School districts held an exclusive franchise on public education services until 1991, when Minnesota passed the first law permitting public charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded, authorized by various agencies designated in public law, but independently managed. They operate outside district control, and most can draw students from…

Every building, from the smallest school to the tallest skyscraper, uses energy. This energy is most often generated by burning fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and contributes to climate change. Existing commercial buildings offer a significant opportunity for low-cost, immediate emissions and energy cost…

The economic outlook may be sour for Wall Street's investment banks and for homeowners who took out mortgages they could not really afford, but campus planners and architects say that--so far, at least--colleges' construction plans are largely unaffected by the downturn. Some colleges, in fact, are trying to speed up projects to limit the damage…

This paper is Part 2 of a three-part series examining the boom in the construction and renovation of K-12 schools and the continuing challenges that communities face in getting the facilities their students and educators need. With affordable land for new schools becoming scarce, urban and suburban districts are finding new ways to play the real…

Details cooperative agreements to finance new schools drawn up by growing school districts in Colorado and the corporations whose activities are responsible for that growth. The developers of an oil shale project and a tract housing project lent school districts money under very favorable terms. (JM)