SDSU’s National Center for the 21st Century Schoolhouse Helping Build Better, Safer Schools

A CEFPI Award Winning School (Photo Courtesy of the National Center for the 21st Century School House)

SAN DIEGO (Tuesday, June 17, 2008) -- While local kids head home for summer vacation, many schools will be using the quiet time to make physical improvements to their campus.  San Diego State University’s National Center for the 21st Century Schoolhouse is working to ensure those physical improvements also help schools improve the learning environment for their students.

This fall, the center is partnering with the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) to offer a new certificate program aimed at training school leaders and educational facility planners to build better, safer schools and improve the places children learn.

“School districts in the U.S. spent more than $20 billion on construction projects last year with more than half going to the construction of new schools,” said Cynthia L. Uline, the center’s director.  “There is significant research connecting the quality of school facilities to student performance, so it is increasingly important that facility planners know how to design and construct schools that will work for students and, in turn, help those students be more successful.”

The certificate program will prepare school leaders and those within the educational facility professions to improve teaching and learning by promoting safe and healthy educational environments that serve the needs of students, staff and the community.

Research from SDSU’s National Center for the 21st Century Schoolhouse reveals a distinct relationship between student achievement and the quality of school facilities. One study found that quality facilities were significantly and positively related to academic rigor, teacher professionalism and community engagement.  In another study, certain building conditions and design features in a school helped foster a sense of belonging for students and teachers.

Delivered electronically by SDSU’s Interwork Institute Center for Distance Learning, the comprehensive course of study is grounded in the key knowledge and skills central to the sound planning, building and maintenance of learner-centered school facilities. 

Course curriculum will be based on CEFPI’s cornerstone publication, Creating Connections: The CEFPI Guide for Educational Facility Planning (2004).

A pilot student cohort began the online course in the spring 2007 semester and the course will open its first session to the public this fall.  Students in the program include school leaders, designers and education planners from around the U.S. and Canada. 

Instructors for the course are educational facility professionals, including school architects, facilities planners and district leaders. Together, they have worked in all 50 states and in more than 35 countries to plan, design, build and maintain learner-centered educational facilities.

About the National Center for the 21st Century Schoolhouse
Providing primary leadership for SDSU’s partnership efforts, the National Center for the Twenty-first Century Schoolhouse facilitates collaboration across the university.  Housed within the Department of Educational Leadership, the National Center supports the planning, design and construction of school facilities from a learner-centered perspective through communication, research and training. For more information, visit http://edweb.sdsu.edu/schoolhouse/

About the Council of Educational Facility Planning (CEFPI)
As the only professional organization whose principal purpose is improving the places where children learn ®, CEFPI members are the front-line decision makers regarding the built environment.  They set and govern policy and are the professionals who plan, design, build, maintain, and operate school facilities. With nearly 4,000 educational facility practitioners dedicated to this mission, CEFPI serves its membership through professional development opportunities, innovative resources, information distribution, and partnerships with affiliate groups. For more information visit www.cefpi.org.

About San Diego State University
San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 81 areas, master's degrees in 74 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU's approximately 34,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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Contact:

Gina Speciale
Media Relations Specialist
San Diego State University
speciale@mail.sdsu.edu