A growing school population and deteriorating facilities are among the problems faced by the nation's educational system. Finding solutions to both the overcrowding and the crumbling condition of this nation's schools has fueled a bit of a construction boom, first among colleges and now in the nation's school districts. Within different states and…

This report was based on the responses of more than 1,000 school employees to a survey on the physical environment at their schools. Many of the responses revealed some startling building conditions, from students who have to wear coats and gloves in class to rats and mice entering classrooms through windows and cracks in walls. The report…

The Black-White gap in completed schooling among Southern born men narrowed sharply between the World Wars after being stagnant from 1880 to 1910. We examine a large scale school construction project, the Rosenwald Rural Schools Initiative, which was designed to dramatically improve the educational opportunities for Southern rural Blacks. From…

Taxpayers expect school-construction projects to be managed efficiently and in accordance with environmental standards. Phases include selecting an architect and site, stating project requirements, working with the architect, considering environmental factors, getting budget estimates and reviews, and choosing a contractor and project-schedule…

This report examines the viability of creating a new-schools incubator and identifies appropriate incubator services. A new-schools incubator, an entirely new organization designed to provide expertise and support to school founders during their planning process, may meet the needs of school founders facing the challenges of planning effective new…

The State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans have a daunting task before them. They must restore community access to public education. It will not be enough to repair and rebuild buildings. The educational programs and staff must also be redeveloped. However, the improvements to public school facilities is a critical first step in…

From 90 projects identified for the study, survey responses were received from 85 percent of the superintendents and 60 percent of the architects ranking 12 categories of conflict both according to the severity of the conflict and as causing the deterioration of the working relationship. (MLF)

This paper describes how the trend toward building new schools on large sites far from existing development centers, called "school sprawl" or "school giantism," can have far-reaching impacts on school children, school districts, and the larger community.Educators and parents express concern that large schools reduce…

This document consists of two papers. The first, titled "Good Classroom Acoustics Is a Good Investment," identifies and estimates some of the costs for good acoustics in new school construction. It also identifies and estimates some previously unrecognized economic benefits of good acoustics, as well as some of the hidden costs of…

The purpose of this audit was to determine whether New York City's School Construction Authority (SCA) followed its required procedures for awarding and monitoring contracts for construction work in New York City schools. It evaluated the adequacy of these procedures and surveyed school officials to determine their views about SCA work. The report…

This report provides findings of fact on the development of the Belmont Learning Complex of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and contains recommendations to remedy identified deficiencies in the LAUSD's current policies and procedures for siting and developing school buildings. The report addresses the following issues: (1) the…

This report provides findings of fact on the development of the Belmont Learning Complex of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and contains recommendations to remedy identified deficiencies in the LAUSD's current policies and procedures for siting and developing school buildings. The report addresses the following issues: (1) all…

Discusses proposed legislation designed to improve the United States' education infrastructure. Outlines President Clinton's $5 billion school-construction initiative and describes areas in which the money can be used. Features interviews with Education Secretary, Richard Riley, and Senator Carol Moseley-Braun (D-Ill.), in which they discuss the…

The most overlooked facet of school construction is the dovetailing of permanent construction insurance and technology construction insurance. Advice is provided about technology and technology purchases, highlighting problems associated with costs, copyright infringements, delivery delays, electrical wiring, hardware, student records, vendors,…

This paper discusses five key issues in the design phase of a construction project that can improve the quality, cost, or time of construction. These five ways are: education specifications, design standards, prototype designs, value engineering, and selecting a qualified architect. To facilitate discussion, the background section of this paper…