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Tag: Best Practices

Published on

The Center for Green Schools, 2012

The importance of school buildings has been recognized as a fundamental element of society since the beginnings of America and beyond. Today, roughly a quarter of our nation’s population, including our youngest citizens, spends the majority of their days in school buildings. As a result, schools have become a contentious and heavily scrutinized part of civil society.

And yet, many of our nation’s schools are in disrepair, with systems in need of repair or replacement. But with state and local budgets growing increasingly limited, funding allocation for school construction and renovation needs to be carefully weighed. It is important to ensure that investments are going toward efforts that can best foster healthier buildings and environments.

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Published on

Earthman & Lemasters, 2013

  • Comprehensive and trusted guide to building, maintaining, upgrading schools
  • Recently published 2nd edition adds new material on renovation, alternative funding strategies, green building and more
  • With cases and questions, a useful textbook for courses in administration, planning, finance and facilities management

This volume was written for educators tasked with providing the best environment for student learning. A practical text, it cover all the details needed to build, maintain and upgrade school facilities, with special attention to student achievement and the budget. Information on financial calculations, procurement, staffing, outsourcing, legal and regulatory aspects and operations is included.The new edition offers important guidance on alternative funding and cost-saving strategies, state and federal regulations, and trends in green building and LEED certification.View Publisher's Website for additional information about obtaining a copy of this book.

Published on

Howley, Johnson, & Petrie, 2011

Arguments for consolidation, which merges schools or districts and centralizes their management, rest primarily on two presumed benefits: (1) fiscal efficiency and (2) higher educational quality. The extent of consolidation varies across states due to their considerable differences in history, geography, population density, and politics. Because economic crises often provoke calls for consolidation as a means of increasing government efficiency, the contemporary interest in consolidation is not surprising. However, the review of research evidence detailed in this brief suggests that a century of consolidation has already produced most of the efficiencies obtainable. Research also suggests that impoverished regions in particular often benefit from smaller schools and districts, and they can suffer irreversible damage if consolidation occurs. For these reasons, decisions to deconsolidate or consolidate districts are best made on a case-by-case basis. While state-level consolidation proposals may serve a public relations purpose in times of crisis, they are unlikely to be a reliable way to obtain substantive fiscal or educational improvement.

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Published on

California Department of Education

The decision to close a school is anguishing. It profoundly affects parents, neighborhoods, communities, district personnel, and, of course, students. It affects relationships, routines, and cherished territorialities. In short, it alters not only district operations but also lives.

A decision not to close a school, however, amidst circumstances of declining enrollment and economic necessity, can be imprudent. And while the immediate effects of closing a school may be painful, the long-term effects can be beneficial to everyone.

Indeed, the process of closing a school is difficult, but if done correctly, it becomes less difficult. This "Closing a School Best Practices Guide" (CASBPG) will hopefully make the process easier.

The CASBPG is divided into five chapters:

  1. Gathering facts
  2. Deciding which school to close
  3. Making the decision
  4. Making the transition
  5. Disposing of surplus property

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Published on

The Center for Green Schools, 2014.

Several years ago, the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University was involved in the planning of green school projects in and around our community of Fort Collins. We saw the potential for these buildings to be more than healthy, high-performing facilities; we saw that they held the capacity to teach students and community members about sustainability. Through the design, construction, and operations of these schools, we realized that not only is an educational component beneficial, it is imperative to the long-term sustainable operations of green school buildings and grounds. We saw that even the noblest of green building design intentions can be lost if sustainability is not integrated into the facility’s operational practices and educational program.

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Published on

The Center for Green Schools, 2014.

A partnership between Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)® and the Center for Green Schools (the Center) at the U.S. Green Building Council wasn’t—at first glance—an obvious one. HMH, a global learning company that focuses on delivering best-in-class content to students and teachers, came to the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting to observe and learn from like-minded organizations that were pursuing innovative solutions to global challenges. The Center, a nonprofit with a mission to put every student in a green school within this generation, was at CGI cultivating partners to lead the movement toward healthy, safe, and resource-efficient schools. Our goals proved to be entirely complementary, and after just a year, our unconventional partnership has already been transformative in achieving our shared goal to educate all students so they graduate prepared for a more sustainable future.

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Published on

The Center for Green Schools, 2013.

A toolkit for Behavior-based energy conservation in k-12 schools.

This report examines five public schools that have reduced their electricity use by an astonishing 20 to 37 percent through successful behavior-based strategies.  These exemplar schools vary in their attributes and are spread across the United States, but their programs are linked and defined by shared elements and strategies.

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Published on

United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014.

What you will learn:

  • Discover how to start, improve and sustain an indoor air quality (IAQ) management program.
  • Explore the Framework and Key Drivers for Effective IAQ Management.
  • Experience a virtual school IAQ walkthrough.
  • Acquire mentorship to identify and employ major IAQ Technical Solutions.

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Published on

United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2014.

What you will learn:

  • An exploration of the most compelling and motivating evidence for indoor air quality (IAQ) management in schools.
  • Demonstrations of the return on investment school districts are achieving, such as increased cost savings and improved student performance.
  • How to take action to implement IAQ management plans that address health, academic performance and facility efficiency.

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Published on

The Center for Green Schools, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), 2014.

The following are some questions that this presentation addresses.

  • How important is it to improve public school buildings in America?
  • Do you think the Unites States spends too much, just the right amount, or not enough on buildings and infrastructure in K to 12 schools?

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