Uline, C. (2009).
The paper explores the interplay between quality facilities, school climate, and student achievement. The research applies a Leadership-School Building Design model (Authors, in press) to explore how school climate interacts with six characteristics of facility quality.
http://coe.sdsu.edu/edl/schoolhouse/documents/ImprovingPhyscialSocialEnvironmentSchool.pdf
Lanham, C. (2009). 75 (6)
The tiny town of Niangua, Missouri, made national headlines in 2008 when a rare cluster of winter tornadoes tore across the state on an unseasonably warm January night. The twisters killed a Niangua woman in her trailer home and destroyed numerous other structures. News photos of the trailer debris were a sobering reminder of the vulnerability of the town's youngest residents: preschoolers who regularly attended class in a double-wide trailer only one mile away. Just a little over a year later, the town is making national headlines again, but this time the news is good. This article discusses the revolutionary steel-reinforced concrete dome that the Niangua R-V School District is building. It will serve as the district's new preschool classroom and double as the town's disaster shelter. The building's unique shape and ability to offer near-absolute protection from tornadoes is noteworthy. But what gives this project national prominence is that the dome building is being constructed with a $300,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The project's federal funding is sparking hope among superintendents in other disaster-prone school districts that more government money may soon be in the pipeline to fund what is known as predisaster mitigation efforts. Those are funds earmarked to help a community "before" disaster strikes, and could become more of a priority in the Obama administration.
Whitley, T.A. (2009).
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between selected budgetary expenditures for facilities and debt service and building conditions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. One research question and three sub-questions for selected school divisions were used to investigate this topic. The major data components used in this study were provided by the Virginia Department of Education. Twenty -two school divisions in the Commonwealth of Virginia were selected for the study, based on a previous study conducted by Crook (2006). Crook identified and classified selected school divisions as standard or substandard pursuant to the responses of principals who responded to the Commonwealth Assessment of Physical Environment (CAPE) assessment instrument. The line items of “facilities and debt service” were analyzed over a five year period for fiscal years 2000-2005.
The relationships between building condition and student achievement, student behavior, and student attitude were investigated by reviewing research. A synthesis of research studies from 1998 through 2008 was completed. A matrix was replicated from Lemasters’ 1997 study that identified the researchers used in each study. The matrix presented each author and the areas each author researched.
U.S. Department of Energy (2009).
This guide is a primary resource for developing and implementing a districtor schoolwide operations and maintenance (O&M) program that focuses on energy efficiency. The objective of this guide is to provide organizational and technical information for integrating energy and highperformance facility management into existing O&M practices. The guide allows users to adapt and implement suggested O&M strategies to address specific energy efficiency goals. It recognizes and expands on existing tools and resources that are widely used throughout the highperformance school industry. External resources are referenced throughout the guide and are also listed within the EnergySmart Schools O&M Resource List (Appendix J).
Fitzpatrick, K., Brewer, M., Obeng-Boanpong, K., Park, E. S., & Trout, N. (2008). (0-5470-1)
School speed zones are frequently requested traffic controls for school areas, based on the common belief that if the transportation agency would only install a reduced speed limit, then drivers would no longer speed through the area. This research project was tasked with reviewing existing practices and developing guidelines regarding the establishment of school zones. Researchers documented existing knowledge on traffic control devices in school zones using a review of previous research that examined effectiveness of devices, a survey of practitioners on signing and marking, a review of state and city school zone guidelines and warrants, and a telephone survey of law enforcement officers. Researchers also collected field data at 24 school zones across Texas and analyzed the data for findings on speed-distance relationships, speed time relationships, influences of various site characteristics on speeds, and special characteristics of school zones with buffer zones. The findings from these analyses were used in developing suggested guidelines for traffic control devices, including school speed zones, near schools in Texas. The Guidelines are designed to serve as a supplement to the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the manual on Procedures for Establishing Speed Zones. They are included in this report as Appendix A. Major topics in the Guidelines include: definitions, school location, school speed zone characteristics, pavement markings, crosswalks, school entrances, and conditions for removing a school speed zone.
Beichner, R. J. (2008).
Introduction to the Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) classrooms.
Trinkley, M (2008).
The article provides tips on how to protect your institution from the threat of wild fire. Planning ahead, during an event, and post-event procedures are outlined by author Michael Trinkley. Recovery strategies including salvaging and restoring contents are also included.
Salvesen, D., Zambito, P., Hamstead, Z. Wilson, B. (2008).
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which public schools in North Carolina are located close to environmental hazards and whether state policies for siting schools adequately address the potential threats posed by such hazards. We also sought to demonstrate the usefulness of GIS technology and existing data sources to map environmental hazards that are in close proximity to schools. We relied primarily on secondary data sources that were readily accessible from the web, including EPA’s Envirofacts database.
http://www.ie.unc.edu/cscd/other_docs/schools_final_report-12-30-08.pdf
Victorian Institute of Teaching (2008).
Spanning all sectors in Victoria, schools have referenced research in their building design that suggests that particular architecture and design of learning spaces will contribute to effective teaching and improvements in student achievement. A number of these school were built in the 1970s and 80s. Others are planned over the next few years. In their current budget, the State government has promised a substantial investment in the building and refurbishment of government schools. This is likely to create much discussion about the best physical environment for effective teaching for student learning. In this topic we look at how research can inform and challenge our views about the effect of the physical learning environment on student achievement and teachers' work. This discussion starter aims to promote the sharing of teachers knowledge and experience on this important subject.
