This article reports research into undergraduate design learning through an off-campus partnership. The Sorrell Foundation's Joinedupdesign for Academies programme involved partnerships between university design departments, "failing" 11-18 schools and professional designers, in the context of a funding commitment to rebuild/renew…

With Shaanxi province as an example, this study presents empirical evidence on the effect of primary school consolidation in rural areas on student achievement, using the difference-in-differences method. The results show no significant differences in student achievement between consolidated schools and nonconsolidated schools. If student…

Using a critical race theory lens, the authors propose a way of writing race research using composite counterstories. Drawing on data from a yearlong study of school rebuilding in the time period immediately after Hurricane Katrina devastated the City of New Orleans, the authors examine the experiences of African-American educators in the school…

This article reports on the historical meeting that took place March 23, 1914, with nearly a dozen "Association of Superintendents of Buildings and Grounds" leaders from Central Western Colleges and Universities in Chicago, IL. At that time, the term "superintendent of buildings and grounds" had only been adopted around the…

When considering a new school construction project, the site selection and evaluation process is a critical step in early planning. Selecting the right site is paramount to the project and can have a major impact on the outcome of a referendum. Careful consideration and thoughtful attention to site-related issues and details can set the course not…

There is excitement in the air at Clarke Central High School in anticipation of a $28 million renovation planned on its 27-acre, urban campus located just minutes from the University of Georgia in Athens. This extensive construction aims to fulfill a board of education mandate to provide equity among the Clarke County school facilities and will…

When school populations grow to the point where districts must consider new construction, many district administrators face a fork in the road: renovate or opt for new construction? The importance of this decision should not be taken lightly; it can have serious ramifications for years to come. Each situation is unique. Just as no two students are…

This article asks the following questions: (1) Is there a link between new construction and student achievement? (2) What role does socioeconomics play in the answer? Data were collected for seven academic indicators and two behavioral indicators. The high schools ranked in the lowest wealth quartile were then divided into two groups: schools with…

This dissertation captures the 10-year contemporary history of implementing the facilities element of New Jersey's historic Abbott v. Burke decision. New Jersey's Legislature and Governor took this Supreme Court decision and created legislation responding to multiple constituencies and lobbyists while shaping a school construction…

The Common Core of Data (CCD) is an annual collection of public elementary and secondary education data by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the data collection for the finance surveys on behalf of NCES. State education…

Aiming to relieve overcrowded schools operating on multiple tracks, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has invested more than $19 billion to build 130 new facilities over the past decade. District leaders asked researchers at Berkeley to estimate the achievement effects of this massive initiative--benefits that may stem from entering…

Air pollution is air pollution, indoors or out. Good indoor air quality (IAQ) contributes to a favorable learning environment for students, protects health, and supports the productivity of school personnel. In schools in poor repair, leaky roofs and crumbling walls have caused additional indoor air quality problems, including contamination with…

We evaluate the causal effects of a program that constructed high quality "girl-friendly" primary schools in Burkina Faso, using a regression discontinuity design 2.5 years after the program started. We find that the program increased enrollment of all children between the ages of 5 and 12 by 20 percentage points and increased their test scores by…

Public education is one of the central tasks of a democratic society, and the buildings that house this important task not only shape the way one teaches, but provide icons and symbols for the values people hold common as a society. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this context has placed school buildings squarely in a position of debate and innovation…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between newly constructed or remodeled high schools and academic achievement and behavioral measures. School districts ranked in the lowest quartile of property wealth in Ohio were identified as the sample group which built or remodeled high schools under the Ohio School Facilities…