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Why it Matters
Although NCLB mandates a “highly qualified teacher” for
every classroom, many districts and schools still face the
challenge of recruiting and retaining these professionals to
work under inadequate physical working conditions with
grossly inadequate resources to support their teaching
efforts.
The current national budget for school facilities
improvement and construction is greater than at any point in
history. Due to
the expanding student population and the age of many school
buildings, overall spending on facilities is expected to
increase, regardless of economic fluctuations.
The George Lucas Educational Foundation predicts that
over the next five years, the United States will spend
almost $100 billion to build and renovate schools.
What We Know
There is a growing body of research confirming that the
quality of facilities contributes directly to teacher
turnover rates and student performance. A study by the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1998)
found that student attitudes about education directly
reflect their learning environment, and various other
studies have shown that clean air, good light, and a quiet,
comfortable, and safe learning environment are essential for
academic achievement (see, for example, Cash 1993, Earthman
and Lemasters 1996, Lemasters 1997, Lackney 1999, Schneider
2002).
Despite increased expenditures for school facilities and
a reputable research base proving their significance to
improving student learning and achievement, many education
and community leaders, along with policymakers, remain
regrettably unprepared for and unresponsive to the facility and resource needs of schools.
A recent
study found that more than
80 percent of surveyed principals considered themselves well
trained for providing academic leadership, ensuring teacher
quality, general management, managing human resources, and
student discipline. But fewer than half of the principals in
the study thought they were well trained for facilities
management.
As a condition under direct control of the school district
and state, the physical building setting of a school and
its related resources should be considered as much more than
merely an institutional backdrop. They should be considered
as a potential opportunity to significantly improve teacher
working conditions, student learning conditions and student
achievement.
What’s Happening
In 2001, a survey of public school facilities identified $6.2 billion in current and projected
facility needs throughout the state. To assist districts, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
developed their Public
School Facilities Guidelines to provide school
systems and designers with useful and reliable design
information to use as a basis for new schools, additions and
renovations. The
resource is intended: (1) to serve as a guide in evaluating
existing facilities for functional adequacy; (2) to
determine facility needs; and (3) to develop sound,
long-range building plans.
On the national
level, schools on the cutting edge of the reform movement in
facilities and resource management are creating smaller
learning communities; delivering instruction through
innovative and emerging technologies; reconsidering and
redesigning the traditional school spaces to create smarter
designs of teacher working and student learning spaces; and
integrating community strengths and resources in
partnerships with a wide array of
public, civic, and private organizations.
What the Toolkit
Provides
The
teacher working conditions toolkit presents a series of
resources related to promoting school facilities and
resources which improve student achievement.
Each of the resources was included in part because
it fits into the primary criteria
for making good decisions about school buildings:
1.
Facilities should focus on student learning and achievement
2.
Facilities should be flexible
3.
Facilities should be responsive
4.
Facilities trade-offs and choices should be transparent
5.
Facilities provision should be driven by data
6.
Facilities should be economically efficient
School and community leaders, as well as policymakers, must realize that successful schools depend on quality school buildings and resources. In order to ensure quality school facilities for our nations’
teachers and students, all education stakeholders should consider:
Recommendation One:
Providing clean, safe, and well-maintained school environments that promote learning;
Recommendation
Two:
Providing more convenient and consistent access to
instructional and communication technology;
Recommendation
Three:
Ensuring adequate professional space for teachers and
paraprofessionals in school facilities; and
Recommendation
Four:
Ensuring sufficient access to support personnel
(Tutors,
family specialists, mental health professionals, nurses,
psychologists and social workers).
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