smart growth program public schools toolkit
TRANSCRIPT
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Plc ScoolsA Toolkit or REALTORS
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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.
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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
PUBLIC SCHOOLSA TOOLKIT FOR REALTORS
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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www.REALTOR.org/scoolstoolt | 2INTRODUCTION: PUBLIC SCHOOLS and the REALTOR
PUBLIC SCHOOLSA TOOLKIT FOR REALTORS
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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www.REALTOR.org/scoolstoolt | 3INTRODUCTION: PUBLIC SCHOOLS and the REALTOR
PUBLIC SCHOOLSA TOOLKIT FOR REALTORS
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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www.REALTOR.org/scoolstoolt | 4INTRODUCTION: PUBLIC SCHOOLS and the REALTOR
PUBLIC SCHOOLSA TOOLKIT FOR REALTORS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
CULTURAL ISSUES: THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
THE BENEFITS o GREEN SCHOOLS
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL
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.
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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL
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.
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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL
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.
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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL
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
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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
WALk ABI LIT Y and SAFE ROUTES to SCHOOL
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
SCHOOL BUILDING and SITING
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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ISSUESIN PUBLIC EDUCATION
SCHOOL BUILDING and SITING
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