INTEGRUS’ Post

It all begins with a long range plan and vision, but the most valuable ingrediant for success is leadership and commitment to considering student needs first as a guiding principle throughout the process. #studentsfirst #educationalexperience #longrangeplan #schooldesign #dlrgroup

This ties back to my earlier points about the strong connection between top-rated schools, property value appreciation, neighborhoods, and solid infrastructure. Areas with good schools tend to create a ripple effect—strong educational systems attract families, which in turn boosts demand for housing, enhances neighborhood appeal, and drives investment in local amenities like parks, restaurants, and transportation. But where are these places?... #mheagneyhomes #chicagolandschools

📣Innovation Alert I spend most of my time supporting superintendents and their academic and schools' teams. Regardless of the overall focus of the work, two topics come up in almost every conversation: what matters most to improve social and economic mobility for the most marginalized students and teacher recruitment and retention.  I am really excited to share that in my work with MIRIAM MONDRAGON, Superintendent of CRIPPLE CREEK-VICTOR SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. RE-1, we are working together on a solution to support economic and social mobility for the Cripple Creek-Victor Community and teacher recruitment and retention in service of improving academic outcomes. To understand the level of innovation involved, you must first understand the context. Cripple Creek-Victor School District RE-1 is a rural district with a total enrollment of approximately 400 students in preschool through twelfth grade. The median home price in Cripple Creek is $530K and the average rent is $2500 a month. The main industries in Cripple Creek-Victor are mining, hospitality/gaming, and education. There are limited options for affordable housing for families and for teachers. Miriam’s solution is taking on the housing shortage. She knows the students are talented and hungry to acquire durable skills including carpentry, plumbing, and design, maintenance, and repair of power systems. She also knows that to attract talent to staff the schools, there needs to be affordable housing available for teachers. So, Cripple Creek-Victor students will be learning how to construct homes from their teachers and folks working in the industry, on land acquired by the district, to provide affordable housing options for district employees. What does Phase 1 look like: ☑ Getting buy-in from community leaders. The mayors of Cripple Creek and Victor are both teachers in the district. ☑ Get Local Board approval. The Board President is leading the charge to find the land. ☑ Build a construction shop. ☑ Hire teachers with the experience needed to instruct the students. ☑ Acquire land. ☑ Get students interested in the course work. ☑ Find industry partners. Get permits to build on the land.  Break ground. The goal is to break ground in Spring/Summer 2025. Stay tuned for updates! If you are interested in learning more or want to support the effort, please reach out! #ruralschools #communityschools #mytntp

Urban school closures: A sign of the times In major cities across the U.S., urban school districts are facing a challenging trend: shrinking student populations leading to under-resourced and ultimately closed schools. Los Angeles USD, for instance, is set to close the Hilda L. Solis Learning Academy this summer due to drastically declining enrollment which has limited educational offerings. Similar situations are unfolding in other urban areas, forcing districts to make tough choices between maintaining numerous underpopulated schools or consolidating resources, which often meets with community resistance. The trend, exacerbated by lower birth rates, migration patterns, and the rise of alternative schooling options, saw urban schools lose about 850,000 students between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years, according to The Brookings Institution analysis. This drop in student numbers has led to "hollowed-out" schools—buildings with too few students to justify their operational costs. Although smaller schools can foster a closer-knit educational environment and have historically shown benefits such as higher graduation rates, they struggle with high per-student costs and reduced program diversity. Decisions to close schools are fraught with educational and political difficulties. In Texas, San Antonio ISD plans to close 15 schools next year, a decision driven by the need to distribute educational resources more effectively. These closures highlight broader societal shifts and raise questions about how urban educational systems can adapt to changing demographics without sacrificing quality or community trust. Stay ahead of the latest news and trends impacting the education world: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dyhRncr8 #education #Students #schoolclosures Sara Randazzo Matt Barnum

Equity, community and housing are some of the hot-button issues facing Alum Rock Union Elementary School District as they embark on their first long-range planning effort in 20 years. In an interview with #Catalyst, superintendent Hilaria Bauer offers a window into the moves that will shape the community’s future. https://bit.ly/41Ou6LC #ChangingLivesByDesign #longrangeplanning #masterplanning #k12 #schooldesign #designforeducation #facilityplanning

The Inverted Pyramid: Listening Through the District, One School at a Time! Forest Acres Elementary (Easley, SC)   Enjoyed meeting with teachers and the FAES Admin Team!   Our meeting covered four topics: 1. Make It Better - recommendations for improving the district 2. The Strategic Plan - how to achieve our five goals 3. Innovation - what innovative ideas do you have for the school and district 4. The Framework – updates regarding progress on the five year plan for the foundational practices with MTSS/RTI at Work   This concludes the listening sessions at all (14) elementary schools in the district. Love the culture in each school and appreciate the hard work from each employee. A few quick notes - (1) the one word used by our parents, students and community to describe our district from the recent Cognia visit was "SAFE". Maybe that is why we expect 50,000 new people in our county in the next five years. (2) Yesterday was my first visit to a middle school with the inverted pyramid ... I asked the teachers how did you acquire the trust from so many parents to create a school where students feel safe and their reply: the students came to us with a sense of belonging from the elementary schools! What a compliment! (3) We will always tweak our approach each year but our core is solid so we will not be changing too much next year. Listening allows us to grow but to take everyone up the mountain together!! The first two laps (Early Childhood and Elementary) are finished for the Inverted Pyramid. Now we move to the middle school for the third lap! Team73! #EngagingToday #EmpoweringTomorrow

https://lnkd.in/g_pDQ8WH Kids need trees. Why? Because new research shows that planting more trees in Los Angeles could lower temperatures dramatically—cutting the number of heat-related visits to the ER by two-thirds. In some of the hottest places in our city (schools!), an increase in green spaces would have a huge impact on our children’s health. And that’s what United Teachers Los Angeles advocated for as part of their contract negotiations with the LA Unified School District. Because of this collective of over 35,000 educators and their efforts to prioritize the well-being of our students, LAUSD recently launched their $3 billion plan to create more green spaces for more than 600 campuses. We look forward to seeing these efforts are equitably and resourcefully rolled out so that every kid has a tree to play under. Check out our work with UTLA below: https://lnkd.in/gCkCWBKM

The value and cultural representation of historic education facilities bring a sense of nostalgia to many communities and campuses across the nation. When considering the options to preserve a historic building, it’s imperative to renovate the space so the owner can use it to the best of its ability. Here are three major factors to consider when renovating a historic education facility. Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, Kansas City Public Schools, Independence School District, Raytown Quality Schools; School District, North Kansas City Schools #Education #JEDunnKC #InspiredPlaces #JEDunn

#ICYMI: Since the start of the pandemic, Los Angeles Unified School Districthas experienced less learning loss during school closures than other major districts. Learn more about how Los Angeles students are doing four years later in our new report, which includes steps to accelerate learning going forward https://lnkd.in/gAVS_xn3

Dublin School Plans Major Transformation: A Taste of the Future in Fairview Here's an exciting piece of news for Dubliners! St. Joseph’s CBS Secondary School, under the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, is taking a big leap into the future. More classrooms, modern facilities, and even a sensory garden are part of the blueprint for this major refurbishment project. The school, located in the heart of Fairview, is set to gain three general classrooms, a home economics room, a multimedia room, and improved toilet facilities. Locker space and an electrical room are also part of the plan. And for those concerned with accessibility, a universal access toilet is on the cards too. St. Joseph’s isn’t just thinking about the here and now. The project also includes the refurbishment and reconfiguration of existing rooms to make way for a four-classroom SEN base with a multi-activity room. But the cherry on top? A 200 m2 hard and soft play area and a 100 m2 sensory garden, adding an extra touch of nature and tranquillity to the school environment. Now, for the numbers: the upgraded school will have a main floor area of 527.5 m2 and a gross floor area, including circulation and internal walls, of 598.0m2. While all this sounds impressive, the project will also involve knocking down the existing covered shelter of 210m2. In its place, the school promises to offer students state-of-the-art amenities that will make their learning experience more engaging and enjoyable. 🚧 Will the refurbishment cause any disruption to the current students? 🌿 How does the school plan to maintain the sensory garden? 🏰 Isn't it about time other schools followed suit and created more inclusive learning environments? #SchoolTransformation #EducationInnovation #Tender #PublicProcurement If you would like to see more detail on this particular tender, please click: https://lnkd.in/gUA8ruyV