As
our nation's school facilities age, with the average
school being over 42 years old, and as the school-age
population increases, there is a "boom" in
school facilities construction in the United States.
As communities and states work together to provide needed
new facilities, these entities must plan schools which
not only reflect their values and missions for student
learning, but which also become a statement of a commitment
to a design which will be an important part of the community
for up to half a century.
One current model of scheduling is the parallel block.
This model allows for extended learning/teaching time
in math and reading of up to 120 minutes per day. This
website, created for a project in Managing and Evaluating
School Design and Construction class at the University
of Georgia, encourages school planners to consider all
aspects of design, including instructional focus combined
with community beliefs and values, prior to actual construction.