Decent Facilities and Learning: Thirman A. Milner Elementary School and Beyond

Abstract

As we face America's deteriorating school buildings, we also face an opportunity to advance overall educational goals. This article considers the possibilities inherent in designing, constructing, and renovating schools when participants apply a perspective that balances science with the art of constructing and renovating schools. The author advances an expanded notion of “decent” schools, one that accounts for the internal dimension of human experience, a dimension we know to be necessary to all interaction and learning. The circumstances of one urban elementary school in Hartford, Connecticut, its renovations, additions, and history, provide a case in point. The article reviews the research that relates building design and condition to learning and suggests strategies for reinvigorating the design process. The author contends that the possibilities introduced are inherent in all school building projects, no matter the size, geography, affluence, or demographics of a district.