Healthy school environments are essential to ensure the best setting for learning. When school environments are unhealthy, students and staff may be exposed to harmful pollutants and chemicals that can cause their health, attendance, and scholastic performance to suffer. Among the factors that can affect the environmental quality of school indoor…

Environmentally preferable products, sustainability, "green," reducing environmental footprint--have all become part of the everyday lexicon as schools, businesses, households, and the public sector have increasingly focused on strategies and tactics designed to reduce their impact on the environment and human health. State governments have been…

When one considers the necessary elements of a green cleaning program, it is tough to know where to begin. After all, green cleaning has evolved considerably from the days when a program simply involved using a couple of "green" chemicals. Over the last several years, successful green cleaning programs have grown in sophistication and are now…

Bill Thompson, Director of Facilities for Lockport Township High School in Illinois, first considered starting a green cleaning program after his janitors became dizzy when using a traditional chemical floor stripper. Thompson started introducing green products gradually at Lockport Township High, and now almost all of the cleaning agents used at…

This article presents case studies from three districts implementing green cleaning. In 2008, Missouri passed legislation requiring state education officials to convene a committee of stakeholders with the purpose of developing green cleaning guidelines and specifications for schools. The guide, published by the Department of Elementary and…

Ten or even five years ago, it would have been a major undertaking for a school district to convert to a comprehensive green cleaning program. At that time there was little precedence and no "roadmaps" for doing so. Thus schools faced numerous challenges that included: (1) what defined a green cleaning product; (2) should a comprehensive program…

On June 2, 2010, a group of educators and public officials met at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia, to unveil something new: a set of standards for English language arts and mathematics intended to be common for all states. These standards were meant to replace the standards states had developed on their own over the past two…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed through an unprecedented, state-led initiative that drew on the expertise of teachers, parents, administrators, researchers and content experts from across the country. The Standards define a staircase to college and career readiness, building on the best of previous state standards in English…

Teachers, principals, superintendents and school board members must be vigilant. The race is on to ready their schools for more rigorous standards that demand new kinds of teaching and computer-based testing. They have two years to complete the necessary professional development, upgrade and expand their technology infrastructure, and prepare…

The Common Core State Standards and the attendant assessments being developed by state consortia create a tremendous opportunity and simultaneous challenge for state boards of education. Many of the issues apply to all boards, even those in states that have not adopted the standards or assessments. Boards will need to think carefully about the…

By agreement, states that have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) accept them as representing 85 percent of the total number of the standards in a subject area, meaning states have the option to identify as much as 15 percent in additional standards. Those that elect to add standards may find opportunities and hazards at each…

Implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS), now adopted in a large majority of states, requires significant support. To realize the potential of these new college- and career-ready standards, states must focus significant attention on how to prepare educators for implementation. Key among the strategies is high-quality, sustained…

As the teacher representative on the Mississippi Board of Education, the author often has the opportunity to hear about many educational programs and initiatives during their early stages of development. One particular initiative presented to the state board in 2010 was the Common Core State Standards. After reading and studying the standards, the…

On June 24, 2010, the Virginia Board of Education unanimously adopted a statement expressing its continuing commitment to Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOL) and opposition to making participation in federal grant and entitlement programs contingent on word-for-word adoption of the newly developed Common Core State Standards in reading and…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent an unparalleled opportunity for students with disabilities. But this opportunity will be realized only if states, districts, and schools approach the implementation of these standards with forethought and careful planning, particularly for students with disabilities. The CCSS were developed for all…