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Restructuring Educational Facilities by Emily Millet and Jim Croteau, Leon County (FL) Schools
Leon County Schools, like many other school districts, is growing rapidly. We currently serve approximately 35,000 adult through PreK students in 42 schools, including a regional vocational-technical center and a number of adult and community education programs. In 1991, the number of K-12 students in traditional school programs was 27,138. By the year 2000 the number is expected to grow to over 32,500.
In October 1995, a one-half penny local sales tax increase for school capital outlay (renovation, remodeling, new construction and technology) failed to pass in a public referendum. The district is now looking at new options and more creative ways of housing students in safe and effective learning environments.
Currently public education is under a lot of pressure to "reform" or "restructure" as a way of making schools better. Parents, teachers and community alike agree that schools could be more effective, even if they are doing a good job for most of the children they serve. Others are more vocal, perceiving a lowering of standards or failure to prepare students for the needs of the workplace and society.
With many changes talked about regarding standards, curriculum and instruction, one area that has not had a great deal of discussion is educational facilities. Despite some significant research showing the positive and negative effects of the physical environment on learning, little public concern has been shown. This may be in part due to the overwhelming price tag of $112 billion that the General Accounting Office placed on bringing current facilities up to standard. Many communities are struggling to cope with a deteriorating capital infrastructure of older buildings designed for an educational system of 50 or 100 years ago. Other communities face rapid and significant growth that far outstrips local and state resources for new capacity and construction.
In all of these cases, local schools and communities must make some hard decisions about how to prioritize needs and select affordable solutions. Few guidelines or answers are available. However, a good place to start is with some critical and key questions that might frame the discussions that should take place before decisions are made. In this article we would like to suggest a few for consideration and hope that some educators would like to participate in an on-line discussion group on one or more of them.
The place to begin any discussion about facilities is to talk about students. Identifying what we want students to be able to do comes first. Then we can try to figure out what types of structures help deliver those results and what types of learning spaces need to be in those structures. A first question might be : What will the students of tomorrow have to "look like" in order to be productive life long learners? The issue is to identify what are the real outcomes that will be necessary for young graduates to survive and contribute in the 21st century. What will it take for our graduates to become active participants in a learning community? With a clear end in mind, decisions can be made based upon their demonstrated success in the past or expected impact in the future upon students acquiring the needed skills, knowledge, dispositions and abilities. These outcomes must be community based, not legislated by some governmental agency. They should reflect the priorities and perceptions of an informed citizenry made up of the customers for education in the area: the parents, businesses, social agencies, government, institutions of higher learning and, most of all, the students themselves.
A second question could be: What types of skills and experiences will tomorrow's students require that are not part of today's curriculum? Schools and classrooms are expected to last 20 to 50 years, so they should not be designed only for today's students. Anticipating the changes in educational practice as well as the demands upon the schools to respond to larger community needs will make schools function differently than in the past. Students must acquire and demonstrate the personal, technical and problem solving skills needed for the workplace of tomorrow. In addition, they must be able to integrate these skills across content areas and be able to find information they need when they need it, productively and efficiently. The classroom and school environment should support these changes in practice.
A third question is based on realistically assessing what we have in place right now: What structures and programs do we expect to continue for tomorrow's students, and which no longer serve an essential purpose? In this country we are always adding things for schools to do without ever taking anything away. It may be appropriate to do some ruthless "purposeful abandonment" of things that are not as effective as they should be or outcomes that we no longer can afford to address. Community schools are being called for that do more than provide a place for a town meeting or a joint library. Communities of learners of a variety of ages with multiple learning goals will be seeking space for round the clock activities or accessibility. Flexibility of space will be a key as communities change as well as changes in the desires of the participants in learning activities.
Another area of concern is the impact of the telecommunication revolution upon schools. How will technology impact what, how and where we teach? Technology is not an end to education, although students of tomorrow must be technologically literate. It is an important tool in the learning process that can be utilized in a variety of ways. The schools of tomorrow will not only have to be wired for technology, but will also have to be programmed to take advantage of technology's impact on learning. From helping the brain to reprogram faulty processing to skill building to accessing the world, all must be provided for. The use of technology gives rise to another set of skills required to make sense of the millions of bits and bites out there. The ability to synthesize, analyze, find patterns and relationships become even more important to help students avoid drowning in a sea of information.
A fifth question relates to the answers to the above: Given our vision of the learner of the 21st century, the skills and experiences to be developed, the strategies and programs to be implemented, and the use of technology, how do you design buildings, space and the physical environment to maximize learning in the most efficient and effective way possible? There are no easy answers to this question, but current research and experience do give several key directions. Dale Lang's article for the Center for Architecture and Education lists several of the key areas: size, shape and scale; acoustical quality and noise control; illumination and views; temperature, humidity and ventilation; communication, electrical power and technology; and material finishes, textures and colors. Even simple items, like natural or full color spectrum lighting that has been demonstrated to have a profound effect on health, behavior and learning, are not being addressed in most schools today.
A sixth question relates to alternatives for creating space and using time. How can we expand or wipe out the boundaries to traditional use of space and time to enhance learning? Changes in the length of the instructional day and year are beginning points in the process. Measuring learning by more than seat time or Carnegie units is another step. Virtual classrooms - home/ community/school in a seamless continuum - is another. Satellite schools, schools at work and work at schools, the combinations are many if learning is seen as an endless, but not a directionless, process. Grade levels can be replaced by continua, age replaced by development, progress related to learning and maturation in a mind and body sense. Smaller may be better in terms of developing a sense of community and belonging, as well as a sense of responsibility. Individual and group learning should be provided for, with choices being a key.
A seventh area to be examined addresses the issues important to the community: What are the policy, program or project issues that this community cares about? These can run from a nature museum to fine arts theater, from a natatorium to a mock court room and a range of programs that demand special facilities. Other issues can address rezoning and school choice, magnet and charter schools, dual enrollment, distance education, double sessions and extended days, school size and non-school spaces, home schools and storefronts and an endless variety of options and alternatives. Whatever is important to the school and non school members of the community is essential to examine. The key is always to return to the earlier questions, especially how our considerations are affected by our vision of the learner of tomorrow and what will it take to bring these into alignment.
These questions are not easy and will take time to discuss and explore. Business as usual is unacceptable, a way of hiding our heads in the sand or continuing to sail in a sea of illusions. Many are searching for solutions to educating and housing a rapidly growing student population. We invite a larger community to share our dialogue and help us explore some options our community has raised. These can be found in Leon County School Board Policy Issues files linked here.
Double Sessions
Extended Day
Year Round Schools
Magnet Schools
Restructured Grade Level
School Size
Rezoning
Other Options
EMILY MILLET has been a Leon County School Board member for 20 years. Her vision for the district is that it will be a place where all students, whether they are teachers, children or members of the community will be successful learners. To contact Emily Millet, please send e-mail to: millete@mail.firn.eduDR. JIM CROTEAU is Chief of Planning and Policy for Leon County Schools. He has served as deputy superintendent, staff development director and an elementary teacher. He is also an adjunct professor at Florida State University and Jacksonville University. To contact Jim Croteau, please send e-mail to: CROTEAJ@mail.firn.edu
DAVE GIORDANO did a super job of preparing this material for the Web.
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