About two decades ago, a consensus began to take root among educators and policymakers that school systems in the United States could no longer afford to ignore the inadequate building conditions that made teaching and learning difficult in many classrooms. Since then, billions of dollars have been spent, and thousands of modern classrooms have been built to replace decrepit, deficient and dangerous spaces. In 2012, there seems to be no need to debate whether the quality of school facilities affects student performance--most agree that substandard facilities prevent many students from achieving their potential. But it's one thing to embrace the concept of improving school facilities to provide students a better education. It's quite another thing to spend the money to make the concept a reality. Looking at estimates of the still staggering unmet facility needs in the nation's schools, one could reach the conclusion that the goal of modernizing all U.S. schools is more of a pipe dream than a real possibility.