Schools that serve as centers of community provide a rich array of social, civic, recreational and artistic opportunities to the broader community. These additional services and opportunities often improve student achievement, help maximize local tax dollars and provide a greater connection between the public and the public school. With an unprecedented amount of money allocated for school modernizations, it makes sense that these major investments benefit both students and the local community.
Recently, Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, was on the Charlie Rose Show promoting the administration's priorities for education and spoke at length about the concept of schools as centers of community. AAF's Great Schools by Design program has explored this topic for several years. AAF believes that for a school to serve as a resource for a community, it must be designed with that in mind. Whether a renovation or new construction, the design will reflect the unique opportunities and challenges faced by the community it serves. AAF recognizes that the Rosa Parks School in Portland, Oregon and the John A Johnson elementary school in St Paul, Minnesota represent the best practices for creating schools that successfully serve as a resource to students and the larger community. Both the Rosa Parks School and the John A Johnson elementary school have been recognized by the Richard Riley Award for Schools as Centers of Community, an AAF award program launched in 2004 in partnership with the KnowledgeWorks Foundation.
 View Sec. Duncan on Charlie Rose |
 Learn about the Rosa Parks School |
 Learn about the John A. Johnson School |
 Learn about the Riley Award for Schools as Centers of Community |
The new administration has identified math, science, and technology education as high priorities. Increased development of STEM Schools (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) is emerging as a clear solution to the administration's priority. Already a significant movement in Texas, Ohio and elsewhere, STEM schools are an answer to preparing a globalized workforce for the 21st century. STEM schools also provide a new opportunity for previously underserved urban students and opens fields often closed to them.
The Denver School of Science and Technology in Colorado exemplifies how a
science and technology curriculum is incorporated into the very structure of
the school. It is truly a school that has been designed to promote student achievement,
and you will see many examples of this powerful idea in the video.
Learn about Denver School of Science and Technology.
Explore the reports, online videos, and DVDs produced by AAF's programs. Over a dozen titles on school design, city design, and sustainable design.
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