Rosa Parks School Wins Acclaim from U.S. Secretary of Education for Innovation in School Design

In recent interviews and television appearances, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has hailed the Rosa Parks School—a winner of the 2007 AAF/KnowledgeWorks Richard Riley Award and LEARNING BY DESIGN Grand Prize Award recipient in 2008—as an example of how innovative educational facility design allows schools to be the centers of their surrounding communities. Duncan says creating environments where schools are a hub of community activity is a top priority for the Obama administration—and now that stimulus money is boosting educational facility construction nationwide, innovative designs and best practices are getting renewed attention.

The Rosa Parks School in Portland, OR, is a LEED Gold-certified school serving 550 students in grades K-6. The school’s green features include photovoltaic cells that provide real-time readings of energy consumption, a stormwater retention and discharge system, and a recycling center for community use.

# # #