Educational Leadership

Room for the Community

A 21st century school also provides a teaching and learning habitat for adults and the community. The new designs include adult classrooms, informal and formal gathering places, and display areas to exhibit and celebrate the success of students and community members alike.

Following the principles and program components of Yale University’s School of the 21st Century, each community learning center will have spaces for child care services as well as for other supports for parents (Henrich, Ginicola, & Finn-Stevenson, 2006). A community education suite includes an adult education classroom, a parent resource room and café, and offices.

In the parent café, parents will find soft seating, wireless access, library shelving for resources, and a full demonstration kitchen for nutrition classes and informal events for parents and members of the neighborhood child care providers network. Office space is provided for early childhood education staff who make home visits, organize playgroups, and hold workshops. An early childhood classroom will serve as a model for providers and also as space for child care during parent classes and child care network meetings. A small health services area includes a reception area, a classroom, an office, and three exam rooms.

In Peoria, designers paid careful
attention to placement and planning of
the buildings for environmental quality.
Generous windows bring daylight and
gradually as budgets allow ensures
better learning environments for
students.

Not every school can be a new building;
however, implementing gradual changes
as budgets allow ensures better learning
environments for students.

views of the surrounding park-like landscape into learning spaces. Indirect/ direct light pendant fixtures reduce glare, and daylight sensors turn off lights when not needed to save energy. Natural and carefully selected materials are used throughout. Because carbon dioxide levels can reduce students’ ability to concentrate, the buildings have energy-efficient sensors to increase fresh air when necessary. Acoustically efficient classroom surface materials and an audio enhancement system ensure that students can hear teacher voices.

have to be rooted in the past. As opportunities arise for repurposing or renovating school space, educators and the communities they serve should consider the kind of habitat teachers and students need. When that happens, we’re more likely to truly teach 21st century skills. EL

Start Small Not every school can be a new building; however, many schools can become better habitats for 21st century teaching and learning. A number of the ideas used in this school design process could be easily integrated and adapted to other sites: for example, technology that is accessible throughout the building, space set aside for project work, movable walls that make collaboration easier, ergonomic furniture, display areas for student work, and nature classrooms replacing blacktopped playgrounds. Implementing these changes

References

Henrich, C., Ginicola, M., & Finn-Stevenson, M. (2006). The school of the 21st century is making a difference. New Haven, CT: Schools for the 21st Century, Yale University.

Kats, G., Perlman, J., & Jamadagni, S. (2005). National review of green schools: Costs, benefits, and implications for Massachusetts, Westborough: Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.

High-Quality Environment A key ingredient for any 21st century habitat for teaching and learning is the creation of a healthy and sustainable environment. Aside from the operational savings, many sustainable design strategies also assist learning by maximizing sensory input for students. Providing superior daylight, air quality, thermal comfort, and acoustics can lead to increased academic performance (Kats, Perlman, & Jamadagni, 2005).

Judy Harris Helm provides educational consulting services through her company Best Practices Inc.; judyhelm @ bestpracticesinc.net. Steven Turckes is an architect who leads the preK– 12 practice of Perkins+Will; steven.turckes @ perkinswill.com. Ken Hinton is the recently retired superintendent of Peoria Public Schools and continues to support the project by serving on a community planning board; ken.hinton@psd150.org.