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Classroom of the Future Roundtable
Roundtable explores bond issues, energy savings and the role of energy service companies in helping decarbonize school districts.
Armstrong World Industries (AWI), in partnership with McKinstry and 9Foundations, hosted a virtual “Classroom of the Future” roundtable on Sept. 30, 2024. Panelists addressed improvements that are urgently needed in the built environment of K-12 classrooms and the challenges that make them difficult, including insufficient funding and staff shortages.
The event provided public school district leaders and industry experts an open exchange of ideas on critical topics such as resiliency, decarbonization and indoor environmental quality in K-12 schools.
The Classroom of the Future Roundtable was moderated by Mark Hershey, Senior Vice President at AWI and featured the following panelists:
- Leslie Larocque, Senior Vice President, McKinstry
- Anisa Heming, Director of the Center for Green Schools, U.S. Green Building Council
- Dr. Joseph G. Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Check out the full YouTube playlist here
School Building Funding Strategies
In this video, explore how K-12 schools can tap into clean energy tax credits, grants, and funding options to enhance their facilities while saving money with budget-neutral strategies. Leslie Larocque, Senior Vice President at McKinstry, discusses opportunities like geothermal HVAC systems and solar energy projects, which can reimburse 30-50% of costs:
Improve School Air Quality
Learn from building science experts about how schools can improve indoor air quality and create healthier learning environments. Dr. Joe Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard, discusses how schools can tackle threats like influenza, COVID-19, wildfire smoke and extreme heat with quick ROI solutions like advanced air filtration (MERV 13 or higher).
Discover how forward-thinking design can address multiple challenges at once, ensuring that our classrooms of the future are prepared for both immediate and ongoing environmental concerns.
Planning Future Classrooms
Understand the planning needed to create the classroom of the future and the importance of federal, state, and local K-12 funding and support for school districts. Anisa Heming, Director of the Center for Green Schools U.S. Green Building Council, outlines the challenges under-resourced school districts may face as they transition to a more sustainable future for their buildings and facilities.
Learn how sustainable and healthy schools play a crucial role in education equity and how school leadership can improve the overall school environment.
Who’s Driving Modernization in K12 Schools?
Leslie Larocque, Senior Vice President at McKinstry, discusses the modernization of K-12 schools and how parents, students, and advocates are shaping the future of learning environments. During the Classroom of the Future Round Table, hosted by Armstrong World Industries in September 2024, Leslie also covers the critical role of bonds, funding, and infrastructure in creating the healthy, equitable classrooms we want to see in the future.
Watch the video to understand the bond cycle, building processes and maintenance backlog management that can create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly educational system. Learn about how climate resolutions and reducing the environmental footprint are influencing K12 school funding and building maintenance, including:
- Integration of solar energy
- Roof modernization
- HVAC system upgrades
- Transitioning away from carbon sources
- Planning for a sustainable 20-year pathway
Classroom Technologies Today and Tomorrow
Jump into a recent round table discussion on the Classroom of the Future and learn about cost-efficient construction and modernization strategies for K-12 schools in the United States. Key points include LEED certification, net zero energy, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, air quality, air filtration and HVAC systems.
Balancing Health and Energy Efficiency in Schools
Learn how to balance the need for healthy, productive learning spaces and energy-efficient school buildings. Dr. Joe Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Anisa Heming, Director of the Center for Green Schools U.S. Green Building Council, discuss the challenge of managing health, performance and energy efficiency in schools.
Impacts of School Deferred Maintenance
Learn about the financial, health, and equity impacts of deferred maintenance in K-12 schools. Leslie Larocque, Senior Vice President at McKinstry, explains that for every dollar a school doesn’t spend on preventative maintenance, they will spend $4 in emergency repairs — an issue that disproportionately impacts the school environment of rural and small districts the most.
Understand how the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and supply chain issues have led to higher maintenance costs as well as staff shortages that have compounded the deferred maintenance epidemic in K-12 schools today.
Under Funding of Schools
Learn about the critical issue of underfunding in schools and its direct impact on students and communities. Anisa Heming, Director of the Center for Green Schools discusses how a school’s learning environment affects student achievement and the importance of providing effective learning environments in primary schools.
Delve into the need for education equity and ensuring access and equity in education for all students, particularly in underserved areas and how creating safe learning environments in schools is essential to fostering academic success and equal opportunities for every student.
Equity in Education
Explore the critical topic of education equity and the challenges facing K-12 schools today. Dr. Joe Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health sheds light on how low-income and marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by aging and failing school buildings.
Learn how these issues have a significant impact on student well-being and their ability to learn, the role of leadership equity education in creating fairer solutions and improving access and equity in education, and how climate-resilient buildings and sustainable schools can be key to ensuring all students, regardless of their background, have a safe and healthy learning environment.
Key Elements of Healthy Classrooms
What’s needed in a healthy classroom? Learn about the key elements of a healthy classroom and school building. Dr. Joe Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health discusses how with every 10 decibel increase in a classroom, standardized testing points go down 5.5 points and other effects a classroom can have on a student’s learning and performance.
Discover the implications a classroom environment can have on learning and students’ cognitive function, the specific areas to consider upgrading in your school district and building a positive school environment.
Healthy, Equitable and Resilient: Classroom of the Future
Learn about the importance of making classrooms healthier and schools more resilient to climate change, in a post-COVID world. Mark Hershey, Senior Vice President at Armstrong World Industries, introduces the challenges and benefits of improving the school environment and putting student well-being first.
Understand the problems K-12 schools are facing, how to achieve the best outcomes for students through healthy classrooms, and the need to invest in climate-resilient school buildings for the betterment of our students.
Weather Impacting Classrooms
Learn about the negative effects extreme weather events can have on students’ learning environments and overall health. As Dr. Joe Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health explains, most of your exposure to air pollution happens indoors, not outdoors. From heat waves to heavy rains, outdoor weather conditions are more connected to indoor air quality than many realize.
Learn about the importance of creating climate-resilient schools that prioritize both safety and comfort, sustainable strategies to ensure a healthy school environment and improving student well-being and academic performance.
Financial Disclaimer: McKinstry is not engaged in providing legal, tax or financial advice. The information provided herein is intended only to assist you in your decision-making and is broad in scope. Accordingly, before making any final decisions you should consider obtaining additional information and advice from your accountant or other financial advisers who are fully aware of your specific circumstances.
