The Future of Learning Is Experiential   

The future of learning is experiential. It's about providing students with opportunities to explore, discover, and apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.

Holly Teague, Huckabee

Lessons in Voting: STEM Bond Approval Brings Results to UNC Charlotte

When public funds are spent for large projects, attention must be paid during design to the future operating costs, as well as the initial construction costs. Science buildings have inherently high predicted energy use intensities due to the extensive use of fume hoods.

Kevin Utsey, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, GGP

Designing Spaces with Affordances for Learning: Research to Proof of Concept from Findings

Environments for learning should be deliberately designed for how learning happens, in all its social complexity. This statement is the premise of the article “Making Space for Learning” by members of Harvard's Project Zero team who conducted a literature review looking to connect teaching practices, learning, and design. The authors questioned, “To what degree are the spaces in which we learn designed with learning in mind?”

Daniel Wilson, EdD, Harvard Graduate School of Education  |  Dave Broz, AIA, Columbia College Chicago  |  Jolene Levin  |  Katelyn Forcucci, EdS  |  Lennie Scott-Webber, PhD, INSYNC:: Education Research+Design

Meet Dr. Melissa Thompson, Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA)

"Many schools are looking for volunteers to share about career pathways and substitute teach," says Melissa Thompson, former superintendent, now with PRA. "One of the best ways to learn is by doing — if we can all find ways to give back to local learning institutions, we may also get ideas for product improvements, have inadvertent authentic feedback from user groups, and grow our future employee pipeline all at the same time!"

Melissa Thompson, PhD, Plunkett Raysich Architects

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Growing in Our ClassroomsEd Market Sales Are Holding Steady

AI will continue to grow in education. Many educators see it as helping teaching and learning. However, AI will not likely replace human teachers (or administrators). Meeting standards in various subjects is key to our education system. Human teachers need to judge how to apply AI in the classroom.

Bob Stimolo, School Market Research Institute

EDmarket Unleashes the Power of Virtual Member Communities 

In this age of digital connectivity, business networking has transcended traditional boundaries, giving rise to virtual professional roundtables as potent platforms for collaboration and idea exchange. In our role as the leading industry organization, EDmarket has created several virtual groups which meet on a regular basis connecting members who have similar interests or challenges including the new Chairman’s Roundtable, Bold Women Collective, ECPLS Certification, and the NexGen Rising Stars.  

Jim McGarry, EDmarket

Join the CAUSE: We Can Measure Impact Better Together

CAUSE is a new attempt to bring our industry together to build the kind of research culture that can help us design better school environments for our communities. Applying these research principles can make everyone’s POEs simpler to plan, easier to analyze, and more powerful in the results they provide. However, they can only work if we can come together as a community to implement them together!

Michael Ralph, Multistudio

Advocating for an Empowered Education:Elevating Student Voices in Learning Environment Design

Empowering students to actively participate in designing their learning environments transcends being a mere educational strategy; it's a paradigm shift in how we perceive education. By honoring and embracing their agency, we not only create inclusive and effective learning spaces but also instill in students a sense of empowerment, resilience, and an enduring passion for learning.

Enrico Giori, Architecture for Education (A4E)

A Work of HEART

Creating a warm and inviting environment does not mean there are no rules. It does not mean a loss of control. It does not mean you’re the administrator who’s every learner’s (or educator’s) friend. Quite the contrary. People need structure, and for classroom management, a positive climate, and the acquisition of knowledge to ensue, you need to have HEART. 

Katelyn Forcucci, EdS

Proof PositiveChildren, teachers, and communities win when the performance and quality of educational environments improve

It may seem like common sense to assume that comfortable temperatures, abundant natural light, and a welcoming civic presence would benefit a school’s occupants. But Perkins Eastman has backed that assumption with a decade of research, recently culminating in a multiyear study with Drexel University. “Addressing a Multi-Billion Dollar Challenge” reinforces the firm’s previous work with larger samples that make it statistically significant. The increasingly indisputable message is that the quality of a school’s structure, layout, interiors, and landscape — even its standing in the community — has a material impact on the performance and well-being of those who work, teach, and learn there.

Jennifer Sergent, Perkins Eastman

Building Bridges Not BarriersMeeting the mental health needs of students and staff

How we experience the spaces where we live, work, and learn impacts our understanding of the world around us. This requires approaching learning environments with a holistic mindset to better meet the physical, social, mental, and cultural needs of students and staff. Embracing the whole person means embracing a new educational ecosystem – one where […]

Katie Becker, AIA, NCARB, LEED Green Assoc., JLG Architects

Redesigning School Buildings to Stand Up to Climate Change

On a Tuesday in August, one day before the official start of the school year, the halls of Jefferson Early Learning Center were filled with the tinkling chatter of pre-K students who were escorted by their parents to meet the teachers. But to reach those classrooms, families had to traverse the parking lot in the […]

Nadia Tamez-Robledo, EdSurge

Optimize Capital Investments with Smart Building Solutions

While independent school districts (ISDs) invest considerable time and money to win voters’ approval to issue bonds that support facility construction projects, public charter school organizations face an even more formidable challenge when they need to purchase property and build facilities.

Tony Bouquot, Metal Building Manufacturers Association