Bringing Staff and Student Voices into the School Design Process

This 2024 K-12 Dive article examines the growing practice of formally involving students and staff in school design and construction decisions. Drawing on examples from Putnam City Schools in Oklahoma and Atlanta’s Midtown High School, the piece shows how structured community input leads to spaces that better serve their users, such as flexible learning neighborhoods, enhanced teacher work spaces, and cultural design elements that reflect a school’s diverse community. Architects and administrators say this participatory approach, while sometimes slower, produces spaces that get maximum use and build community pride.