Richard Riley AwardAAF is pleased to present the annual Richard Riley Award in partnership with KnowledgeWorks Foundation. This award, carrying a $10,000 prize for the winning school, honors excellence in schools that serve as centers of community— schools that open their doors to learners of all ages and engage local residents. The award honors both design and educational excellence, with and emphasis on innovation.
Sometimes referred to as “community learning centers”, schools that serve as centers of community provide a rich array of social, civic, recreational and artistic opportunities to the broader community, often clustering educational and municipal buildings together. These additional services and opportunities often improve student achievement and help maximize local tax dollars. With school enrollment in the United States forecasted to increase at record levels, and spending on school construction and renovation to total nearly $30 billion annually, it makes sense that this major investment should benefit both students and the local community.
In 2004, the KnowledgeWorks Foundation launched the Richard Riley Award – Schools as Centers of Community: A National Search for Excellence. This initiative was part of an effort to support school districts and communities that make school facilities more conducive to learning, and more accessible to the entire community. The recipient of the Richard Riley Award for Excellence in 2004 was John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary School, and in 2005 it was Hudson High School.
In 2007, the American Architectural Foundation recognized the Rosa Parks School at New Columbia Community Campus as the recipient of the Richard Riley Award.
To learn more about the award or to participate, please visit www.richardrileyaward.org.
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