Learning from the best schools, whatever we call them
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Joe Nathan
All kinds of students - eager, indifferent, bright and bored, suburban, urban and rural, will benefit from careful, nondefensive use of several recent reports about Minnesota's district and charter public schools. The reports came from Minnesota's Legislative Auditor, the University of Minnesota/Minnesota State College/University System and the Center for School Change.
Is algebra useless? Not to these folks
Sacramento Bee
Thursday morning, Johnnie Powell, a longtime National Weather Service forecaster, heard the news that all of California's eighth-grade students would have to take Algebra 1 within three years.
Professor: Don't leave gifted, talented behind
Des Moines Register
Sally Beisser has watched educational programs for Iowa's most talented students improve and expand over 30 years, but the Drake University professor is concerned that those efforts have been hurt by a federal push to bring lower-achieving classmates up to speed.
289 Math & Science Employment and Employment Projections by Required Education and Training Levels in the United States 2006-2016
Columnist EducationNews.org
This is the first of a series of Center reports that will be prepared from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) U. S. Employment Projections 2006-2016 published in the Monthly Labor Review November 2007. The ten-year projections of United States employment are prepared every two years and are conveniently ignored by the popular media and the supporters and critics of public education in the United States.
Performance-based bonuses cropping up across Maryland
Baltimore Sun
From rural Washington County to suburban Prince George's County, school systems around the state are beginning to wade into a promising but controversial topic in education: pay for performance.
Autistic students get help navigating college life
USA Today
By Melissa Kossler Dutton, Associated Press
When Dan Hackett started college, he didn't make the grades he knew he could. Hackett, who has Asperger's syndrome, found at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh that some of his symptoms were holding him back. He had difficulty organizing his time and managing assignments.
Pennsylvania Tells Autism Speaks to Stop Talking
In a historical and unprecedented move, the Pennsylvania legislature voted nearly unanimously in the affirmative for House Bill 1150 to mandate commercial insurance companies to cover some services for children with autism. The bill, introduced by House Speaker Dennis M. O'Brien, requires insurance companies to cover up to $36,000 of autism-related treatment for individuals less than 21 years old.
Could Four-Day Weeks Work for You?
Some school districts looking to save time and money have switched to four-day school weeks, either leaving the fifth day free or available for tutoring and parent conferences. Although some superintendents favor the concentrated class time, some say the wear and tear from a longer day has not been worth it for staff or students.
Student Gains in Privately Managed Philadelphia Schools - Nearly Double Those in District Schools
State Tests Show Increases in Student Achievement at EdisonLearning Schools in both Reading & Math
School test scores recently released by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment reveal that schools partnering with private education management organizations (EMO's) - including EdisonLearning - showed greater gains in student achievement than the schools operated by the Philadelphia School District.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
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From today's BCCT.
Solar panels,plants on roof
By MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
After 77 years, it's time for a makeover.
Makefield Elementary School is getting ready to face the future with an environmentally friendly redesign while still maintaining its historic features.
“It's very exciting. It's kind of setting the standard for what we'll be doing in future renovations,” said Tom Gillette, Pennsbury's director of facilities.
A major reason for renovations is that many of the building's mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems date back to the original construction. In addition, spaces like the cafeteria and library are now too cramped to handle 500 children. The plan is to replace them with new, larger rooms.
Architects will be transforming both interior and exterior workings of the building to modernize and increase efficiency. This is the first time the district is putting so much focus on sustainable design.
It has employed Spiezle Architectural Group, a Trenton firm that's shooting for a green touch in everything it upgrades. The firm has been involved in school construction projects for most of its 54-year history. Sustainable design is part of its repertoire.
Spiezle plans to upgrade part of the roof with solar panels, which will provide about 12 percent of the school's power.
Plus, the roof over the expanded cafeteria will literally be green. It will be infused with plant life that will provide an extra layer of insulation and absorb rain water, minimizing runoff.
A section of the parking lot will be permeable also, allowing rain water to seep into the ground and run into an underground retention system, which will let water enter the storm sewer gradually. At present, heavy storms tend to overwhelm the sewer.
“It allows the school to be a good citizen because we're not adding to or worsening the water situation in the town,” said Scott Downie, the firm's principal architect.
In a nod to reducing fuel use, architects will assign the best parking spots to hybrid cars.
“We've had to add parking, but in doing that, we're giving preference to fuel-efficient hybrid cars and not putting in more parking than required by code,” said Jason Kliwinski, the firm's director of sustainable design.
A piece of efficiency in the building will involve renovating the bathrooms using low-flow toilets that reduce water use by 20 percent.
Mechanical systems will likewise be altered for 7 percent to 14 percent greater efficiency.
Other planned improvements include significant upgrades to finishes, flooring, lighting and ceiling tiles. Architects are looking to prevent mold growth, reduce ambient noise with acoustically better tiles and employ finishes without formaldehydes, chlorines and volatile organic compounds.
Many of the existing windows date from the original building. They'll be replaced with energy-efficient insulating glass that keeps heat and air conditioning inside and prevents outdoor weather from seeping into classrooms. Each new window will be made of sandwiched panes of glass with argon gas in between. The gas provides further insulation, said architects.
Saving money on temperature control indoors has actually allowed the district to invest in green features like the solar panel roof.
That's why the district isn't facing any cost increase for the environmentally sustainable aspects of renovating the school, said architects. The total project cost is estimated at $12.7 million, said Isabel Miller, the district's business administrator.
Putting the new design elements into place will be an earth-friendly process.
The firm plans to recycle at least 75 percent of the waste generated during construction. Products they'll be using will be made mostly of recycled content, architects said.
They'll buy materials locally, which will save on transportation fuel costs and the pollution that goes hand-in-hand with long-distance transport, said Kliwinski.
Spiezle will be replacing only what absolutely needs to be redone. The historic wooden flooring will be left in place.
“In this case it's a little unique because Makefield is one of the oldest schools in the community. The building has potential to be submitted for historic consideration,” said Downie.
Gillette added that any replaced windows, doors and exterior features will match the appearance of the original.
Part of the design process includes trying to impress upon students the efficiency of a sustainable design. Architects have designed a kiosk in the school that will be connected to rooftop solar panels so students can see what how much power the panels generate.
Development is in the design and documentation phase. Next, the district needs to complete local and state approvals. At this point, the goal is to start bidding on parts within a few months and start construction soon after.
Spiezle estimates that the project will be complete in a year and a half. Architects will work on the construction in phases, paying close attention to safety, because the building will be occupied during the upcoming school year.
Other Pennsbury schools have been undergoing renovations in the past few years, and more are planned in the future. Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary is in the midst of determining how to upgrade old, inefficient heating systems, add air conditioning and replace windows.
So far, Makefield is the only school whose renovation has adopted an environmentally sustainable design.
“We're going beyond what we had in the past,” said Gillette.
More from today's BCCT:
Bucks County Courier Times
Thumbs Up
*To the Bensalem School District for going “green” in its schools. Cecelia Snyder Middle School will be the second in the district to use geothermal energy to heat and cool the building. Russell C. Struble Elementary was the first. Geothermal energy is generated by converting hot water or steam from deep below the Earth's surface into electricity.
Renovation of $12.7M... Let's do the math, shall we?
Solve for X (snicker snicker)
12.7M X
--------- = ---------
1 building 3 buildings
1X = (12.7M x 3)
X = $38.1M
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