Portland Public Schools’ Long Range Facilities Plan Advisory Committee held its third meeting Tuesday evening (1/31) in the cafeteria of Rosa Parks elementary school in North Portland. The topic was “21st Century Schools.” Architect Butch Seifert gave an illustrated talk. An issue paper is available online here.
I had difficulty finding the relevance of the talk and much of the discussion which followed. This was due, I think, to three sets of difficulties or conundrums;
(1) Technology, especially all its digital forms (computers, internet, phones), will be driving educational change. Seifert acknowledged this but did little to flesh out its ramifications for the design of schools. Given that technology could require teachers to teach differently than they now do, and that this potential change generates some push back from teachers who do not want to change, this is a controversial topic. For example, I’ve estimated that more use of independent online high school courses could reduce PPS’ need for high schools by one high school in fifteen year (here).
(2) I doubt that PPS will get the opportunity to build or redesign school buildings in any major way. Funding, for the foreseeable future, will be limited. Priority will go to safety, health, energy efficiency, maintenance, and technology upgrades. Much of Siebert talk was just not relevant to the practicalities before the district.
(3) There is a tension within the PPS political culture between equity and innovation (and choice). Equity pushes the district towards the blandness of sameness. Every student should have the same opportunities translates into all schools should be neighborhood schools and all should offer the same programs in equal facilities. On the other hand, some of us want more variety (different foreign language immersion programs, a high school study abroad program). Some will want different types of facilities. Letting one (or more) school have a newer design might create push back from the sterner advocates of equity.
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