In This Issue:
Industry News & Articles
C.A.S.H.
In an effort to further collaborative relationships with C.A.S.H., Coalition for Adequate School Housing, Thomas A. Kube, executive director and the CEFPI executive committee attended the February 23-25, 2005 CASH conference in Sacramento. They met with the leadership of CASH to explore future partnerships between our two associations.
Thomas A. Kube, executive director; Lee Brockway, AIA, Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc.; Ronald H. Fanning, CEFPI president enjoy the C.A.S.H. conference.
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Thomas A. Kube, Eric Hall, C.A.S.H. chair, and Ron Fanning discuss future collaborative efforts.
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CEFPI Going Global
World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank Meetings
Last fall, Alberto Treves, assistant director, international cooperation and Barbara Worth, assistant director, public relations & policy, participated in two international architectural conferences — the XVI Seminar of the UIA Working Programme, Education and Cultural Spaces, November 11-13, 2003 in Santiago, Chile and the International Forum of Education Architecture, November 15-17 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. While there, they visited several schools and met with school building authorities, universities, government agencies and education ministries. Ongoing conversations led to invitations from the World Bank (WB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), both headquartered in Washington, D.C., affording CEFPI the opportunity to make presentations to project managers from countries around the world regarding facility planning and design in an effort to assist educators, architects and government officials in planning effective schools that would serve as centers of community.
Clacy Williams, CEFPI president-elect; Thomas A. Kube, executive director; Ernesto Cuadra, lead education specialist, World Bank; Barbara Worth, assistant director, public relations and policy; Monica Brown, Argentinean Embassy; Ron Fanning, CEFPI president chat following the Brown Bag Lunch CEFPI presentation at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.
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Clacy Williams, Ron Fanning and Thomas A. Kube enlighten the project managers gathered for the CEFPI presentation at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C.
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School Safety in the 21st Century: Adapting to New Security Challenges Post-9/11
Last fall, Thomas A. Kube, executive director, participated in a National Strategy Forum, underwritten by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, to explore how schools could expand their existing emergency plans to include a catastrophic terrorism incident — an event that would have a profound effect nationally, regionally and in local communities. The conference report has been published, promoting awareness regarding the need for schools to adapt their emergency plans and providing a flexible context to enable schools and their communities to develop and implement these emergency plans.
School Building Week 2004
April 19-23, 2004
Monday, April 19 Healthy Schools Day
Tuesday, April 20 Historic Schools Day
Wednesday, April 21 Senior Citizens in Schools Day
Thursday, April 22 Public-Private Partnerships Day
Friday, April 23 School Building Day
Now in its eighth year, School Building Week features events and themes that build great public awareness of the importance of healthy, high performing, sustainable school facilities that serve as centers of community. Reinforcing the connection between school facilities and student learning, CEFPI, the U.S. Department of Energy, U.s. Environmental Protection Agency, American Institute of Architects, U.S. Conference of Mayors and over forty agencies and associations will celebrate School Building Week 2004. Events are taking place all over the nation, including the newest School Building Week activity — the walking school bus. A central part of the commemoration of School Building Week is participation by Washington, D.C. middle school students in a competition designing schools of the future. For the third consecutive year, D.C. middle school students worked with mentors from college and university architecture programs to learn the elements of school planning and design. These students will attend a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building on April 23 where prizes will be awarded to the schools whose students produce the best designs. This competition gives students in the District of Columbia an opportunity to think about the learning environment, understand the elements of school planning and design, express their creativity, and demonstrate where they think they can learn best. Let us know what you did to celebrate School Building Week by completing our online form.
The Institute for School Planning
July 15-17, 2004
The Johns Hopkins University School of Professional Studies in Business and Education in collaboration with CEFPI will present The Institute for School Planning at the Johns Hopkins Downtown Baltimore Center in Baltimore, Maryland. This innovative forum will provide school personnel involved in the planning of new or renovated schools with the latest in planning processes, construction designs, technology applications and financial approaches. The Institute will focus on providing school board members, principals, school district planning personnel, facility directors, superintendents and technology staffers with access to the nation's top architects, facility planners and construction professionals who are involved in creating award-winning, healthy, high performing, sustainable school designs that lead to improved student performance. You will not want to miss this opportunity!
Online registration on the CEFPI website will be available shortly.
Creating Connections
The CEFPI Guide for Educational Facility Planning
Last chance to reserve your pre-publication order for Creating Connections — The CEFPI Guide for Educational Facility Planning. Reserve yours today for only $79.95 plus shipping and handling. After publication later this month, the price will rise to $99.00 for members and $150.00 for non-members. The Guide includes many of the best practices used in facility planning, and it draws on the expertise of specialists in other fields. Facility planning is a dynamic process-the Guide will become the practicing professional's most valuable resource for current information on the educational planning process.
"A well designed school addresses the specific educational needs of every child who attends it."
"Planners must possess the vision to understand the ways in which educational practices are evolving, the desires of teachers, administrators, and voters, and the physical, spiritual, and intellectual needs of students ranging from early childhood to early adulthood."
"Planners must address four critical factors throughout the planning and design process: quality, educational program, budget, and time."
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81st Annual CEFPI Conference
Educational Facility Planning — Going Global
Atlanta, Georgia
October 21-24, 2004
Start planning now to join your colleagues in Atlanta for CEFPI's 81st annual conference in the city that has something for everyone. Hotlanta is a city of the future, born of the elegant sophistication of the past. While breaking news is broadcast around the globe by CNN, the charm of the Old South pervades the city. Destined to be CEFPI's biggest and best conference ever, you will not want to miss the opportunity to be a noted participant. And, we make that easy —
sign up now as a CEFPI exhibitor and display your products to the professionals who specify systems, materials and equipment for educational facilities. Opportunities are available now for conference sponsorship and advertising space in the all-new 2004 conference program. Your participation as a sponsor and/or advertiser is integral to the success of the CEFPI annual conference and to the furtherance of the Council's vision and goals.
Planner of the Year 2004
Nominations are due for the Planner of the Year and should be forwarded to the CEFPI office no later than May 14, 2004. In order for the Planner of the Year committee to appropriately consider all candidates, each region should identify prospective candidates as soon as possible and submit their names to the CEFPI headquarters office so that the submission packet materials may be sent to them.
U.S. EPA Tools for Schools Program — Is Your School Involved?
In 2003, CEFPI was awarded a cooperative agreement with the EPA Indoor Environments Division to help disseminate information regarding the importance of good indoor air quality in schools with the intent of implementing an air quality management system, such as the Tools for Schools program. The agreement with the EPA calls for the Council to monitor how many of our members distribute information and integrate an air quality management system in their school districts. If your school district, or schools districts with which you work, follow good indoor air quality management practices, the Council would like to know. Please respond to Janell Weihs via email, janell@cefpi.org, identifying the school, a contact person and including a brief comment on your practices. We will compile the responses and submit this information to the EPA, as well as post the results on the CEFPI website.
New Features Added to CEFPI Online Consultants Directory — http://cd.cefpi.org
Has your online Consultant Directory listing been renewed and updated? Act quickly! With its own web address, the directory draws a tremendous number of requests from those seeking a planner, architect or consultant for their next project. Remember to use as many keywords as possible in your descriptions to draw the most hits.
CEFPI is proud to announce a new feature for consultant directory participants debuting later this month, — the Request for Specialty Consultants board! Similar to our online job posting board, firms and companies listed in this online database will have first access to upcoming project needs. Only CD participant firms will be able to view the board. Online CD member firms embarking on a new project and seeking specialized consultants may submit their project requirements directly to the Request for Specialty Consultants board and watch the responses roll in. Additionally, advertising opportunities are available on the portal page of this site. Four ads will appear initially at a cost of $4,000 each. Please contact Barbara Worth at 480.391.0840 or barb@cefpi.org to purchase.
CEFPI Announces the 2004 Executive Director's E-Series
Participate in one or all of these hot topic sessions, providing distance education opportunities to industry professionals via a dial-in conference call and simultaneous powerpoint presentation on the CEFPI website. Earn AIA and REFP credits from the comfort of your office. All sessions are 90 minutes and begin promptly at 1:00pm Eastern Time.
June 24, 2004: School Safety and Security
September 23, 2004: Commissioning Your Facilities
December 16, 2004: Engaging the School Board in Facility Management
CEFPI member rates: $60.00 per session.
Save when you sign up for the entire series: $150.00.
Online registration will be available soon.
Members Take the Spotlight in New CEFPI Website Feature
Something new is coming to the CEFPI website! Each month, the CEFPI membership committee will highlight a different region, featuring profiles of the regional president, a chapter president and a member of that chapter. It's a way to really get to know your fellow members. The Southeast region has been selected as the first profile, debuting later this month. As a sneak preview, a North Carolina chapter member Don Van Ollefen, FWA Group, comments about what he likes best about his job — "When I see kids walking around a new or renovated school with wide-eyed smiles, it pulls hard on my emotions. If you don't get a charge out of the kids, you are in the wrong business."
CEFPI Regional Conferences
Register online now! This year's regional conferences are extraordinary and you will not want to miss yours! The Southern region just completed another fabulous conference in Galveston. Full regional conference reports will appear in the spring issue of The Communicator.
Southeast Regional Family Conference — Creative Facility Planning in Changing Times
April 11-13, 2004
Westin Savannah Resort, Savannah, GA
Australia Chapter Conference — Facilities Design + Learning: Has the paradigm changed?
April 21-23, 2004
Sydney, Australia
Northeast Region Conference — Planning a New Generation of American Schools
April 21-23, 2004
Trenton Marriott, Trenton, NJ
Midwest Great Lakes Region Conference — Partnerships
April 28 - May 1, 2004
Doubletree Hotel, Omaha, NE
Southwest Region Conference — Celebrating School Rejuvenation
May 6-9, 2004
Tempe Mission Palms, Tempe, AZ
Pacific Northwest Region Conference — Going to Extremes
July 18-20, 2004
Alyeska Resort, Girdwood, AK
2004 Impact on Learning Awards
School Planning & Management magazine and CEFPI have developed the Impact on Learning Awards to recognize educational facilities that solve real-world problems with design, engineering and technology solutions. Unlike other competitions that judge entire buildings and campuses, the Impact on Learning Awards focus on specific solutions to design challenges — a cafeteria design, for instance, that reduces noise levels; a building designed to save energy and protect the environment; or classrooms designed to accommodate technology.
The winning schools will be recognized at the awards luncheon during the annual CEFPI conference in Atlanta and profiled in the August issue of School Planning & Management magazine. Additionally, all winning projects will be showcased at the CEFPI Exhibition of School Architecture and Planning, October 21-24, 2004, at NSBA's fall Technology + Learning Conference and will appear on CEFPI's and School Planning & Management's websites.
Entries are due at School Planning & Management magazine on or before June 11, 2004.
CEFPI Calendar of Events
Upcoming professional development opportunities are posted on the website calendar! Take advantage of the following opportunities!
Bush Administration Eases Testing Restrictions
For the fourth time in the last four months, the Bush administration is easing the restrictions of NCLB, this time in the area of testing. That 2001 law requires schools to get participation from at least 95% of students in math and reading testing. Schools also must get 95% participation from all major subgroups of students, such as minority or disabled youngsters. The new policy will ensure some leeway for the schools. As long as they average a 95% participation rate among students over two or three years, they'll meet the law.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/
Creating "Child-centric" Schools
School-design issues need to be hauled out of bureaucrats' offices, into the sunlight of spirited communitywide discussions writes Neal Peirce, the Seattle Times. He argues that the same old architects are still churning out the same old, boring school structures and are not paying much attention to new cutting-edge ideas in creating child-centric schools where students can be engaged in flexible learning zones that replace traditional classrooms.
Resignations May Spell End to School Reform Group
The Education Leaders Council, a pro-Bush administration group that advocates education reform, is collapsing amid mass resignation of national directors who say the group has "lost its moorings" as senior officers have mismanaged federally funded programs intended to improve academic achievement, reports George Archibald.
Bending Toward Justice-Unfinished Legacy of Brown v. Board
One day in May 1954 things changed, and did not change, writes Sally Banks Zakariya in a special American School Board Journal report. For millions of black Americans, news of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education meant — at last — that they and their children no longer had to attend separate, and almost universally unequal,
schools. It was, as journalist Juan Williams says in an article in this special edition of American School Board Journal, the ruling that changed America. The rumble of change was felt keenly in local school districts, where school boards faced up to (or shied away from) the moral imperative of desegregation.. Numerous articles in this volume reflect on what has been accomplished and what remains undone in the quest for true and lasting educational opportunity for all.
Adequacy, Equity and the Effect of Resources on Student Achievement
Does the level of resources available to schools positively affect student achievement? In a 1966 report, James Coleman and his co-researchers stated that home and peers had a much greater impact on student achievement than did schools. The report stimulated debate among researchers regarding the value of increasing school resource allocations to improve student achievement, as well as the fundamental value schools add to student learning. Recent research from Tennessee, as well as reanalysis of the original Coleman Report, suggests that school effects are greater than originally estimated. The report also mentions inequities in funding and the lawsuits that have followed claiming that some school funding systems are constitutionally inequitable. Over the last decade, these lawsuits have changed from focusing on issues of equity to focusing on issues of adequacy — that is, what are the resources schools need to adequately educate all students?
Public Schools Minus the Public
The New York State Legislature gave Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg nearly unlimited control of New York City's public schools over two years ago, eliminating the central Board of Education and creating an advisory Panel on Education Policy. The panel members are appointed by the mayor and the borough presidents. According to Diane Ravitch and Randi Weingarten, The New York Times, this move was a sharp departure from the American tradition of placing education policy in the hands of an independent public board that is not directly controlled by elected officials. In the wake of a controversial new social promotion policy, the reporters agree that the mayor should have a larger role in running the school system than in the recent past, but he should not have unchecked power to hire personnel, make contracts and set policy. The time has come, they argue, for the Legislature to restore transparency, public engagement and accountability to the school system.
14 States Ask U.S. to Revise NCLB Rules
Fourteen states have asked the Bush administration for permission to use alternative methods for showing academic gains under the No Child Left Behind law, reports Diana Jean Schemo, The New York Times. The 14 states, most of which had their own systems for raising academic performance in place before the federal No Child Left Behind law took effect two years ago, alleged that the law would brand too many schools "in need of improvement," wasting limited resources. The states, including Alaska, California and Connecticut, said that schools showing academic gains under their statewide system should escape the NCLB failing designation. They asked for permission to use "growth models," in which schools would avoid the federal law's remedies and penalties if they showed academic gains, even if those gains fell short of the amount required for all students to reach academic proficiency by 2014, as the law mandates.
Beating the Odds
The Council of the Great City Schools recently released the fourth edition of "Beating the Odds (Beating the Odds IV)" to give the nation another look at how inner-city schools are performing on the academic goals and standards set by the states for our children. This analysis examines
student achievement in math and reading through spring 2003. It also measures achievement gaps between cities and states, African Americans and Whites, and Hispanics and Whites. And it includes new data on language proficiency, disability, and income. Finally, the report looks at
progress. It asks two critical questions: "Are urban schools improving academically?" and "Are urban schools closing achievement gaps?" In general, the new report shows that the Great City Schools are making important gains in math and reading scores on state assessments. The study
also saw fresh evidence that gaps may be narrowing. Not all gaps are closing. But the data indicate progress.
The Edible Schoolyard
On the campus of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, in Berkeley, California, students grow and prepare their own school lunches, getting a "seed to table experience" that reinforces the connection between the earth and the food we eat. According to Roberta Furger, The George Lucas Education Foundation, the program is inspired and led by Alice Waters, organic chef and owner of Berkeley's Chez Panisse restaurant.
NCES Releases The High School Transcript Study
NCES has just released, The High School Transcript Study: A Decade of Change in Curricula and Achievement, 1990-2000, a new report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This report presents findings from the 2000 High School Transcript Study (HSTS 2000) and examines the trends and changes in high school curriculum and student course selection patterns for the past decade. The publication allows policymakers, researchers, education agencies, and the public to examine the current curricula being offered in public and private high schools. Among the findings are that students tackled increasingly more courses in challenging subject areas such as mathematics, science, English, and social studies, and earned more course credits in their high school years during the 1990s. This report also indicates that overall grade point averages (GPAs) for students graduating from both public and private high schools increased during that period.
New York City Focuses on Small Schools
New York City will create 60 new small schools, including high schools, middle schools, and 6th or 7th through 12th grade schools. The goal is to create more intimate learning environments in order to reduce drop out rates, keep more students interested in academics and limit the number of students who get lost in the shuffle of high schools. According to Elissa Gootman, The New York Times, most of the smaller schools, many of which will have an academic theme or other distinguishing focus, will be housed with larger schools in the same building. The schools will ultimately house around 500 students, a large school by rural standards but significantly smaller than most urban schools.
American Architectural Foundation's Great Schools by Design
Great Schools by Design is a national initiative developed by the American Architectural Foundation in response to the challenges communities face because of the deteriorating condition of public schools and the need to build new schools. The initiative aims to be a resource to schools and community leaders and to create a national forum for major stakeholders in school design to think creatively about the larger issues affecting the design and construction of schools.
Creative School Funding
School fund raising activities, including student and parent-sponsored projects and grant-seeking efforts, are increasing as schools across the country face cuts in state aid. Critics say the practice widens the funding gap between schools with wealthier parents and communities and schools in communities were residents have less disposable income. Supporters applaud the efforts of local residents and parents to support schools and maintain that limiting the practice or forcing schools to share proceeds creates a disincentive for people to make financial contributions Margarita Bauza's article in the Detroit News explores the issues in the context of Michigan's school funding formula.
On Capitol Hill
The Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Humans Services, and Education (Regula, R-Ohio) of the House Committee on Appropriations held its final hearing on Department of Education programs, featuring a panel on Workforce Preparation and Training focusing on vocational education and student aid.
The House Committee on Rules approved H. Res. 580, a resolution governing floor debate on H.R. 3966, the "ROTC and Military Recruiter Equal Access to Campus Act of 2004" (Rogers, R-Ala.), to amend Title 10, US Code, and the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to improve the ability of the Department of Defense to establish and maintain Senior ROTC units at institutions of higher education, to improve the ability of students to participate in Senior ROTC programs, and to ensure that institutions of higher education provide military recruiters entry to campuses and access to students that is at least equal in quality and scope to that provided to any other employer. For additional information on the rule, see http://www.house.gov/rules/108rule3966.htm.
The House passed H. Con. Res. 393, on March 25, establishing the congressional budget for the U. S. Government for fiscal year 2005 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2004 and 2006 through 2007.
H.R. 4030 (Smith, R-Mich.), introduced to establish the Congressional Medal for Outstanding Contributions in Math and Science Education program to recognize private entities for their outstanding contributions to elementary and secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education (Science). The Subcommittee on Research (Smith) will hold a hearing on, and then mark up the bill. The full Committee on Science (Boehlert, R-NY) marked up the bill on Thursday, April 1.
H.R. 4034 (DeMint, R-SC), introduced to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a credit against income tax for teacher classroom supply expenses, for improving elementary and secondary education, and for contributions for scholarships to attend elementary and secondary schools (Ways and Means).
H.R. 4043 (Rush, D-Ill.), introduced to establish a national leadership initiative to promote and coordinate knowledge utilization in education, thereby increasing student achievement consistent with the objectives of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Education and the Workforce).
The Senate began consideration of H.R. 4, the "Personal Responsibility and Individual Development for Everyone Act" or the "PRIDE Act", to reauthorize and improve the program of block grants to States for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and improve access to quality child care.
On March 26, S. 2241 (Cochran, R-Miss.), introduced to reauthorize certain school lunch and child nutrition programs through June 30, 2004. The Senate passed the bill the same day without amendment.
Please visit the region web pages to access information on regional events.
Region and Chapter Boards: Remember to call Lisa Reagan for any questions, concerns, requests, or suggestions. Please keep her updated on your local news for the website and newsletters.
Email: lisa@cefpi.org
The CEFPI e-news is a ten-issue annual on-line publication of the Council of
Educational Facility Planners International. Please forward questions,
comments and/or article information to:
Barbara Worth, Assistant Director, Public Relations and Policy
Email: barb@cefpi.org
© 2004 CEFPI
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