School Facilities & Design

Explainer

What to Know About PCBs in Schools: A Visual Primer
Key facts about a toxic chemical that continues to contaminate older schools.
A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, on June 16, 2024.
A boy cools off at a fountain during hot weather in Chicago, on June 16, 2024.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
School & District Management How Sweltering Heat Disrupts Learning and What Schools Can Do
Extreme heat is becoming more common across the United States. Schools need to start preparing now.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 17, 2024
5 min read
Students, teachers, victims' families and passersby watch, Friday, June 14, 2024, as crews start the demolition of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School building where 17 people died in the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. Officials plan to complete the weeks-long project before the school's 3,300 students return in August from summer vacation.
Students, teachers, and victims' families are among those watching on June 14, 2024, as crews start the demolition of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School building in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people died in the 2018 mass shooting. Officials plan to complete the weeks-long project before students return from summer vacation.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
School & District Management Photos Six Years After Parkland Tragedy, Crews Demolish a Painful Reminder
The school building in Florida where a gunman killed 17 people is being pulled down. Victims' families have toured the site with lawmakers to push for change.
Evie Blad & Jaclyn Borowski, June 14, 2024
4 min read
A statue of confederate general Stonewall Jackson is removed on July 1, 2020, in Richmond, Va. Shenandoah County, Virginia's school board voted 5-1 early Friday, May 10, 2024, to rename Mountain View High School as Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary as Ashby Lee Elementary four years after the names had been removed.
A statue of confederate general Stonewall Jackson is removed on July 1, 2020, in Richmond, Va. The Shenandoah County, Va. school board voted 5-1 on May 10, 2024, to restore the names of Confederate leaders and soldiers to two schools, four years after the names had been removed.
Steve Helber/AP
Equity & Diversity A School Board Reinstated Confederate School Names. Could It Happen Elsewhere?
Shenandoah County's school board voted in May to reinstate two Confederate names. Researchers wonder if others will, too.
Brooke Schultz, June 6, 2024
7 min read
People attend a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 6, 2024, for the recently-completed River Grove Elementary School in Lake Oswego, Ore.
People attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 6, 2024, for the recently completed River Grove Elementary School in Lake Oswego, Ore., which is built to be climate-resilient, withstanding earthquakes and prolonged power outages from extreme weather.
Courtesy of Alondra Flores
School & District Management Inside a New School Built to Be Climate-Resilient
A newly opened elementary school is designed to remain standing and operational in extreme weather.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 5, 2024
6 min read
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Collage of a construction site and school grounds.
Collage via Canva
Budget & Finance Passing School Bonds Is Hard. Advice From 3 Superintendents Who Did It
‘Educating instead of campaigning’ in an era when district leaders are under a political microscope.
Caitlynn Peetz, April 29, 2024
8 min read
Concept of counting down days. Hand is marking out dates on monthly calendar.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School & District Management It's Not Just Snow Days: How Can Districts Work Extreme Weather Into Their Calendars?
Extreme weather that's becoming more frequent is challenging districts with novel choices about when it's safe to stay open.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 7, 2024
5 min read
School Renovation in Washington Heights, Chicago
E+ / Getty
School & District Management The Average U.S. School Building Dates Back to the End of the Vietnam War
New federal data highlight widely varying ages and offerings in school buildings nationwide.
Mark Lieberman, February 15, 2024
4 min read
LeeAnn Kittle, executive director of sustainability at Denver Public Schools, helped develop projects such as the solar canopy in the parking lot of Northeast Early College in Denver.
LeeAnn Kittle, the executive director of sustainability for the Denver school district, stands by a solar canopy in the parking lot of Northeast Early College, one of the district's high schools.
Rachel Woolf for Education Week
School & District Management Q&A This Leader Channeled Students' Climate Anxiety Into Action. See How
LeeAnn Kittle partnered with student advocates to champion environmental sustainability in Denver's public schools.
Arianna Prothero, February 5, 2024
3 min read
LeeAnn Kittle, executive director of sustainability at Denver Public Schools, right, talks to Amelia Fernández Rodríguez, 16, a junior at DSST: Conservatory Green High School on Jan. 12, 2024. Rodríguez and her peers lead “DPS Students for Climate Action,” and were filming a video at Denver East High School on creating a sustainability club.
LeeAnn Kittle, the executive director of sustainability at Denver Public Schools, right, talks to Amelia Fernández Rodríguez, 16, a junior at DSST: Conservatory Green High School. Kittle partners with Rodríguez and other students on efforts to make the district's schools more sustainable.
Rachel Woolf for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From This Leader Partners With Students to Build a More Sustainable Future for Her District
Under LeeAnn Kittle's leadership, the Denver district has implemented an ambitious climate action plan.
Arianna Prothero, February 5, 2024
10 min read
The solar panel array at Sheridan Elementary School in Sheridan, Ind., pictured on Aug. 24, 2017. School districts installing solar are trying to complete their project's before Dec. 31, ahead of changes in Indiana's net metering law.
The solar panel array at Sheridan Elementary School in Sheridan, Ind., pictured on Aug. 24, 2017. FEMA will now reimburse schools rebuilding from disasters for the cost of solar panels and other energy-efficient upgrades.
Don Knight/The Herald-Bulletin via AP
School & District Management FEMA Will Pay Schools Affected By Disasters for Energy-Efficient Upgrades
Schools can now get funds to cover the costs of solar panels and other energy-efficient systems as they recover from natural disasters.
Mark Lieberman, January 31, 2024
3 min read
Gov. Brad Little provides his vision for the 2024 Idaho Legislative session during his State of the State address on Jan. 8, 2024, at the Statehouse in Boise.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little outlines his priorities during his State of the State address before lawmakers on Jan. 8, 2024, at the capitol in Boise.
Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP
States What's on the K-12 Agenda for States This Year? 4 Takeaways
Reading instruction, private school choice, and teacher pay are among the issues leading governors' K-12 education agendas.
Mark Lieberman, January 30, 2024
6 min read
Composite of worn chain link fence with lock, caution school crossing sign and dilapidated school in background.
Illustration by Liz Yap/Education Week (Images: iStock/Getty)
School & District Management Pressure to Close Schools Is Ramping Up. What Districts Need to Know
Falling enrollments and tight budgets are prompting communities to consider school closures. But doing so is never simple.
Mark Lieberman, January 24, 2024
8 min read
Conceptual of kids running at school, infrared thermal treatment.
Liz Yap/Education Week and JackF/iStock/Getty
School & District Management It's Not Too Early to Plan for Summer: How Schools Can Prepare for Extreme Heat
Take steps now to prepare schools for what could be another stifling summer.
Madeline Will, January 3, 2024
5 min read