smart growth program public schools toolkit

7/31/2019 Smart Growth Program Public Schools Toolkit

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Plc ScoolsA Toolkit or REALTORS
http://www.realtor.org/


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REALTORSMAKING A DIFFERENCE

www.REALTOR.org/scoolstoolt | 1

PUBLIC SCHOOLSA TOOLKIT FOR REALTORS

CREDITS and COPYRIGHT

Prepared under the direction o the

National Association o REALTORS

Credits and Copyright

Te Smart Growt Program s part o te Natonal Assocaton o REALTORS Commnt & Poltcal Aars Department.

Te Natonal Assocaton o REALTORS tans all o te REALTOR assocaton sta and REALTORS wo contrtedto te Toolt.

Te opnons expressed n te Toolt do not necessarl reect te opnons or polc o te Natonal Assocaton o REALTORS.

Natonal Assocaton o REALTORS, 2011

PubLiC EDuCATiON WORkiNG GROuP

Davd Wla, Carman

Wend Frt

Trac Pless

Roert Jonston

PRiNCiPAL AuThORSsan b. Dnerman

COPy EDiTOR

Pamela hamlton

GRAPhiC DESiGN

Cratree + Compan

PROJECT MANAGER AND EDiTOR

holl Moserntz,

Natonal Assocaton o REALTORS.

EDiTOR

Joe Molnaro, Smart Growt & hosng

Opportnt Managng Drector,

Natonal Assocaton o REALTORS.
http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.crabtreecompany.com/http://www.crabtreecompany.com/http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkit


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Tale o Contents

ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION

Cultural Issues: TheAchievement Gap

Closng te acevement gap means

fndng was to mprove plc

edcaton so all stdents across

ncome, racal, and etnc grops

can aceve ter dreams.

The Benefts o Green Schools

Green scools are catcng on not

onl ecase tere ealter, more

prodctve learnng envronments t

also ecase tere ecomng more

cost efcent to ld and operate tan

anone ever magned.

Walkability and Sae Routesto School

Over te past 50 ears, te nmer

o ds wo wal and e to scoolas declned dramatcall. Gven

rsng concerns aot te ealt,

envronmental, and economc

conseqences, teres a nfed eort

nder wa to reverse ts trend and

ts egnnng to mae a derence.

School Building and Siting

For generatons, scool ofcals ave

een ldng larger scools and

locatng tem on te oter rnges

o commntes. Te dden costs o

tese scool stng decsons ave een

enormos and t s an sse tat s

eng addressed on mltple ronts.

Teachers Living Where They WorkTeacers need aordale osng

optons n te commntes were

te wor. To address te sse,

some scools and commntes are

developng programs tat elp tem

fnd and fnance local osng.

Charter Schools: Are TheyAchieving Results?

Carter scools emerged n te 1990sas a promsng alternatve to tradtonal

plc scools. So ar, ts an experment

tat as elded mxed reslts and

some compellng nsgts.

Federal Education Programs:The Politics o Reorm

Federal edcaton polc nges on

certan ndamental goals promotng

stdent acevement, ensrng u.S.

compettveness, and provdng eqal

access to edcatonal opportntes. bt

ow to aceve tose goals as een

te sject o great deate.

How Schools Are Funded

it costs more tan $500 llon a ear to

nd te natons plc scool sstem.

Te deate over ow to mprove plc

edcaton s nextrcal ted to te sse

o ndng and te adeqac and

eqt o te scool sstem tsel.

INTRODUCTION: Public Schools and the REALTOR

how are te scools? ma e te most common qeston felded REALTORS trogot teunted States and te answer plas a role n jst aot ever resdental real estate decson. b

amlarzng temselves wt sses tat aect plc edcaton, REALTORS can e etter prepared

to mae a derence n ter scools and commntes.


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Participate in the School o theFuture Design Competition

Te most mportant tng REALTORS

can do s to vst scools n ter

commntes and get tem to regster

or te competton.

Serve on a School Board

Scool oards mae decsons tat ave

an enormos mpact on scools and

commntes and teres no greater

commtment a REALTOR can mae

tan servng on one o tem.

Provide Scholarships orLocal Students

b ndng scolarsp programs or

college-ond stdents, REALTOR

assocatons are nvestng n te tre

o ter commntes.

Read, Teach, and Mentor in YourCommunityin classrooms arond te contr,

REALTORS and REALTOR assocaton

sta memers gve o ter tme to wor

wt local stdents and to promote

etter scools and etter commntes.

Explore Housing Programsthat Support Teachers

Te commnt o REALTORS can plaan mportant role n elpng teacers

fnd and fnance aordale osng n

ter commntes and rasng teacer

retenton rates.

Organize a Walk/Bike to School

Ever all, mllons o scool-age ds

wal or e to scool on internatonal

Wal to Scool Da t lds

commntes, and t doesnt cost a cent.

Support Innovative Projects ThatImprove SchoolsREALTOR assocatons provde mc-

needed fnancal spport to te scools

and stdents n ter commntes

trog a varet o nnovatve

programs all nded largel trog

assocaton ndrasers and REALTOR

donatons.

Volunteer in Schools andor Schools

REALTORS can pla an ntegral role

n mprovng te natons edcaton

sstem donatng ter tme

to commnt-ased and scool-

centered e orts.

Advocate or a Local School Issue

Trog advocac, REALTOR

assocatons can serve as strong vocestat elp nspre mprovements n plc

scools and address sses related to

edcaton ndng.

REALTORSMAKING A DIFFERENCE

Steering, Schools, and Equal Proessional Service

NAR Policy on Public Education

Glossaryo Terms

Bibliography

APPEndIx


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www.REALTOR.org/scoolstoolt | 1INTRODUCTION: PUBLIC SCHOOLS and the REALTOR


INTRODUCTION: Public Schools and the REALTOR

Ever real estate agent nows wat srves and stdes confrm: Te qalt o

plc scools nences were people a ome and wat te pa or t.

Regardless o weter te ave cldren, ers care aot te reptaton o te

scools ecase te now tat scools drectl aect a commnts vtalt as well

as ts propert vales. Te demand or omes s smpl greater n negoroods

wt g qalt plc scools, and ger demand translates nto ger ome

prces, sas REALTOR Crs Wlson o Larel, Msssspp. Accordng to Wlson,

ts no srprse tat wen prospectve omeers are nterested n a ose oneo ter frst qestons s, how are te scools? Ever REALTOR as een

tere. And te reason s ovos, e sas. People want te est scools or

ter cldren, or te want a ome n a negorood wt g demand or

resale prposes.

Scool qalt depends on a varet o actors, some o wc are addressed

n ts toolt. Te most asc defnton o a qalt scool s one tat provdes a

clean, sae envronment wt p-to-date acltes and eqpment an envronment

tat s condcve to learnng and rngs ot te est n ot teacers and stdents.

Sc scools enance te overall qalt o le, strengten commntes, and

attract new le to te negoroods tat srrond tem. Qalt scools reqre

plc nvolvement ncldng te nvolvement o REALTORS. it maes sense or

REALTORS to amlarze temselves wt sses tat aect local scools and to

tae steps to mprove te qalt o plc scools, sas Wlson. becase etter

scools eneft stdents, negoroods, and REALTORS.

Public Schools and Property Values

Wle stdes confrm te ln etween real estate vales and scool qalt,ts dfclt to dsentangle te vale o scool qalt rom oter negorood

amentes, as Tomas J. kane and s colleages note n a 2005 paper on te

sject. Noneteless, emprcal stdes ave attempted to tease ot te specfcs o

te relatonsp etween ome vales and scool qalt. One wdel cted 1997

How are the

schools? is one o

the most common

questions felded

by real estate

agents throughout

the United States.

By amiliarizing

themselves with

issues that aect

public education, real

estate agents can be

better prepared to

mae a dierence

in their schools and

communities.
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std uCLA economst Sandra E. blac removed varatons n negoroods,

taxes, and scool spendng to solate te vale parents place on scool qalt.Accordng to er calclatons, parents are wllng to pa 2.5 percent more or

osng or a 5 percent ncrease n test scores. Davd M. brasngton, wle at

Tlane unverst, explored te mpact on osng maret vales o a varet o

measres o scool qalt. he ond profcenc tests, expendtre per ppl,

and ppl-to-teacer rato to e consstentl captalzed nto osng prces,

wle measres sc as gradaton rates, teacer experence levels, and teacer

edcaton levels are not consstentl postvel related to osng prces.

Wtot splttng ars over precsel wat scool attrtes relate most drectl

to osng prces, ts sae to sa tat tere s a relatonsp etween scools and

propert vales and tat scools pla an mportant role n man resdental

osng decsons. based on te 2011 Natonal Assocaton o REALTORS

(NAR) Commnt Preerence Srve, scool qalt was among te or top

commnt-related actors nencng omeer decsons. in act, 75 percent

o tose srveed cted g qalt plc scools as eter ver mportant or

somewat mportant n ter decson-mang process. Sas Me Teo, senor vce

presdent or legal and plc aars or te Wsconsn REALTORS Assocaton,

Te rpple eects etween plc edcaton and osng necesstates tat tereal estate commnt tae a drect nterest n mprovng Amercas prmar and

secondar scools.

Public Schools: A Toolkit or REALTORS

NAR as prodced ts toolt to elp REALTORS enance ter nowledge

and nderstandng o te plc scool sstem so te can ecome nvolved

n mprovng ter scools and commntes. Te openng secton o te

toolt Issues in Public Education s desgned to provde nsgts nto crrent

deates related to plc edcaton and emergng trends tat are resapng te

natons plc scools. Tese artcles ocs on topcs sc as te ollowng:

Federal edcaton polc, scool ndng sstems, and te persstent gap n

perormance etween some grops o cldren and etween states, scool

dstrcts, and scools.


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bldng and stng new scools and preservng old ones n was tat

conserve resorces and enance walalt.Federal, state, and local programs tat enale teacers to lve near te scools

were te wor and programs tat are mang t possle or more ds to wal

and e to scool.

Secton two o te toolt REALTORS Making A Dierence sares

examples o REALTORS and REALTOR assocatons arond te contr tat

are plang an actve role n engagng local stdents and mprovng local

scools servng on scool oards, volnteerng at local scools, donatng

ter tme to commnt-wde eorts to mprove scools, and advocatng or

local scool-related ntatves. REALTOR assocatons and aflated ondatons

donate tosands o dollars eac ear to nd local scolarsps and scool-

centered projects. Te spearead specal projects, spport local teacers, and

sppl mc-needed eorts and nds to scool-ased projects and programs.

Tese REALTORS and REALTOR assocatons are mang a real derence

n ter scools and commntes and serve as gdes or tose nterested n

mplementng smlar projects and programs n oter commntes.

Fnall, all o te artcles n te toolt nclde NAR tools and we-asedresorces tat can elp REALTORS learn more and mplement programs tat

spport plc scools.

Addressing the Issues

Weter t means mentorng a local stdent or advocatng or a local allot

ntatve spportng scools, engagng s a step wort tang. For one tng,

REALTORS rng a nqe set o nsgts to te tale. For example, n Reno/

Spars, Nevada, REALTORS Darl Drae and krs Laman are o te memers o

te Concl or Excellence n Edcaton, a grop o sness leaders commtted to

mprovng k12 edcaton and to addressng plc perceptons o local scools.

Te also serve on te legslatve commttee o te Reno/Spars Assocaton o

REALTORS. We rng te REALTOR perspectve to te Concl or Excellence

n Edcaton, sas Drae. And, on occason, we rng sses to te REALTOR


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legslatve commttee. REALTORS ave a vested nterest n mprovng scools.

i wold encorage REALTORS

to get nvolved, sas REALTOR

Donald G.Warner, wo as plaed a leadersp role on te scool oard n upper Moreland

Townsp, Pennslvana, or man ears. Te scool oard needs to now ow

te decsons made n te scool aect te real estate maret n te area. Tese

eorts and ts toolt are all aot strengtenng scools and commntes

and ldng te relatonsp etween REALTORS and te commntes te serve


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CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP

Cultural Issues: The Achievement Gap

Edcaton as long een consdered te great eqalzer n Amercan socet

and s vewed man as te cornerstone o Amercan mertocrac. Or contr

as long eleved tat provdng ree plc edcaton wll elp level te plang

feld or k12 stdents creatng opportntes across ncome, racal, and

etnc grops.

The Coleman Report

Te deate over te nence o cltral actors sc as ncome level, race,and etnct on edcatonal acevement as a long stor, egnnng wt te

landmar Brown v. Board o Education case n 1954. Plants n te case arged

tat segregaton nevtal led lac stdents to aceve less tan ter wte

conterparts, wc n trn led to te Spreme Cort rlng tat separate t

eqal was nconstttonal. Ten ears ater tat rlng, Congress ordered a std

to determne weter Arcan-Amercans stll attended neror scools and weter

tat ept acevement levels low. Advocates or te dsadvantaged oped te std

wold prove a casal relatonsp etween neror scools and lower academc

acevement and lead to addtonal ndng or tose scools. it was one o te

frst stdes to examne neqtes n te edcaton sstem, and te reslts were not

so stragtorward. James S. Coleman, a socologst at Jons hopns unverst

wo condcted te std, ond tat derences etween scools ad lttle mpact

on acevement relatve to oter actors, ncldng a amls socoeconomc

acgrond and te socal composton o te scools. Te 1966 Coleman Report

was te frst sgnfcant std to ln edcatonal acevement wt socoeconomc

and cltral actors. Snce ten, a growng od o researc as demonstrated

tat acevement s a reslt o a complex comnaton o actors and tat teacevement gap can onl e addressed trog a varet o strateges.

Closing the

achievement gap

means fnding ways

to improve public

education so all

students across

income, racial, and

ethnic groups can

achieve their dreams.


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Cultural and Environmental Factors

Dierences in School Readiness

To tae ll advantage o scool etween ndergarten and 12t grade, cldren

mst e well prepared to enter scool. income and socal class sgnfcantl

nence scool readness, and parental nvolvement and engagement plas a

crtcal role n stdent sccess at ever step o te edcaton process. Stdes ave

sown tat ger-ncome, more-edcated parents encorage ter cldren to

read more and read to ter cldren more reqentl. Accordng to one std,

ger-ncome cldren are exposed to more words etween rt and age fve.

Te researcers ond tat proessonal parents spoe over 2,000 words per orto ter cldren, wle worng-class parents spoe aot 1,300, and welare

recpents spoe 600. As a reslt, te cldren o proessonals ad a vocalar

50 percent ger tan mddle-class cldren and twce tat o cldren on plc

assstance. hger-ncome parents also spea to ter cldren derentl asng

prong qestons wen te tal or read to tem. Overall, ger-ncome

parents encorage ter cldren more reqentl, ave ger expectatons o

ter cldrens scool perormance, are more comortale callengng teacers

and scool personnel, and are more ale to elp ter ds wt omewor.

Te comnaton o all tese actors reslts n dramatcall derent levels o

scool readness cldren o derent economc acgronds and can aect

acevement at ever grade level.

Health and Environmental Factors

Poor ealt s anoter major sse tat can aect scool perormance among

low-ncome stdents. Te ave vson mparments at twce te rate o te general

poplaton aot al o low-ncome cldren ave vson prolems tat nterere

wt ter academc wor and te ave more ear nectons, wc can e

assocated wt temporar and permanent earng loss. becase te tend to lve

n older ldngs and go to older scools, low-ncome cldren are more lel

to e exposed to lead rom water ppes and to lead-ased pant. Lead exposre

negatvel aects cogntve nctonng and eavor. in act, low-ncome cldren

ave dangerosl g lood-lead levels at fve tmes te rate o ter mddle-

class conterparts. Te are also more lel to reate dangeros mes rom


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low-grade eatng sstems and to nale dangeros mes rom desel trcs and

actores. So ts not srprsng tat astma rates among low-ncome stdents arexceed tose o te general poplaton. And tere are oter crtcal ealt actors

tat aect acevement and scool asences: cldren rom low-ncome amles

are more lel to ser rom etal alcool sndrome, ave moters wo smoed

drng ter pregnances, ave worse ntrton, and ser rom vtamn and mnera

defcences at mc ger rates.

Scool asences are sstantall ger among lower-ncome stdents.

in act, te mss 30 percent more scool das tan ter mddle-ncome

classmates prmarl de to ealt prolems. Astma as ecome te sngle

ggest case o cronc scool asence and low-ncome stdents wt astma

are nearl twce as lel as mddle-class stdents to mss seven or more das o

scool a ear de to astma. To mae matters worse, tese stdents ave less

access to ealt care and servces, and te ave te lowest levels o ealt

nsrance coverage. in comnaton, all tese actors pt low-ncome stdents

at a dsadvantage comng ot o te gate.

Student Mobility

Movng and cangng scools n te process can dsrpt an cldsedcaton. havng to adjst to new scool srrondngs can e dfclt n tsel,

t cangng scools can mean adjstng to new crrcla, teacng strateges,

and edcatonal approaces. Low-ncome amles are orced to move or

economc reasons ar more oten tan oter amles. Te nmers are dramatc.

Molt rates are aove 100 percent n man low-ncome scools, meanng tat

two stdents ma st n ever classroom car n a gven ear. One std ond tat

30 percent o low-ncome cldren ad attended at least tree derent scools

te trd grade, as compared to onl 10 percent among te mddle-class stdents.

Addressing the Education Ecosystem

Gven te complext o actors contrtng to te acevement gap, a varet

o strateges as emerged n an eort to close te gap, ncldng g-qalt

earl cldood edcaton and eore- and ater-scool programs and parental

otreac programs. Tere s growng recognton tat wat goes on otsde

Researchers have

identifed an array o

environmental actors

that contribute

to a persistent

achievement gap.


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te classroom ma e jst as mportant as wat goes on nsde te classroom.

Commentng n te Ma/Jne 2010 sse oAmerican Teacher, Rep. Me honda(D-CA) sas, Closng te gap reqres soltons tat target te entre edcatonal

ecosstem. For too long, or fxes ave targeted te classroom or scool, wle

alng to ll address te remanng 17 ors o te da wen te cld s not n

scool. in 2009, Rep. honda elped create te Edcatonal Opportnt and

Eqt Commsson, wc ams to rter engage teacers, parents, scools, and

commntes n a daloge at te local, state, and ederal level to address te sse

on all ronts.

Early Childhood Programs

Gven te mportance o scool readness, man states are ndng earl

edcaton programs or pre-k programs at ger levels tan n te past. State

corts n Nort Carolna and New Jerse ond te mportance o pre-k edcaton

to e so great tat te mandated te states to provde pre-k ndng and servces

or all at-rs stdents. At te start o te 2009 scool ear, wen a record 51,100

stdents were enrolled n te states prescool programs, Gov. Jon Corzne (D-

NJ) descred te states nvestment n prescool programs as one o te most

mportant measres o s admnstraton.

Summer and Ater-School Programs

Researc sggests tat te derng experences tat cldren ave drng te

smmer monts contrtes to te gap n scool acevement. Low-ncome

parents ma not as man oos or ter cldren or ave compters at ome

or expand ter exposre to new learnng experences vstng msems and

lrares. Along smlar lnes, low-ncome stdents ma not ave as man ater-

scool optons. in response, scools and dstrcts across te contr ave created

smmer and ater-scool programs tat provde low-ncome stdents wt a wdevaret o learnng opportntes.

School-Based Health Care

To elp overcome defcences n ealt servces, some scool sstems arond te

contr ave created ealt clncs and/or servces at scool stes. Tere, stdents

and ter amles ma e provded wt oral and vson servces and ave access

There is growing

recognition that what

goes on outside the

classroom may be

just as important as

what goes on inside

the classroom.


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to certfed nrses to spport a varet o oter medcal servces. Te Portland,

Mane scool sstem as developed an nnovatve approac tat ses Medcadnds to provde a wde varet o servces at te scool level. in Mlwaee, were

g-povert stdents represent 77 percent o te plc scool poplaton, te

ct as ntrodced scool-ased ealt care programs n 14 scools trog

a commnt partnersp wt a prvate provder, Arora healt Care. Oter

states sc as Mnnesota are examnng was to coordnate ealt and man

servces programs wt ter k12 edcaton sstems. Mnneapols, or example,

as ntrodced scool-ased clncs. Te poolng o resorces rom derent state

and local programs sows great potental n elpng scool sstems provde a

varet o needed ealt servces efcentl and eectvel.

Parent Engagement

Std ater std confrms te ln etween parental nvolvement and ot stdent

acevement and scool qalt. in order to ncrease parental nvolvement, te

ederal No Cld Let bend edcaton act, passed n 2001, reqres scool

sstems to commncate wt and engage parents. Scools arond te contr

ave responded wt programs rangng rom te estalsment o parent

engagement commttees to new polces promotng parent-teacer conerencesor at-rs stdents.

The Role o Schools and Communities

increasngl, polcmaers, edcators, and commntes are tang t to te next

level wt commnt-ased programs tat engage scools, amles, and

commntes, and wt nnovatve academc programs ocsed on cangng te

cltre o ndvdal scools. Tese nclde academc programs talored to te

needs o specfc grops o at-rs stdents sc as Engls-langage learners

or low-ncome stdents wo all trog te cracs n large scools wt a dverse

stdent mx or g-povert stdents n g-povert scools.

Te Edcaton Trst as made a practce o dentng scools tat de

te patterns o acevement tat separate one ncome, etnc, or racal grop

rom anoter. Tae te example o Mornngsde Elementar Scool, located n

brownsvlle, Texas, a ew mles rom te Mexcan order. Man Mornngsde


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stdents start scool wtot nowng an Engls 59 percent are Engls-

langage learners. Even so, n 2009, 99 percent o te scools low-ncome ftgraders met state mat and scence standards compared to 78 percent across

Texas. And te scool was desgnated exemplar, wc means at least 90

percent o te stdents met or exceeded state standards. Anoter example s Jac

brtt hg Scool n Faettevlle, Nort Carolna, wc as a dverse stdent od

and a massve nmer o stdents 1,800. One-ort o tose are low-ncome

and aot 40 percent are Arcan-Amercan. yet, overall, te scools or-ear

gradaton rate exceeds te state average. Accordng to te Edcaton Trst,

Arcan-Amercan stdents at Jac brtt gradate at ger rates tan ts wte

stdents (92 percent, compared to 83 percent) and at rates tat are mc ger

tan te rest o te states Arcan-Amercan stdents (wo gradate on average at

a rate o 67 percent). Sc examples sggest tat ndvdal scools can mae a

ge derence n narrowng te acevement gap.

it s partclarl dfclt to rea te patterns o low academc acevement

assocated wt povert. The Condition o Education 2010, a report released te

Natonal Center or Edcaton Statstcs, eatres a specal secton on g-povert

scools defned as scools were more tan 75 percent o te stdents qal

or ree or redced-prced lnces. Accordng to tat report, over te past decade,te nmer o stdents attendng g-povert scools as grown. in 1999, 15

percent o te natons elementar scool stdents were enrolled n g-povert

scools; 2007 tat nmer ad grown to 20 percent. Drng tat same perod,

te percentage o u.S. g scool stdents enrolled n g-povert scools rose

rom 5 percent to 9 percent. Consder te glarng gap etween high-poverty

and low-poverty schools and wat t odes or te tre o tese stdents: n

20072008, onl 28 percent o gradates rom g-povert scools went on to

or-ear nstttons compared to 52 percent o stdents gradatng rom low-

povert scools.

Wen g-povert stdents are concentrated n large, low-perormng

scools wt oter at-rs stdents, t osters a cltre o low expectatons and

low acevement. Stdents n g-povert elementar and mddle scools

are on trac toward so-called dropot actores u.S. g scools wt

croncall g dropot rates. Te natons dropot prolem s concentrated

It is particularly

difcult to brea

the patterns o

low academic

achievement

associated

with poverty.


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n segregated g povert scools, wrote harvard unverst researcers n

2005 n Why Segregation Matters: Poverty and Education Inequality. innovatvenew scools, ncldng ran carter scools developed to meet te needs o

specfc at-rs grops, and targeted eorts oter plc scools, are sowng

sccess n reversng tese trends. (See related artcle, Carter Scools: Are Te

Acevng Reslts?)

bt progress s slow. between 2001 and 2008, te u.S. gradaton rate

mproved rom 72 percent to 75 percent, accordng to a report plsed

Amercas Promse Allance n 2009. And, ased on an analss Jons hopns

unverst researcers n tat same report, te nmer o scools tat qal as

dropot actores g scools tat gradate ewer tan 60 percent o ter

stdents declned rom 2,000 scools n 2002 to 1,750 scools n 2008. More

eartenng tan te data rom te std s ts tem tat appeared n a New York

Times analss on Novemer 30, 2010: in 2005, researcers at Jons hopns

unverst dentfed Rcmond hg Scool n indana as a dropot actor. bt

rom 2006 to 2009, teacers, commnt leaders and proessors joned n an

eort to elp stdents sta n scool, rasng te gradaton rate to 80 percent

rom 53 percent, te report sas.

Closing the Gap

in act, eorts edcators and advocates over te past 10 ears to nderstand

and address te acevement gap appear to e eldng reslts. Tere as een

tremendos progress n closng te gap etween wte and Arcan-Amercan

stdents at te elementar scool level. Accordng to te Edcaton Trst, n 1996

nearl 75 percent or nearl tree ot o ever or Arcan-Amercan ort

graders cold not perorm at a asc level n matematcs. b 2007, tat

nmer was down to 30 percent. Tats a sgnfcant st. yet, an acevement

gap perssts. Accordng to Gauging the Gaps: A Deeper Look at Student

Achievement, plsed n Janar 2010 te Edcaton Trst, Natonwde,

low-ncome stdents and stdents o color perorm, on average, elow ter

peers and n ever state, low-ncome stdents tral ter ger ncome peers

n readng perormance.

researchers report

dramatic variations

in the achievement

o similar groups

o children across

states and even

rom one district

to the next


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in Gauging the Gaps, researcers looed at te sse n new was, ocsng

not jst on natonwde and state data t on comparng te progress derentstates, scool dstrcts, and even ndvdal scools wtn te same jrsdcton

are mang n narrowng te gaps. And t dentfes programs tat are worng.

Sas te report, Some scools ocs ever da on provdng all stdents wt

access to a rc, engagng crrclm and te spport necessar to sccessll

meet expectatons.

Gauging the Gaps provdes valale nsgts nto wat scools can do to mae

a derence and a more complex and accrate pctre o wats reall gong

on. Te researcers report dramatc varatons n te acevement o smlar

grops o cldren across states and even rom one dstrct to te next and

dent scools tat are dong sstantall etter tan oters, even n te same

jrsdcton. Some o te reslts are srprsng. For example, n Farax, Vrgna,

one o te states wealtest and gest perormng scool dstrcts, wte ort

graders perormed mc etter tan wte stdents n most oter Vrgna scool

dstrcts. in act, tere ted or trd n perormance among 48 oter dstrcts.

bt, sas te report, Tat commendale perormance or Faraxs ort graders

mass glarng derences n grop perormance. Arcan-Amercan ort graders

n Farax are perormng not jst elow ter wte conterparts t elow oterArcan-Amercan stdents n 20 oter Vrgna dstrcts, ncldng tose wt ar

ger povert rates.

Ts nd o analss provdes polcmaers and edcators wt an mportant

new tool. Te can se state assessment reslts to examne wc dstrcts are

narrowng gaps and wc are wdenng dspartes. Dstrct leaders can se te

reslts to loo at gap-closng progress across ter scools. Accordng to te

report, Leaders o te Godwn hegts scool dstrct n te down-on-ts-eels

ndstral town o Womng, Mcgan, dd jst tat and learned tat one scool,

Nort Godwn Elementar, was dong a mc etter jo o erasng te academc

dspartes tat separate some stdents, ncldng Engls-langage learners,

rom ter peers. based on te scools sccess, dstrct leaders tapped te Nort

Godwn prncpal to lead gap-closng eorts dstrctwde.

Tat can appen wt oter scools and n oter scool dstrcts tat are

loong or was to mprove ter edcatonal sstems and ter commntes.


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Web ResourcesPublic School Graduates and Dropouts From the Common Core o Data:

School Year 2007081

Ts report presents fndngs assocated wt plc g scool gradatonand dropot conts or te 20072008 scool ear. Tese data were collectedas part o te Common Core o Data Srve Collecton, Natonal Center orEdcaton Statstcs.

Gauging the Gaps2

Ts 2010 report rom Te Edcaton Trst explores new was to nderstandte progress derent states, dstrcts, and ndvdal scools are mang towardclosng acevement gaps.

1nces.ed.gov/psearc/psno.asp?pd=2010341

2www.edtrst.org/dc/plcaton/gagng-te-gaps-a-deeper-loo-at-stdent-acevement

See related artcles n REALTORS Making a Dierence, Read, Teac, and Mentor nyor Commnt, Spport innovatve Projects tat improve Scools, and Volnteerngto improve Scools.
http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010341http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010341http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010341http://www.edtrust.org/dc/publication/gauging-the-gaps-a-deeper-look-at-student-achievementhttp://www.edtrust.org/dc/publication/gauging-the-gaps-a-deeper-look-at-student-achievementhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010341http://www.edtrust.org/dc/publication/gauging-the-gaps-a-deeper-look-at-student-achievementhttp://www.edtrust.org/dc/publication/gauging-the-gaps-a-deeper-look-at-student-achievementhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010341http://www.edtrust.org/dc/publication/gauging-the-gaps-a-deeper-look-at-student-achievementhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010341http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010341http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkit


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THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS

The Benefts o Green Schools

in 2009, NJN Plc Televson and Rado prodced a docmentar, Green

Builders, spotlgtng or poneerng green ldng projects. One was a

scool te Wllow Scool n Gladstone, New Jerse. blt n 2003 accordng to

sstanale practces, te scool sts on a 34-acre ste. it s an dllc envronment,

wt natral meadows, tter gardens, and edgerows as well as a constrcted

wetlands tat provdes a natral fltraton sstem or wastewater. Te scool

ldng, wc as a tradtonal t rstc qalt, s

flled wt natral lgt. A sgn n te atroom reads,Reccled Tle, creatng a splt-second learnng

opportnt. in act, te ldng and ts envronment

serve as tools or teacng stdents aot sstanale

practces rom wastewater management to recclng.

i o loo ac at wen we lt ts frst ldng,

n 20022003, prett mc we were alone, Mar

bedron, coonder o te Wllow Scool, sas

n te docmentar. And everone looed at s

le we ad tree eads. Now, o cannot go to

an arctectral frm tat doesnt ave a LEED-

accredted proessonal on ter sta or wo doesnt

ave some dea wat sstanale, green ldng

desgn s.

Te Wllow Scool s jst te nd o place tat

comes to mnd wen o ear te words green

scool a small, prvate scool n an dllc settng

servng commntes tat can aord te lxr osstanalt. bt, gven wats occrred over te pas

fve ears, sc assmptons no longer appl. Snce te Wllow Scool was frst

lt, te green scools movement as gone manstream extendng well eond

a ew leadng-edge projects and deep nto te natons plc scool sstem. As

o Marc 2011, te nmer o plc scools tat are eter LEED regstered or

What is LEED Certifcation?

LEED [Leadersp n Energ and Envronmental

Desgn] s a trd-part certfcaton program

and te natonall accepted encmar or

te desgn, constrcton and operaton o

g-perormance green ldngs. LEED gves

ldng owners and operators te tools te

need to ave an mmedate and measrale

mpact on ter ldngs perormance. LEED

promotes a wole-ldng approac to

sstanalt recognzng perormance n fve

e areas o man and envronmental ealt:

sstanale ste development, water savngs,

energ efcenc, materals selecton and ndoor

envronmental qalt.

U.S. Green Building Council


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LEED certfed te u.S. Green bldng Concl te nternatonall recognzed

standard or green ldng certfcaton s on te rse. As o Jl 2010, terewere jst over 300 k12 LEED-certfed projects and more tan 1,700 k12

scool and scool-related ldng projects regstered or tre certfcaton.

Natonall, id sa, at frst t was a gradal st. Ten, tree or or ears ago

t jst nd o exploded, sas Lsa Lane, green scools program drector or te

Oo Scool Facltes Commsson (OSFC). Lane sold now. Te state o Oo

as ecome a leader n green scool constrcton, and toda se travels arond

te contr sarng te Oo experence. As o Janar 2011, tere were 281

LEED-regstered projects n Oo scool dstrcts 255 trog te OSFC and

22 LEED-regstered scools n Cncnnat alone. Tat pts Cncnnat n a ead-

to-ead race wt Ccago and Alqerqe as te top ctes or green plc

scools. Te catalst or te LEED movement n Oo was te secrtzaton o

toacco nds, sas Lane. We ad $4.1 llon dropped n or laps n 2007

to nvest n or scools. Tat was rgt arond te tme te u.S. Green bldng

Concl was gearng p to ocs on scools, and te movement was catcng

on. in Septemer 2007, Oos Scool Facltes Commsson passed a resolton

tat all new scools meet certan LEED standards, and ldng green as snce

ecome standard practce or Oo plc scools. Commntes are gettngexcted aot te opportntes. Tese scools ave etter ndoor ar qalt

and create ealter envronments, sas Lane. Teres less scness, lower

asenteesm, and te retan sta etter.

A nmer o trends are drvng te st natonwde. For one tng, plc

awareness aot te mportance o conservng energ and te mpact o clmate

cange as rsen sstantall over te past fve ears. b 2009, srves ndcated

tat more tan tree-qarters o Amercan consmers descre temselves as

green. Tere as een an exploson n green prodcts, corporate sstanalt

programs, and commnt-ased recclng programs. Wen ore loong

at ldng scools to paraprase Rc Fedrzz o te u.S. Green bldng

Concl w not ld green? it jst maes sense or te cldren, sas Lane.

Certanl, rom a ealt and envronmental standpont, te enefts o ldng

greener scools ave een clear or some tme. Wat was nclear to local

Green schools are

catching on not

only because theyre

healthier, more

productive learning

environments but

also because theyre

becoming more cost

efcient to build and

operate than anyone

ever imagined.


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governments and scool dstrcts ac n 2002 or 2003 was ow mc mone

green ntatves cold save scool dstrcts.

The Benefts to Kids and Communities

LEED scools tose lt accordng to crtera estalsed te u.S. Green

bldng Concl and g-perormance scools lt accordng to te

recommendatons and standards o te Collaoratve or hg Perormance

Scools (ChPS) program create ealter, more prodctve learnng envronments

ncorporatng te ollowng e eatres.

Better Indoor Air Quality

Do o now wat a new car smells le? ass Lsa Lane. Wen o go nto

a LEED scool, o dont ave an o tose new ldng smells. Teve taen

steps to s te ldng ot. Teve sed low-emttng carpet, pants, and

adesve. Te ndoor ar qalt s a lot etter. Ts s no small sse. Accordng

to te Coalton or healter Scools, te u.S. Envronmental Protecton

Agenc as estmated tat as man as al o u.S. scools ace envronmental

prolems ncldng pollted ndoor ar, toxc cemcals and pestcde se,

growng molds, lead n pant and drnng water, and asestos. Stdes ln poorndoor ar qalt to an ncrease n astma rates, cldood cancer rates, and

te ncdence o learnng dsaltes n cldren. As an example, n Janar 2011,

te Natonal Assocaton o Scool Nrses released a srve o 350 scool

nrses. Fort percent o tose srveed reported tat te new cldren or

sta wo were aected polltants n scools. To pt te sse n perspectve,

astma, wc aects 5 mllon scool-age cldren, s te nmer one case o

scool asenteesm.

Better Lighting and Better Acoustics

hg perormance scools se dalgt as a major lgt sorce. Stdes ave

lned classes tat are well lt wt natral lgt and even classrooms wt

more wndow space wt measral ger scool perormance. beavoral

scentsts sa tat dalgt nences ones alt to learn; t mpacts test scores.

Dalgt s ree and etter tan artfcal lgt te wndows connect people to


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te otsde trog eatl vews, sas henz Rdol, wt boora Arctects o

Portland, Oregon, wc as desgned scools sng g perormance prncples.

Sas Lsa Lane o te Oo Green Scools Program, i te arctects prse da

lgtng, te ma once te lgt o o lgt selves, rngng natral lgt deeper

nto te room. A room ma e ll lt, and te lgts ma not even e on. So

ts a strateg tat not onl promotes learnng t also prodces energ savngs.

Eectve learnng also nvolves eectve lstenng, so g perormance and LEED

scools are desgned to mnmze nose and maxmze te learnng experence

or stdents.

A Better Learning Environment

Te Mddleton Scool Dstrct n Mddleton, idao, emraced prncples o g-

perormance scools ac n te earl 2000s. Te Prple Sage Elementar

Scool, wc opened n te dstrct n te all o 2003, s one example o

Lywoo High School i Bethel, Washigto, wier o the 2010 James d. MacCoell

Awar or ecellece i acilities plaig rom the Coucil o Eucatio Facility Plaers

Iteratioal. The school is set o a 40-acre, oreste campus with water retetio a

wetlas areas a eatures ay lit classrooms.


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g perormance prncples at wor. blt accordng to LEED standards, t

ncorporates nmeros energ- and water-savng eatres. Te lgtng n tescools restrooms, storage areas, and closets s controlled electroncall

sensors so te lgts go on wen someone comes n and go o atomatcall

wen te leave. Clmate controls are electronc, delverng precsel comortale

temperatres. Te scools tolets ave atomatc sers, and ts sns dspense

water atomatcall. bt, jst as mportantl, te ldngs natral lgt, plentl

wndows, and lgt colors create a ceerl nteror envronment tat spports

learnng. it s overwelmngl mportant to ave a good learnng envronment or

stdents, sas Dr. Rc bascer, sperntendent o te Mddleton Scool Dstrct.

Parents tell s tat ter ds atttde and desre to learn are attrtale to te

aspects o g perormance scools. Lsa Lane o Oo agrees, notng, i tn

te ds and te sta jst eel etter n a LEED ldng.

Teaching Sustainable Practices to the Next Generation

Le te poneerng arctects wo desgned te Wllow Scool, some arctects o

LEED scools are desgnng scools as a teacng tool, accordng to Lsa Lane.

For example, tere sng a ranwater arvestng sstem, te ma ave a

cstern otsde wt te ranwater, se sas. Some o te scools ave green roogardens, were te se plantngs on top o te roo to captre te ranwater, and

tat ecomes a learnng tool or te stdents.

The Benefts to States, School Districts, and Communities

its clear tat g perormance and LEED scools are good or ds, t n

recent ears ts ecome ncreasngl clear tat tere also good or states and

mncpaltes. LEED scools are constrcted wt reccled materals and wt

ldng materals tat se ewer resorces n ter manactre and transport, so

te mnmze greenose gas emssons and waste. Greener scools not onl save

energ and conserve resorces, te also elp mncpaltes address watever

regonal envronmental prolems te ma e acng, sc as water se, storm

water management, ar qalt, recclng, or mold prolems. Noneteless, ntl

recentl, te cost-eneft eqaton jst ddnt add p or scool dstrcts te

general percepton eng tat sstanale ldng costs more and tat te LEED-


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certfcaton process adds a laer o reacrac. in 2004 and agan n 2006,

Davs Langdon, a gloal constrcton consltng compan, plsed stdescomparng te average costs o ldng smlar commercal and government

ldngs sng green verss nongreen practces. Accordng to te 2007 report,

The Cost o Green Revisited, Te 2006 std sows essentall te same reslts

as 2004: tere s no sgnfcant derence n average costs or green ldngs

as compared to non-green ldngs. Man project teams are ldng green

ldngs wt lttle or no added cost, and wt dgets well wtn te cost range

o non-green ldngs wt smlar programs. We ave also ond tat, n man

areas o te contr, te contractng commnt as emraced sstanale desgn,

and no longer sees sstanale desgn reqrements as addtonal rdens to e

prced n ter ds. Accordng to te report, or some tpes o ldngs sc

as scools mprovements n energ efcenc can actall lead to redced

constrcton cost, snce te mprovements come rom redcng dependence on

mecancal sstems and mprovng te passve desgn o te ldng. Passve

desgn nvolves sng elements sc as wndow placement and landscapng

to maxmze te enefts o te sns ras n wnter and redce ter mpact

n smmer.

A nmer o actors contrte to a growng recognton tat green scoolscan e lt cost eectvel and even add p to major savngs or states and

mncpaltes. For one tng, as energ costs contne to rse, te long-term

economc enefts o energ efcenc ecome more compellng. For anoter,

rsng demand or green ldng materals as made tem more avalale and

more aordale. in addton, as more LEED scools come on lne, cost analses

mae a compellng case n avor o sstanale desgn. For example, wen te

Oo Scool Facltes Commsson looed at te economcs o ldng LEED

scools, te projected an average $6 mllon n energ savngs over te 40-ear

le span o a sngle mddle scool. Wt 255 LEED scools planned or te state,

tat added p to enormos savngs or Oo scool dstrcts and taxpaers over

te next 40 ears.

The Ohio School

Facilities Commission

projected an average

$6 million in energy

savings over the

40-year lie span o a

single middle school

built according to

LEED standards.


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Ushering in a New Era

Te Collaoratve or hg Perormance Scools was a frst mover on te green

scool ront. Orgnall estalsed n 1999 to address te sse o energ

efcenc n Calornas scools n collaoraton wt te states tlt companes,

t soon grew nto an mportant resorce or scools and scool dstrcts arond te

contr wo were nterested n ldng ealter, more energ-efcent scools

ased on Smart Growt ojectves. Snce 1999, 41 scool dstrcts arond te

contr ave sed ChPS as a resorce to ld or rers scools. Eleven states

ave wored wt te collaoratve to develop g perormance scool ldng

crtera. Overall, some 86 ChPS-recognzed g perormance scools ave eencompleted snce 1999, and anoter 300 are n varos stages o development.

Te momentm as contned to ld. in 2004, parents and envronmentalsts

ormed te Green Scools intatve n Calorna. in 2007, te Green Scools

Allance, ased n New yor, was created n response to Maor bloomergs

callenge to New yor Ct nstttons to redce ter caron ootprnt 30 percent

2030. And n 2010, wen te frst annal Green Scools Natonal Conerence

was eld n Mnneapols, more tan 1,000 partcpants attended ncldng 100

g scools rom 40 states.

A major trnng pont came n 2009 wt te estalsment o te Center or

Green Scools at te u.S. Green bldng Concl, te nonproft organzaton

tat orgnall developed and now admnsters te LEED ldng ratng sstem.

Te center elps ct trog te red tape generall assocated wt LEED

certfcaton and s ecomng a o actvt or promotng te constrcton

and rersment o scools ased on sstanale practces. in addton to

provdng resorces to spport LEED-certfcaton eorts, te Center or Green

Scools as pt a sta n place tats eqpped to travel to local scool dstrcts

and wor drectl wt local admnstrators and desgners, and as lanced aseres o ntatves te Maors Allance, 50 or 50 Green Scools Cacs,

and te Congressonal Green Scools Cacs to ld momentm or green

scool ntatves at te local, state, and ederal legslatve levels. A nmer o

states alread ave green ldng reglatons, ncentves, or gdelnes n place.


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As o Marc 2011, accordng to te Envronmental

Law instttes weste, 20 states ave mplementedpolces tat reqre or promote ChPS or LEED green

ldng standards or scool constrcton.

bt ts not jst scool admnstrators,

envronmental advocates, and polcmaers wo

mae green scools a realt. Parents, commnt

leaders and REALTORS can pla a role n

psng or scools wt energ-efcent eatres,

sstanale materals, da lgtng, and etter

ndoor ar qalt. in te end, te reslts o tese

eorts ncldng etter scools, cost savngs,

ealter cldren, ger test scores, and stronger

commntes ma e mmeasrale.

Characteristics o a Green SchoolConserves energ and natral resorces

Saves taxpaer mone

improves ndoor ar qalt

Removes toxc materals rom places were

cldren learn and pla

Emplos da-lgtng strateges and mproves

classroom acostcs

Emplos sstanale prcasng and green

cleanng practces

improves envronmental lterac n stdents

Decreases te rden on mncpal water

and wastewater treatment

Encorages waste management eorts to

eneft te local commnt and regon

Conserves res drnng water and elps

manage storm water rno

Encorages recclng

Promotes atat protecton

Redces demand on local landflls

The Center or Green Schools

at the U.S. Green Building Council


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NAR ToolsNARs Green Designation1

Te Natonal Assocaton o REALTORS as created a green desgnaton andenefts program talored or real estate agents tat provdes advanced tranng ngreen ldng and sstanale sness practces.

Web ResourcesThe Center or Green Schools2

Te u.S. Green bldng Concl provdes gdance, programmng, and resorces

on green scools, ncldng a set o sel plannng, project-management, andpolc-mang gdes, as well as lns to te Coalton or Green Scools. Otervalale lns at te centers ste nclde

Green School Buildings3

usel k12 ldng resorces at te Center or Green Scools,ncldng te Green Existing Schools Toolkit;

LEED-Certifed and -Registered Schools4

To download a lst o LEED-certfed and LEED-regstered scools,ollow ts ln.

CEFPIs Moving Sustainability Forward Symposium5

Concl o Edcaton Faclt Planners internatonal memers, ndvdals,nstttons, and corporatons are actvel nvolved n plannng, desgnng, ldng,eqppng, and mantanng scools and colleges. Ts sstanalt smposmoers panel dscssons, rondtales, and plent o opportntes to tal aotgreen nnovatons and deas.

Collaborative or High Perorming Schools6

Resorces, gdance, and nsgts on g perormance scools and ow to worwt ChPS to ld or rers a scool accordng to g perormance crtera.

Green Schools Initiative7

Tools and researc rom ts advocac organzaton onded parents andenvronmentalsts to create envronmentall ealt scools ncldng a leprntor organzng to pass a scool oard ntatve.8
http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/http://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/welcome.aspxhttp://www.centerforgreenschools.org/welcome.aspxhttp://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/Homepage.aspxhttp://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/Homepage.aspxhttp://www.centerforgreenschools.org/leed-for-schools.aspxhttp://www.cefpi.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4763http://www.chps.net/dev/Drupal/nodehttp://www.chps.net/dev/Drupal/nodehttp://www.greenschools.net/http://www.greenschools.net/http://www.greenschools.net/article.php?list=type&type=7http://www.greenschools.net/article.php?list=type&type=7http://www.greenschools.net/article.php?list=type&type=7http://www.greenschools.net/article.php?list=type&type=7http://www.greenschools.net/article.php?list=type&type=7http://www.greenschools.net/http://www.chps.net/dev/Drupal/nodehttp://www.cefpi.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4763http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/leed-for-schools.aspxhttp://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/Homepage.aspxhttp://www.centerforgreenschools.org/welcome.aspxhttp://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkit


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IAQ Tools or Schools Program9

Gdance on ow to mplement a practcal plan or mprovng ndoor ar qalt atscools, ncldng ow to mplement a dstrctwde iAQ Tools or Scools Program.

State Policies10

Te Envronmental Law insttte provdes p-to-date normaton on state polces,gdelnes, and ncentves or ldng ChPS and LEED scools, wt lns tospecfc state reqrements.

EPA Educational Resources11

Te EPA provdes lns to programs or teacng sstanalt n Amercasclassrooms resorces tat o can sare wt or local scools.

1 www.greenresorceconcl.org/

2 www.centerorgreenscools.org/welcome.aspx

3 www.greenscoolldngs.org/homepage.aspx

4 www.centerorgreenscools.org/leed-or-scools.aspx

5 www.cep.org/4a/pages/ndex.cm?paged=4763

6 www.cps.net/dev/Drpal/node

7 www.greenscools.net/

8 www.greenscools.net/artcle.pp?lst=tpe&tpe=7

9 www.epa.gov/aq/scools/toolt.tml

10www.el.org/Program_Areas/healt_Scools/ndex.cm

11www.epa.gov/greent/stdent.tm

See related artcle n REALTORS Making a Dierence, Partcpate n te Scool o te FtreDesgn Competton.
http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.eli.org/Program_Areas/Healthy_Schools/index.cfmhttp://www.eli.org/Program_Areas/Healthy_Schools/index.cfmhttp://www.epa.gov/greenkit/student.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/greenkit/student.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/greenkit/student.htmhttp://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/welcome.aspxhttp://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/Homepage.aspxhttp://www.centerforgreenschools.org/leed-for-schools.aspxhttp://www.cefpi.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4763http://www.chps.net/dev/Drupal/nodehttp://www.greenschools.net/http://www.greenschools.net/article.php?list=type&type=7http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.eli.org/Program_Areas/Healthy_Schools/index.cfmhttp://www.epa.gov/greenkit/student.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/greenkit/student.htmhttp://www.eli.org/Program_Areas/Healthy_Schools/index.cfmhttp://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.greenschools.net/article.php?list=type&type=7http://www.greenschools.net/http://www.chps.net/dev/Drupal/nodehttp://www.cefpi.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4763http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/leed-for-schools.aspxhttp://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/Homepage.aspxhttp://www.centerforgreenschools.org/welcome.aspxhttp://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/http://www.epa.gov/greenkit/student.htmhttp://www.eli.org/Program_Areas/Healthy_Schools/index.cfmhttp://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/toolkit.htmlhttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkit


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WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL

Walkability and Sae Routes to School

in 2011, le tosands o oter u.S. scools, Farfeld Senor hg Scool

n sran Cncnnat was acng a dget crss. in response, among oter

ctacs, te scool oard voted n Marc to elmnate scool s servces or

g scool stdents or te 20112012 academc ear, a move tat wold save

te dstrct $300,000 a ear. Ts wasnt te frst tme te dstrcts scool oard

elt orced to address ndng sortalls elmnatng s servces. Te last tme

sng was elmnated or tree monts n 2004 te Farfeld polce sent a

clear message to stdents: Dont even tn aot walng to scool.blt n 1997, Farfeld Senor hg s set among s, mltlane roads, and

tere are no sdewals leadng p to te scool. Trafc congeston arond te

scool s a major sse n te commnt and n 2004 polce were terrfed at

te prospect o ds trng to navgate a ostle envronment on oot or on es. in

te sx ears snce, te rote to scool as not ecome an less azardos. Tere

are stll no sdewals or pedestran overpasses tat mae t possle to sael reac

te scool on oot. in 2011, one parent wrote ts on te Farfeld sperntendents

log n te wae o te Marc annoncement: We lve close enog to te g

scool tat m dagter cold conceval wal ome rom scool, t were

sold se wal? Te street? Sdewals sold ave een nclded wen te

new g scool was planned ears ago. Now o are gong to ave ndreds

o cldren walng down te street and arond te scool wt no sdewals on

wc to wal. Not to menton tat se wold ave to cross Rote 4 to get ome.

Explans Rand Oppenemer, wo andles commnt relatons or te

Farfeld scool dstrct, Te g scool was lt 14 ears ago. Walalt was

not vewed as a prort. bt, toda, walalt s vewed as a prort n part,

ecase Farvew hg Scool s not an solated example. Mllons o te natonselementar, mddle, and g scool stdents cant wal or e to scool. Oters

smpl dont. Toda, te vast majort o ds are drven to scool eter s

or prvate vecle. And, n lgt o rsng ealt and envronmental concerns,

reversng ts pattern as ecome a natonal prort.

Over the past

50 years, the number

o ids who wal and

bie to school has

declined dramatically.

Given rising concerns

about the health,

environmental,

and economic

consequences,

theres a unifed

eort under way

to reverse this

trend and its

beginning to mae

a dierence.


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Te dramatc declne n walng and ng to scool among u.S. cldren as

een wdel docmented, and teres near-nversal agreement tat ts a prolemtat needs to e fxed. based on ederal transportaton srves, te percentage

o cldren ages 5 to 18 wo waled or ed to scool declned rom 47 percent

n 1969 to 16 percent n 2001. A root case as een te growt o sprawlng

srs man o wc are smpl nwalale and te growng dependence

on te atomole. Te dstance etween ome and scool as ecome an sse.

Over te past 50 ears, scools ave ecome gger and een located arter

rom te amles te serve. b 1969 onl 34 percent o cldren ages 5 to 18

lved wtn one mle o ter scool, and 2001 onl 21 percent lved wtn a

mle o scool. At some pont, even ds wo lved wtn a mle o ter scools

stopped walng and ng to and rom scool. Toda, accordng to te 2009

Natonal hoseold Travel Srve (NhTS), among fve to orteen-ear-olds wo

lve wtn a mle o scool, onl 38 percent sall wal or e compared

to nearl 90 percent n 1969. Te conseqences o tese trends ave een

sgnfcant. Among tem are te ollowng:

Rates o oest and pscal nactvt among ds ave rsen to te pont

were 30 percent o or ds are overwegt or oese, and one-trd o mddle

and g scoolers are sedentar. its an sse tat moved to te oreronto te natonal agenda wen Frst Lad Mcelle Oama lanced te Lets

Move ntatve n Ferar 9, 2010 to address wat se laeled te epdemc

o cldood oest. in er remars at te Lets Move lanc, se cted te

act tat cldood oest rates ave trpled over te past tree decades

and ponted to te trolng lns etween nactvt and oest, g lood

pressre, g colesterol, and even Tpe ii daetes n cldren.

Te envronmental and economc mpacts o drvng and sng ds to scool

are not nsgnfcant. Te rse n rs or trafc assocated wt scool trps aseen dentfed te u.S. Envronmental Protecton Agenc as a e contrtor

to ar qalt prolems n a nmer o ctes. And te rsng cost o sng

stdents even tose wo lve wtn walng dstance o scools as ecome

a dgetar sse acng scool oards arond te contr.


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Addressing the Issue

Tese concerns moved to te oreront o te natonal agenda at te trn o te

mllennm. Te Natonal Trst or hstorc Preservaton (NThP) rased plc

awareness o te prolem wt te release o Historic Neighborhood Schools in

the Age o Sprawl: Why Johnny Cant Walk to School n 2000, and te release

o a second edton n 2002, as new data contned to emerge. Te reports

docmented te dramatc declne n walng and ng to scool and rasedseros qestons aot land se polc, scool stng decsons, and related

nrastrctre sses tat served as arrers to walalt. (See related stor, Issues

in Public Education, Scool bldng and Stng). in te wae o te NThP reports,

te EPA condcted te frst emprcal std lnng scool transportaton to g

ato emssons. And, n Agst o 2005, wt momentm ldng or te creaton

Crossig guars a crosswalks ehace sae travel to a rom school i the

commuity o daybreak i South Jora, Utah. Photo courtesy o Rio Tito Keecott.


32/135




o more walale and ale scool envronments, Congress passed te Sae,

Accontale, Flexle, Efcent Transportaton Eqt Act, estalsng a ederalgrant program called Sae Rotes to Scool tat provded $612 mllon n ndng

or fve ears to elp commntes create more walale scool envronments. Te

Natonal Center or Sae Rotes to Scool s nded te u.S. Department o

Transportaton and te Federal hgwa Admnstraton and s mantaned te

unverst o Nort Carolna hgwa Saet Researc Center. it as grown nto

a natonwde organzaton o state and local coordnators wo are mplementng

te program n all 50 states and Wasngton, DC, as well as a 20-state networ

o Sae Rotes to Scool advocates ocsed on polc cange. Toda, state

transportaton departments, ng and walng advocac grops, planners,

engneers, te EPA, te CDC, commnt grops arond te contr, and prvate

nders are worng to reverse te trend. in comnaton, tese orces are mang

a tremendos mpact on resapng polces, edcatng amles, and promotng

saer, more walale envronments.

Not srprsngl, advocates or mprovng scool walalt, ncldng te

Natonal Center or Sae Rotes to Scool (SRTS), are addressng te sse on

mltple ronts, ocsng on te needs o ndvdal commntes and elpng to

cange msgded polces at te state and local levels. Tere emplong a vareto strateges rom edcatng ds on ow to wal and e sael to speareadng

nrastrctre mprovements sc as sdewals, walng pats, and e tral trals

to orgng allances wt government agences and advocates or walng and

ng trogot te contr.

To get a sense o te level o actvt, consder te example o Oo. SRTS grant

ndng ows rom te Department o Transportaton (DOT), and Jle Walco, te

states SRTS program manager, s ased at te Oo DOT. Trog Walco and a

networ o local coordnators, SRTS reaces ot to Oos elementar and mddle

scools to let tem now tat ndng s avalale or edcaton, engneerng,

and nrastrctre programs to mae walng and ng saer, and or so-called

encoragement programs to promote walng and ng to scool. Ten

ts p to te scools and commntes to appl or te grants. Were assstng

commntes n wat te tn s mportant, sas Walco. So a commnts

prort s to mae t saer or ter ds to wal and e to scool, te come to

The National Center

or Sae Routes to

School (SRTS) has

become the catalyst

or a nationwide

eort to create

saer, more walable

environments.


33/135




s, and we assst tem. Toward tat end, te Oo DOT dstrted $11 mllon

n 2010 and $11.6 mllon n 2011 to nd local SRTS projects. Grants went or a

range o nrastrctre and engneerng projects, ncldng walng pats, trafc

sgnals, pavement marngs, e trals, cr extensons, and contdown devces

or trafc sgnals wc gve pedestrans an ndcaton o wen a trafc lgt s

gong to cange. Te Oo DOT also awarded SRTS grants or saet edcaton

programs and programs tat promote and encorage ng and walng to

scool sc as newsletters and otreac.

Focusing in on the Problem

in 2010, SRTS released a compreensve std o stdent travel patterns, wc

provdes new nsgts nto te arrers to walng to scool and gves SRTS

aselne data or evalatng te ltmate mpact o ts programs. b comnng

srves o more tan 130,000 parents wt travel data recorded or stdents rom

Stuets e route rom Moroe Elemetary School i West Valley City, Utah.

Photo courtesy o iwalktoschool.org /Mike Cyecki.
http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://iwalktoschool.org/http://iwalktoschool.org/http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkit


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more tan 34,000 classrooms n 1,308 elementar and mddle scools arond

te unted States, te srve elded te ollowng:Te dstance etween ome and scool s a major arrer to walalt. Fll

34 percent o te amles srveed lved two or more mles rom scool. Cars

and ses were ar te most common mode o transportaton among all

parents srveed one or te oter was sed 82 percent o amles n te

mornng and 78 percent n te aternoon.

Trafc saet s a major prolem. Some parents dont allow ter cldren to wal

to scool ecase walng s jst too dangeros not ecase o concerns

aot crme, wc regsters as a mnor sse, t ecase te dstance stoo great or ecase o road condtons sc as g trafc speeds, te

lac o sae crossngs, and trafc volmes. Sas te report, Te predomnant

reason ds arent walng to scool s ecase te do not lve n walale

commntes.

Tose parents wo allow ter ds to wal to scool do so ecase te

scool s close , te ntersectons and crossngs are sae, te weater

s accommodatng, and ecase tere are sdewals and patwas to

carr tem.

Toda, ng and plc transportaton are te least common was o gettng

to scool, and agan, aml vecles and scool ses are te most common.

based on te 2009 NhTS srve, 40 percent o elementar and mddle-scoolers

rde te s p slgtl rom 38 percent n 1969 and 44 percent rotnel

rde n a aml car or van p rom 12 percent n 1969. A vst to Te Natonal

Center or Sae Rotes To Scool weste elds an andance o case stdes

rom commntes arond te contr. Dg a lttle deeper, and t ecomes clear

tat real cange s n te mang.Tae te case o Pcerngton, a sr o Colms, Oo, and te

srrondng Volet Townsp. Te commnt as addressed a nmer o

nderlng scool travel prolems on ts own. For example, harmon Mddle

Scool sts on harmon Road, wc was once a two-lane contr road wt no

sdewals. A ew ears ago, te townsp nded te expanson o harmon Road


35/135


36/135




beore a scool dstrct can get an SRTS grant, t mst develop a Scool Travel

Plan. Te travel plan loos at wat te crrent condtons are, wat te arrersare, and ow to mtgate tose arrers, sas Wess. Te commttee ten sets

ts prortes ased on tat analss, amng prmarl at mprovng walalt or

ds wo lve wtn a mle o scool. in 2008, te receved nds or creatng

walng pats and sdewals to serve ot Farfeld and Pcerngton stdents,

and n te sprng o 2011, constrcton gets nder wa. Sas Wess, Rgt now

at Pcerngton Elementar stdents are not allowed to wal to scool. bt n a

cople o ears all te nrastrctre wll e n place. Ten ts p to te prncpal.

Entsasm s ldng commnt wde. yo can see te exctement gong

to te scool oard meetngs people want to see tese tngs appen, sas

Wess. Tere realzng tat we pt n a sdewal, ts not jst or te ds. its

or everod wos old enog tat ter moters wll let tem wal to scool on

p to senor ctzens. So te program as te potental or ncreasng walng and

ng not jst to scools t also to local servces, retal stores, and restarants.

Why It Makes a Dierence

Te enefts o creatng walale envronments are clear. Ce among tem

are te ealt enefts. bt tere are oter compellng reasons to address tesse. Transportaton maes p a rsng sare o u.S. aml dgets p rom

10 percent n 1935 to almost 20 percent toda, accordng to a 2003 report

te Srace Transportaton Polc Project. And perodc spes n gas prces

rter exacerate te mpact o tese costs. Natonwde, n te 25 ears rom

1978 to 2003, te cost to scool dstrcts o transportng stdents doled.

State experences var. Te ollowng examples are cted n te 2010 Report

Helping Johnny Walk to School: Policy Recommendations or Removing Barriers

to Community-Centered Schools.

in Mane, drng te 20-ear perod rom 1975 to 1995, te cost o sng te

states stdents to scool ncreased more tan 600 percent rom $8.7

mllon to more tan $54 mllon even tog te nmer o stdents n te

Mane scool sstem actall declned.

in Marland, te cost o sng stdents more tan doled etween 1992

and 2006.


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in illnos, rom 2004 to 2009, remrsements or stdent transportaton

ncreased 307.7 percent wc wors ot to an approxmate annal ncreaseo $32.5 mllon.

Fnall, walalt mproves negoroods and strengtens commntes, and

as een lned to mproved propert vales. Accordng to Walng te Wal, a

report CEOs or Ctes, homes located n more walale negoroods

command a prce premm over oterwse smlar omes n less walale areas.

A 2009 CEO or Ctes std looed at 90,000 recent ome sales n 15 marets,

and ond tat a one pont ncrease n Wal Score was assocated wt etween

a $500 and $3,000 ncrease n ome vales. Sas ira Wess o SRTS commttee

n Pcerngton, Oo, i cant stress enog, te more walale and eale a

commnt s, te more sellale t s.

Web ResourcesNational Center or Sae Routes to School (SRTS)1

SRTS provdes a wealt o normaton and resorces on mplementng a SRTSprogram ncldng normaton on tranng and ndng or te natonal programand an nteractve map o SRTS programs trogot te unted States. Somevalale SRTS lns nclde te ollowng:

Sae Routes to School Toolkit2

Ts 88-page toolt prodced te Natonal hgwa Trafc SaetAdmnstraton and Marn Cont bccle Coaltons Sae Rotes to Scoolproject ncldes extensve resorces or edcators and organzers to promote

walng and ng to scools. Te toolt ncldes mappng te rotes toscool, actvtes and otreac, classroom lessons, sample Sae Rotesto Scool orms, press releases, and posters.

State Sae Routes to School Contacts3

To fnd or state Sae Rotes to Scool contact and weste, jst ollow tsln and clc on te map.

I cant stress

enough, the

more walable

and bieable a

community is, the

more sellable it is.

Ira Weiss
http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.saferoutesinfo.org/http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/Safe-Routes-2002/index.htmlhttp://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/Safe-Routes-2002/index.htmlhttp://www.saferoutesinfo.org/contacts/index.cfmhttp://www.saferoutesinfo.org/contacts/index.cfmhttp://www.saferoutesinfo.org/contacts/index.cfmhttp://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/Safe-Routes-2002/index.htmlhttp://www.saferoutesinfo.org/http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkit


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Sae Routes to School State Network Project4

Leaders rom states arond te contr are worng wt SRTS to mplementpedestran- and e-rendl polces. Follow ts ln to fnd networ contacts.

Partnership or a Walkable America5

Te weste or ts natonal coalton tat s worng to promote walalt andtat onded internatonal Wal to Scool da provdes lns to te Wal to Scoolweste and a downloadale ceclst tat o can se to determne te walalto or commnt or negorood.

National Complete Streets Coalition6

A coalton spportng a complete-streets polc tat promotes te desgn and

operaton o streets tat serve all sers ncldng cclsts, plc transportatonsers, pedestrans o all ages, and people wt dsaltes.

Walkscore7

Calclate te walalt score or an negorood and cec ot te mostwalale negoroods n te 40 largest u.S. ctes, ased on te stes2008 ranngs.

1www.saerotesno.org/

2

www.ntsa.gov/people/njr/pedmot/e/Sae-Rotes-2002/ndex.tml3www.saerotesno.org/contacts/ndex.cm

4www.saerotespartnersp.org/aot/4058#organzers

5www.walaleamerca.org/

6www.completestreets.org/

7www.walscore.com/

See related artcle n REALTORS Making a Dierence Organze a Wal/be to Scool.

See related artcle n Issues in Public Education, Scool bldng and Stng.
http://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkithttp://www.saferoutespartnership.org/about/4058#organizershttp://www.saferoutespartnership.org/about/4058#organizershttp://www.walkableamerica.org/http://www.walkableamerica.org/http://www.completestreets.org/http://www.completestreets.org/http://www.walkscore.com/http://www.walkscore.com/http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/Safe-Routes-2002/index.htmlhttp://www.saferoutesinfo.org/contacts/index.cfmhttp://www.saferoutespartnership.org/about/4058#organizershttp://www.walkableamerica.org/http://www.completestreets.org/http://www.walkscore.com/http://www.walkscore.com/http://www.completestreets.org/http://www.walkableamerica.org/http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/about/4058#organizershttp://www.saferoutesinfo.org/contacts/index.cfmhttp://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/Safe-Routes-2002/index.htmlhttp://www.saferoutesinfo.org/http://www.walkscore.com/http://www.completestreets.org/http://www.walkableamerica.org/http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/about/4058#organizershttp://www.realtor.org/schoolstoolkit


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SCHOOL BUILDING and SITING

School Building and Siting

Te deal envsoned advocates o te Smart Growt and new ransm

movements o te 70s and 80s and emraced a generaton o planners

and desgners s one o mxed-se commntes tat are walale and eale,

were ds attend commnt-centered scools, and resdents wal to near

retal sops and snesses. its an dea tats een made ncreasngl compellng

te growng recognton tat we ave to redce or energ consmpton and

gas emssons and mprove te ealt and ftness o or cldren. bt n man

commntes, scool stng polces ave een stc ac n te 1950s. Wleplanners o all strpes were advocatng Smart Growt zonng and ldng polces

at te local and state levels, scool dstrcts contned to ollow scool constrcton

gdelnes and state polces tat avored so-called sprawl scools scools tat

reqre large tracts o land n otlng areas. Tose same polces and gdelnes

dsadvantaged te renovaton o exstng scools and te constrcton o smaller,

commnt-centered scools.

Te nmers spea or temselves. Natonwde, over te past 60 ears, scools

ave ecome sgnfcantl gger and tere are ewer o tem; snce 1945, average

scool sze as ncreased fveold, and te nmer o scools as declned 70

percent. And scools are located arter rom te amles te serve. Consder

ts: in 1969, 87 percent o stdents lved wtn one mle o ter scool;

2001, onl 21 percent lved wtn a mle o scool. Te envronmental and ealt

conseqences o scool ldng and stng decsons made over te past 60

ears and te mpact on te qalt o le n srrondng commntes ave

een enormos. Among tem are tese:

Most ds cant wal or e to scool anmore, a staton wdel recognzed

as a actor contrtng to te rse n oest rates among u.S. scool cldren.(See related artcle, Issues in Public Education, Walalt and Sae Rotes

to Scool)

Trafc congeston and emssons assocated wt transportaton to and rom

scool ave ecome major prolems. Te u.S. Envronmental Protecton

For generations,

school ofcials

have been building

larger schools and

locating them on

the outer ringes

o communities.

The hidden costs o

these school siting

decisions have been

enormous and

its an issue thats

being addressed on

multiple ronts.


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Agenc (EPA) ctes te rse n rs or trafc assocated wt scool trps as

a e contrtor to ar qalt prolems n a nmer o ctes.Te cost o sng stdents even tose tat lve wtn walng dstance

o scools as emerged as a fnancal sse acng scool oards arond

te contr. Natonwde, n te 25 ears rom 1978 to 2003, te cost o

transportng stdents to scool doled.

in 2000, Te Natonal Trst or hstorc Preservaton (NThP) plaed a major

role n rngng te sse o msgded scool stng polces to te oreront o te

natonal deate wt te plcaton Historic Neighborhood Schools in the Age

o Sprawl: Why Johnny Cant Walk to School. Te report rased seros qestons

aot polces and processes tat ave eectvel saotaged te constrcton

and renovaton o commnt-centered scools and promoted sprawl at te

expense o estalsed negoroods. For one tng, te report notes tat

scools are oten exempted rom zonng reglatons, and scool ofcals ave a

stor o selectng stes wtot consltng local plannng ofcals so, n man

cases, scool oards coose stes tat are ot o step wt te overall commnt

plannng goals and reqrements. bt te report lad partal lame or rnawa

sprawl scool development on two wdel accepted standards sed to maedecsons aot were and weter to ld a new scool: mnmm-acreage

gdelnes and te so-called two-trds, or percentage, rle.

Building Big: Minimum Acreage Requirements

Te Concl o Edcaton Faclt Planners internatonal (CEFPi), te Arzona-ased

proessonal assocaton tat sses gdance on scool constrcton, plaed a

sgnfcant role n nencng te trend toward ldng megascools. From te

1970s ntl 2004, acreage gdelnes or new scool constrcton, set CEFPi,

specfed tat an elementar scool o 500 stdents reqred 15 acres, and a

g scool o 2,000 stdents needed at least 50 acres. As a pont o reerence,

te LEED or Negorood Development Ratng Sstem sets maxmm acreage

standards or scools: New scool campses mst not exceed 15 acres or

g scools, 10 acres or mddle scools, and 5 acres or elementar scools.

To pt te sse n rter perspectve, an older negorood scool tpcall

The National Trust or

Historic Preservation

played a major role

in drawing national

attention to the issue

o misguided school

siting policies.


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occpes two to egt acres. Te prolem as een tat, n order to meet tose

standards, gven te cost and avalalt o land, scool ofcals eel te need toaandon negorood stes and ld n te mddle o nowere, sas Constance

beamont, ator o Why Johnny Cant Walk to School, n dscssng te report.

Te Natonal Trst ad rased a red ag. in 2002, te Trst ssed a second

edton o te report, and not long aterwards, te EPA commssoned a CEFPi

std o state polces. based on CEFPis fndngs, most states do pls acreage

gdelnes, and as o 2004, 27 states ad mnmm acreage standards, man o

wc mrrored CEFPis recommendatons. in 2004, n a major reversal, CEFPi

revsed ts stng recommendatons to emrace a more exle approac to scool

stng one tat now spports commnt-centered scools.

Over te past decade, some states, ncldng Sot Carolna, Rode island,

Mnnesota, and New Mexco, ave elmnated and even proted mnmm

acreage reqrements or scool stes. in oter states, mnmm acreage gdelnes

reman n place. Eter wa, deepl ngraned polces and practces are ard to

cange. Accordng to a ollow-p report plsed te Natonal Trst n 2010

called Helping Johnny Walk to School: Policy Recommendations or Removing

Barriers to Community-Centered Schools, Sot Carolna dd awa wt mnmm

acreage standards n 2003, t aled to edcate localtes aot te cange npolc and te enefts to te commnt o smaller stes. As a reslt, local dstrcts

contne to ld sprawlng scool acltes on te otsde o town.

Building New Versus Renovating: The Percentage Rule

Te Natonal Trsts 2000 and 2002 reports also too am at te percentage

rle or two-trds rle a wdel accepted standard or determnng weter to

renovate an exstng scool or to ld a new one. Te rle ascall states tat

te cost to renovate a scool exceeds 60 percent o te cost o replacng t,

te est opton s to ld a new scool. based on ts standard, scool dstrcts

arond te contr ave aandoned exstng scools n avor o new constrcton.

Accordng to an artcle plsed n Governng magazne, te percentage rle

comes rom te wrtngs o a relatvel oscre Colma u

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