Co-location is often considered when underutilized school facility space is apparent. School districts will open this underutilized space for other public schools, charter schools, health clinics, and other public/private organizations. Synergies are often created between the school and the other organization sharing the facilities.
It is not uncommon for two distinctly different schools to share school facilities. A process to design small school identities by using branding techniques can be utilized to distinguish the schools.
This innovative practice area is under development.
Innovative Examples
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Center for Innovative School Facilities -- Oregon[ abstract]
The Center for Innovative School Facilities assist Orgeon School districts in developing public and private school partnerships, facility and real estate services, resources, education, and asset managemnet.
Stapleton is the nation’s largest infill development. It is located in Denver, Colorado on the former site of the Denver Municipal Airport. The former airport site, which is 4,700 acres, is being transformed into a new mixed use development. Sixty percent of the site will be developed for urban and commercial use and forty percent will be dedicated to create parks, open space and recreational opportunities. To attract residents the developers plan to open eight new neighborhood schools at the Stapleton site. Partnership between Forest City developers and the Denver Public School System has allowed for innovative funding for the new schools at the Stapleton site.
Thurgood Marshall Academy -- District of Columbia[ abstract]
A mainstreet development project to revitalize an abandoned closed public school and support a new small academic public high school.
This was an innovative partnership among community advocates, the private sector and a public charter school in the District of Columbia. Working together they restored and reopened the Nichols school building to accommodate the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School through a public/private partnership.
Now widely recognized as a model for success, TMA stands as a symbol of academic excellence by combining a rigorous, standards-based, law-related curriculum with comprehensive, specialized programs and services to meet its students’ needs. Essentially, TMA functions both as a school and as a nonprofit youth development organization.
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