Non-profit organization Collaborative for High-Performance Schools (CHPS) recently began a project to establish standards the industry supports for modernizing school initiatives.
The Minor Renovations Program aims to provide a set of guidelines and guidelines for schools to utilize to ensure that improvements align with an acceptable performance threshold. CHPS is forming a group of experts from a variety of disciplines, including design performance, well-being, and health, products, and technology, together with school district officials to:
- Find best practices that support new design requirements
- School improvement pilots to prove their effectiveness
- Design and demonstrate financing strategies that show how funds can be more efficiently employed to improve performance
- Develop and build an inclusive community for schools
Two of the largest district schools, Los Angeles Unified and the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (Harris County, Texas), will be part of the program from the beginning, and other districts are likely to join in the future.
“It’s estimated that 53% of America’s public schools need to invest in repairs, renovations, and modernizations, yet upgrades are not getting done at the rate or scale needed to provide safe and productive learning environments for students,” according to a CHPS announcement. “Although smaller renovation projects represent the majority of districts’ facility expenditures, a set of industry-aligned best practices does not exist to enable effective planning and implementation.”
Rush County, Ind ., -a lively community in central Indiana, had an old big-box store and a bigger vision. Their goal was to bring together diverse community programs into one location that can break down economic, social, physical, and social barriers to encourage the growth of connectivity and unity. We’re working with the community’s leaders to realize their vision.
A transformation from a retail store to a hub for the community can be achieved by bringing essential community resources into one location. This new REC (Recreation and Education Collaboration) Center will include an office for the Rushville Public Library, the Rush County Community Assistance Food Pantry, a new child care center, and an exercise center that provides for the possibility of a pool for families as well as a basketball court. The center will also offer an office shared with social service organizations, including The Special Supplemental Food Programs for Infants, Women, and Kids (WIC), Interlocal Community Action Program, Firefly Children & Family Alliance, as well as an area for gathering and a cooking area for Rush County Senior Citizens Center. There is also a huge communal room, public spaces for meetings, and an indoor courtyard accessible to all.
As the first partners in the project, we’ve aided in supporting the Steering Committee in various impactful ways, such as assisting their fundraising efforts by providing illustrations and stories that entice donors. “Two years ago, we didn’t have a penny,” Rush County Economic Community Development Corporation Director John McCane told The Greenburg Daily News. “If plans all come together as we are anticipating, we should have the final commitments of $24 million to carry out this transformative project.”