Lessons, insights, and practical solutions on improving school buildings and grounds from practitioners across the country.
Voices from the field
National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI)
Sharon Gamson Danks, the founder and CEO of Green Schoolyards America, shares insights from her decades-long commitment to helping schools and communities increase tree canopy, bring classrooms into the outdoors, and benefit from what research tells us is true: when students have access to verdant spaces, their health and their learning improve.
Voices from the field
Mary Filardo, Executive Director, 21st Century School Fund
Mary Filardo, Executive Director of the 21st Century School Fund, explains how the stewardship key performance indicator (SKPI) can be used by school districts and states to create practical benchmarks for maintaining and renewing public school facilities.
Jerry Roseman, Acting Director of Environmental Science and Occupational Safety & Health for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, discusses the uses and limitations of Facility Condition Assessments, and makes the case that they need to be linked with additional qualitative and quantitative data in order to effectively drive school building condition improvements.
Voices from the field
William Savidge
William Savidge, an architect with 30 years of experience working in the educational facility field, describes five key elements that contribute to a successful Educational Facility Master Plan.
Voices from the field
Mary Morris, AIA, REFP, LEED AP
Drawing on more than 30 years of experience working on educational facility projects, Mary Morris, AIA, REFP, LEED AP, describes what Education Specifications are and why they bring so many benefits to schools and districts, and provides sage advice on how to develop them to suit local needs.
Voices from the field
Child Trends
Child Trends, a NCSI Consortium partner, promotes the well-being of children and youth through applied research that informs public policy. In this post, they share insights, examples, and resources on designing school gardens with particular attention to student engagement practices that create outdoor learning environments accessible to all.
Voices from the field
National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI)
Anisa Heming is director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council. This post is drawn from a conversation with Heming about what it takes to create lasting change in the human-centeredness and resilience of school facilities.
