Educational Adequacy Assessments - BrainSpaces · educational adequacy assessments Presented by BrainSpaces, Amy Yurko, AIA The formation of BrainSpaces resulted from a nearly 20-year

Mini-Session: CEFPI - October 2, 2005

mini-session:educational adequacy assessments

Session AbstractTechnical criteria such as the soundness of structure, infrastructure, enclosure, systems and age are common to evaluating the quality of existing school facilities. Does the roof leak? Are the floor tiles cracked? Are mechanical systems adequately providing efficient service? Is power service adequate for increasing demand? These criteria are key to determining the strategies and costs of repair and modernization required to re-establish a safe, sound and healthy facility.

Less common and arguably of greater importance is the educational adequacy of the facility and its learning individual environments. Does the school facility adequately support the desired educational programs? Do individual learning environments support students and teachers achieve their goals? Are spaces organized to allow for appropriate collaboration and joint-use? Are the light levels causing eye-strain by being either too dim or too bright? Is the environment comfortable and the air clean? Does the school exhibit the respect for teaching and the joy of discovery? These and other questions must be addressed when considering the fate of a school facility –whether it is renovated, modernized, maintained, upgraded, reorganized, reallocated, or even disengaged.

This session will explore assessment strategies for determining the educational quality of physical facilities. Examples and case-studies will be used to illustrate a variety of approaches, tools and decisions for embarking on and implementing an effective educational adequacy assessment.

Participants can expect to learn:•Attributes of a Quality Learning Environment•Tools for Evaluating Educational Environments•Using Collected Data to Determine Appropriate Actions


mini-session:educational adequacy assessments

Presented by BrainSpaces, Amy Yurko, AIAThe formation of BrainSpaces resulted from a nearly 20-year career dedicated to creative thinking. Applied to education, learning and architecture, creative thinking can result in innovative environments that encourage every learner to experience the joy of discovery.

Integrating architectural expertise and educational perspective is a unique strength of BrainSpaces – to seamlessly assimilate both educational and physical components of this complex scope of work into a comprehensive, coordinated and accurate set of tools for use and implementation by the design team of architects and engineers. Understanding both educators and architects allows for an accurate translation of educational goals and needs into clear and effective direction for the project. I strongly believe that this is the key to superior educational facilities, and founding my consulting practice is in direct response to this belief.

Presenter BioAmy Yurko is both an architect and an educator. Her outstanding and innovative work on educational facilities has established her as one of the most creative educational architects practicing today. Her consulting practice, BrainSpaces, offers collaborative visioning, programming and planning expertise to school districts throughout the country.

Amy’s design philosophy is based on a keen sensitivity to the developmental needs of all learners as related to the physical environment. At each step of the process, empathy for the learners and their teachers and advocates is sustained. Thoughtful planning can make the difference in creating a building that can change in response to new unanticipated functions, and her designs portray a special talent for creating innovative environments logically shaped by evolving educational methodologies and modern technologies.

Through speaking both nationally and internationally, as well as through teaching architectural design studios at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California, Mrs. Yurko has developed a keen understanding of the challenges in education today and how they can be addressed through architectural planning and design.

Understanding the complex challenges facing education today, she consistently assists clients in planning to meet them with accuracy and elegance, from the earliest feasibility and programming phases to design and implementation. Amy’s design solutions reflect the care she takes in both planning and detail, which not only make schools that function well, but also create spaces that people enjoy using.


educational adequacy:overview

goals: • Assess the ability of existing facilities to support desired educational programs• Determine the appropriate capacity and possible enrollment• Analyze the facility’s ability to support desired operational & administrative goals• Use the information above to determine most appropriate actions required to align

existing facilities with the vision & goals for the school.

methodology:1) Understand Educational Vision, Goals & Needs (idealized model)

• Use existing Educational Specification• Update existing Ed Spec as necessary• Prioritize goals & needs• Project needs into the future

2) Develop/Tailor Protocol• Means for gathering information• Tailor survey specific to needs • Customize inspection format & tools• Instill quality control measures

3) Collect Information (via Direct observation, Interviews, Surveys, etc)

• Area Take-offs• Age of existing building components• Program component adjacencies• Observable conditions• Observable systems• Atmosphere• Other attributes as determined by the project specifics

1) Assemble Data into Usable Format

2) Analyze the ability of each space to support the educational needs (fit analysis)• Size & Capacity• Atmosphere• Physical attributes• Overall

3) Use Evaluative Data to Inform Appropriate Action Plan

Note: The observable conditions method indicates that the physical condition of the space is capable of being observed and assessed in the field and that destructive testing is not involved. Usually a more detailed technical assessment is required as the project progresses into the design phases.


educational adequacy:attributes of a quality learning environment

a good learning environment…

• Reflects a clear understanding of how people learn,

• Reflects the values and ideals of the community,

• Is characterized by caring,

• Inspires hope (education symbolizes hope),

• Supports the desired learning experience,

• Allows for customization to meet the needs of specialized learning.

SOURCE: http://www.carpet-schools.com/STUDIES.HTM

SOURCE - “Does it Matter where our Children Learn?” - by Daniel Duke, Thomas Jefferson Center for Educational Design, UVA, 1998


educational adequacy:tools for evaluating educational environments








tools:


educational adequacy:using collected data to plan appropriate actions

range of typical actions:

level 1: do nothing

level 2: technical renovations to address deferred maintenance

level 3: modernization & reconfigurations to address educational adequacy

level 4: level 3 + additions to address current/future educational issues

level 5: build new facilities

another option:

level 6: explore opportunities to extend learning beyond the existing campus facilities. Some strategies include:- distance/virtual learning- virtual learning environments- community-based learning (off-site)- partnerships (municipal, business, other educational institutions, etc)





current use analysis

existing condition assessment



alignment strategy diagram

SOURCE - Anchorage School District – Romig Middle School, Draft Existing Facility Assessment Report (Sept 2005). Mary Cary, ASD Project Manager


educational adequacy:resources & references

Baird, G., Gray, J., Daish, J., and Kernohan, D. 1996. Building Evaluation Techniques. New York: McGraw Hill.

David, T. 1982. Functional dimensions of classroom environments. In J.C. Baird and A.Lutkas (eds.), Mind Child Architecture. Hanover, NH:University Press of New England.

Denton, B, et al, 2005. An Appraisal Guide for Older & Historic School Facilities, CEFPI publication.

Freidman, A., Zimring, C., and Zube, E. 1978. Environmental Design Evaluation. New York: Plenum.

Greenfield, T. 1991. Re-forming and re-valuing educational administration: Whence and when cometh the phoenix? Educational Management and Administration.

Grosvenor, I., Lawn, M., and Rousmaniere, K. 1999. Silences and Images: The Social History of the Classroom. New York: Peter Lang.

Halstead, H. 1992. Designing facilities for a new generation of schools. Educational Technology, October.

Kowalski, T.J. 1997. School reform, community education, and the problem of institutional change. Community Education Journal XXV, No.3 & 4.

Lackney, J. 1999. Twelve Design Principles. Presentation at CEFPI Conference Workshop. Minneapolis, MN.

Leithwood, K., Jantzi D., and A. Fernandez. 1994. Tranformational leadership and teachers' commitment to change. In J. Murphy and K.S. Louis (eds.), Reshaping the Principalship (pp. 77-98). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Markus, T. 1993. Buildings and Power. New York: Roultedge.

Marshak, D. 1996. The emotional experience of school change: Resistance, loss, and grief. NASSP Bulletin.

McDonald, J.P. 1996. Redesigning Schools: Lessons for the 21st Century. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Owens, R.G. 1995. Organizational Behavior in Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Prestine, N.A. and C. Bowen. 1993. Benchmarks of change: Assessing essential school restructuring efforts. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.

Sanoff, H. 1994. School Design. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Sanoff, H., School Building Assessment Methods, NC State University School of Design, Department of Architecture

Sergiovanni, T.J.1994. Building Community in Schools. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Trimble, K. 1996. Building a learning community. Equity and Excellence in Education.

Educational Adequacy Assessments - BrainSpaces · educational adequacy assessments Presented by BrainSpaces, Amy Yurko, AIA The formation of BrainSpaces resulted from a nearly 20-year

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