This third PEB Compendium features educational institutions from 20 countries selected by an international jury for their exemplary facilities.

This third PEB Compendium features educational institutions from 20 countries selected by an international jury for their exemplary facilities.

Designing for Education: Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities 2011 showcases over 60 recently built or refurbished educational facilities from 28 countries. Collectively, these projects demonstrate state-of-the-art design in this field.

This book is a compilation devoted to high quality school and university buildings from 21 countries. Full-colour photographs and plans illustrate the 55 educational facilities selected by an international jury.

This report is a review of the Portuguese Secondary School Building Modernisation Programme (SMP), a major programme to rehabilitate the secondary schools in Portugal. Its recommendations offer lessons to all governments investing in educational infrastructure to improve the quality of education.

‘Good infrastructure is truly at the base of a quality education. For a society searching for ways to address the educational needs of the future, the building itself is a good start’. – M. Berner, 1993. For the first time in decades substantial capital is being allocated to school buildings: the present government has acknowledged the importance of the quality of the environment in raising standards. The neglect of school buildings in the past corresponds with a lack of educational research into their use. This book examines the reasons behind this, drawing on international educational research, governmental literature and practical projects. It discusses: the relationship between school buildings, attainment and behaviour; user participation in the design process and ways in which the school building can support learning; the implications of opening up school buildings to the wider community; the role of the physical environment in the inclusion of children with special educational needs; the future of school buildings in relation to ICT, procurement and sustainability. A list of useful contacts and publications is provided. Building Education will interest educational researchers and professionals working in and with schools, particularly senior managers and governing bodies. It will also be of value to architects and LEA managers.

The recent trend in innovative school design has provided exciting places to both learn and teach. New generation learning environments have encouraged educators to unleash responsive pedagogies previously hindered by traditional classrooms, and has allowed students to engage in a variety of learning experiences well beyond the traditional 'chalk and talk' common in many schools. These spaces have made cross-disciplinary instruction, collaborative learning, individualised curriculum, ubiquitous technologies, and specialised equipment more accessible than ever before. The quality of occupation of such spaces has also been encouraging. Many learning spaces now resemble places of collegiality, intellectual intrigue and comfort, as opposed to the restrictive and monotonous classrooms many of us experienced in years past. These successes, however, have generated a very real problem. Do these new generation learning environments actually work - and if so, in what ways? Are they leading to the sorts of improved experiences and learning outcomes for students they promise? This book describes strategies for assessing what is actually working. Drawing on the best thinking from our best minds - doctoral students tackling the challenge of isolating space as a variable within the phenomenon of contemporary schooling - Evaluating Learning Environments draws together thirteen approaches to learning environment evaluation that capture the latest thinking in terms of emerging issues, methods and knowledge.