
School & District Management Video Tour a School Built to Stay Open in Extreme Weather
River Grove Elementary is built to stay open, with the lights on, as extreme weather strikes.
Caitlynn Peetz & Kaylee Domzalski, September 20, 2024
2 min read
Photograph of solar panels on the roof of a red brick school building.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management More Schools Invest in Solar Panels to Save Money and Help the Environment
More than 10 percent of students attend school in a building that has solar panels, a new report shows.
Mark Lieberman, August 28, 2024
5 min read
Judah Boyle, of Des Moines, Iowa, splashes water as he runs on the beach at Gray's Lake Park, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Judah Boyle, of Des Moines, Iowa, splashes water as he runs on the beach at Gray's Lake Park, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. Much of the Midwest is seeing extreme heat just as schools reopen.
Charlie Neibergall/AP
School & District Management The School Year Is Off to a Hot Start—Again. What Districts Need to Know
Schools are dismissing early, calling off classes, and canceling athletic events to beat the heat as part of a now-familiar routine.
Caitlynn Peetz, August 27, 2024
3 min read
Exterior view of a typical American school building seen on a spring day
iStock/Getty Images
School Climate & Safety These Surprise Inspections Test Schools' Safety Practices
How do you check whether a school is adhering to safety-plan basics? Send in inspectors to try its doors.
Evie Blad, August 14, 2024
4 min read
A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, on June 16, 2024.
A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, on June 16, 2024.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
School & District Management How Sweltering Heat Disrupts Learning and What Schools Can Do
Extreme heat is becoming more common across the United States. Schools need to start preparing now.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 17, 2024
5 min read
Students, teachers, victims' families and passersby watch, Friday, June 14, 2024, as crews start the demolition of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School building where 17 people died in the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. Officials plan to complete the weeks-long project before the school's 3,300 students return in August from summer vacation.
Students, teachers, and victims' families are among those watching on June 14, 2024, as crews start the demolition of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School building in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people died in the 2018 mass shooting. Officials plan to complete the weeks-long project before students return from summer vacation.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
School & District Management Photos Six Years After Parkland Tragedy, Crews Demolish a Painful Reminder
The school building in Florida where a gunman killed 17 people is being pulled down. Victims' families have toured the site with lawmakers to push for change.
Evie Blad & Jaclyn Borowski, June 14, 2024
4 min read
A statue of confederate general Stonewall Jackson is removed on July 1, 2020, in Richmond, Va. Shenandoah County, Virginia's school board voted 5-1 early Friday, May 10, 2024, to rename Mountain View High School as Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary as Ashby Lee Elementary four years after the names had been removed.
A statue of confederate general Stonewall Jackson is removed on July 1, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The Shenandoah County, Va. school board voted 5-1 on May 10, 2024, to restore the names of Confederate leaders and soldiers to two schools, four years after the names had been removed.
Steve Helber/AP
Equity & Diversity A School Board Reinstated Confederate School Names. Could It Happen Elsewhere?
Shenandoah County's school board voted in May to reinstate two Confederate names. Researchers wonder if others will, too.
Brooke Schultz, June 6, 2024
7 min read
People attend a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 6, 2024, for the recently-completed River Grove Elementary School in Lake Oswego, Ore.
People attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 6, 2024, for the recently completed River Grove Elementary School in Lake Oswego, Ore., which is built to be climate-resilient, withstanding earthquakes and prolonged power outages from extreme weather.
Courtesy of Alondra Flores
School & District Management Inside a New School Built to Be Climate-Resilient
A newly opened elementary school is designed to remain standing and operational in extreme weather.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 5, 2024
6 min read
Collage of a construction site and school grounds.
Collage via Canva
Budget & Finance Passing School Bonds Is Hard. Advice From 3 Superintendents Who Did It
‘Educating instead of campaigning’ in an era when district leaders are under a political microscope.
Caitlynn Peetz, April 29, 2024
8 min read
Concept of counting down days. Hand is marking out dates on monthly calendar.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School & District Management It's Not Just Snow Days: How Can Districts Work Extreme Weather Into Their Calendars?
Extreme weather that's becoming more frequent is challenging districts with novel choices about when it's safe to stay open.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 7, 2024
5 min read