Igniting Imagination: Reworking School Spaces for STEAM Discovery

Most school buildings contain space that time has passed by. For some districts, these rooms sit quietly at the edge of the budget, neither serving students nor getting replaced. Other schools may need to inhabit a new space entirely, with an eye toward optimizing their existing programs or building out new ones. Transformative architectural solutions flow from the specific circumstances of the existing building, as well as the school’s underlying philosophy for the way students should learn, collaborate, and gather outside the classroom.

Beth Emig, AIA, KSS Architects

A Barn is Where it All Began The Landscape of Possibility

What began with the sight of an "Old Red Barn" on a piece of Arkansas farmland has transformed into a living realization of what can be. By rooting Woodland Junior High in the rugged beauty of the Ozarks, we have moved beyond traditional construction to create a space where the architecture and the landscape breathe together.

Julie R. Williams, Ed.D., Fayetteville Public Schools

Stewarding a Legacy, Building What’s Next: A Conversation with Whitney Brothers President & CEO Scott Kroeger

For more than a century, Whitney Brothers has helped shape environments where young children learn, play, and grow. Founded 122 years ago, the company has built a longstanding reputation in early childhood furniture and learning spaces, particularly within private education settings. Now, under new leadership and a new ownership model with President & CEO Scott Kroeger driving change, Whitney Brothers is entering its next chapter.

Adrienne Dayton, EDmarket

From Family Roots to Classroom ReachA Virco Member Visit

As a leading manufacturer and supplier of furniture and equipment for K-12 schools, Virco employs approximately 700 people nationwide. Not only does their Torrance, California headquarters feature a 560,000 square-foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, their Conway, Arkansas location has approximately 1,750,000 square feet of operational space which is where Heather Tuley found herself during a weekend visit to the area.

Heather Tuley, M.Ed., EDmarket

Merging Our Future Together: An Update on the EDmarket & A4LE

As we move through 2026, I am excited to share another significant milestone in the journey to unite EDmarket and the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). What began as a bold vision to bring together two organizations with complementary missions is quickly becoming a reality, and I could not be more optimistic about the future we are building together....Together, we are building the future of the school environment community. I look forward to continuing this journey with all of you. The best is yet to come.

John K. Ramsey, EDmarket & A4LE

We Built the Future, But Did We Prepare Staff to Teach in It?Reflections on Opening a State-of-the-Art School Before Fully Understanding What The Design and Spaces Were Trying to Teach Us

Nine years ago, I was hired to open a new state-of-the-art facility designed to serve fifth- and sixth-grade students along the South Carolina coast. At the time, the building represented innovation in nearly every visible way. It featured flexible furniture, open collaborative learning spaces, natural lighting throughout the building, geothermal efficiencies, outdoor learning areas, and modern architectural elements designed to move beyond the traditional school model. The building itself represented the future of education and student engagement. In many ways, it did, but were we preparing for that potential?

David Cupolo, Ph.D., ECLPS

Designing for Holistic Student Wellness A Trauma-Informed Approach that Supports Students and Communities

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of what has been widely referred to as “Student Wellness,” a more holistic view of the well-being of PreK-12 students that goes beyond traditional, simplistic notions of student health. Today, there is an understanding that wellness is a multifaceted concept encompassing physical health, mental well-being, nutrition, and the more abstract concept of ensuring young people have a sense of belonging.

Alexis Garcia, HMC Architects  |  Virginia Marquardt, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, HMC Architects

Inclusive Design: Strategies to Enhance Student Success Through Choice, Movement, and Intentional Design

Architectural, interior, and furniture design all greatly influence the possibilities of learning spaces. Understanding how your building supports or hinders your students and staff in the pursuit gives you the tools to make informed and impactful decisions on projects small to large starting today. We believe design shapes student success, empathy creates connection, and choice, movement, and flexibility build belonging. Most importantly, we believe these principles can be applied effectively across every budget and every school culture. 

Alyssa Marshal, Freedom Middle School  |  Celeste Karier, NCIDQ, IIDA, ALEP, FGM Architects  |  Lizzie Scott, M.Ed, Artcobell  |  Lock Pampel-Montague, M.Ed., AIA, ALEP, FGM Architects  |  Patricia Cadigan, M. Ed., ALEP, Artcobell

Experience EDspaces!

Join your fellow colleagues and thought leaders at EDspaces 2026 where you will experience the ideas, environments and innovations helping schools and campuses create more effective learning experiences and stronger communities. EDspaces is where education leaders and their partners come together to explore how physical environments impact learning.

An Essential Guide to ESAsLeveraging Education Service Agencies to Scale and Strengthen EdTech Partnerships and Growth

Thus, Educational Service Agencies (ESAs) serve as a critical, often underutilized, infrastructure within the U.S. K-12 ecosystem, acting as a vital bridge between state objectives and local school needs. With approximately 904 agencies nationwide managing over $15 billion annually, ESAs provide essential services ranging from cooperative purchasing and grant management to specialized instructional support. For providers, success in this market requires moving beyond a transactional vendor mindset to build long-term, strategic partnerships.

Joyce Whitby, Innovations4Education

Outdated by Design: Achieving Safer School Restrooms Through Proven Practice and Student-Centered Leadership

For generations, restroom design has been treated as a solved problem. The fixture counts were known. The layouts were familiar. The design was efficient. As schools began responding to heightened concerns about safety and security, attention naturally focused on the threats that dominate headlines. Yet some districts were willing to ask a subsequent question: What about the harm students experience in spaces that don’t grab headlines?

Kerri Brady