District Administration - November 2008 - (Page 42)

School Science Labs BEFORE: An aging science lab (above) at Rockland High School in Massachusetts, before renovations finished last summer. AFTER: Rockland’s four redesigned labs (right) can accommodate many science classes. The added emphasis also comes in the form of federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind law, which in the 2007-2008 year began requiring states to administer standards-based assessments to students in science in addition to reading and math. The science test results are not being counted as a factor in whether schools make adequate yearly progress under the law, but educators say that schools will be motivated to perform well because the scores will be made public. “The real world is made up of science, and how we behave in and manage our environment—from natural resources to rainforests—is critical,” adds Motz, who directs science education for Oakland County (Mich.) Schools and consults nationally on designing modern science labs. “So we’re trying to design labs that will invite all kids into science.” With that goal in mind, Motz recently co-authored a revision of the NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities. “The guide really tries to fix the image that science is an area where students do a lab just once in a while,” he explains. “A lot of people felt, ‘Science isn’t important in our curriculum, so why should we improve our lab?’ That attitude is changing.” Paying the Price Change doesn’t come cheaply, though. Depending on the region of the country and whether you’re renovating an existing science lab or building a new one, con42 November 2008 struction costs can reach $150 to $200 per square foot, according to Motz and other experts, an especially daunting proposition, considering that NSTA recommends 1,440 square feet for a lab serving 24 students. Adding laboratory furniture and cabinets can cost another $25,000 to $60,000 per room. demonstration station fronting 15 student tables—with epoxy, chemical resistant surfaces and oak bases—that can be arranged to allow groups of four to eight students to work together. The tables replaced the armchairs with miniature writing services and the demonstration stations that had limited student collabo- “We have a lot of old school buildings in the United States, and science labs feel their age more keenly than other classrooms.” —LaMoine Motz, director of science education, Oakland County (Mich.) Schools While school districts often raise the necessary funds through construction bonds, Rockland’s superintendent, John Retchless, notes that his high school has had to make do with revenues from renting out facilities. “The issue was how could we do something significant to improve the labs without major sources of funding,” Retchless says. So this past summer—for $160,000, including an unexpected $25,000 charge to replace outdated plumbing—Rockland renovated the four high school labs that did not use gas lines. All four were designed to be interchangeable for the school’s general science, physiology, biology and physics classes, and the insides were stripped to replace the shabby ceiling and floor tiles. Students returned this fall to find a new layout consisting of a new teacher ration in the past. Each room also has a SMART Board and an LCD projector, and electrical outlets hang from the ceiling to better serve students’ increasing use of data-collecting probeware (see “Probing for Answers” sidebar). And while the changes are modest, “the kids are thrilled, and the message to them by giving them this kind of place is tremendous,” says Retchless, who is still trying to find the funds to redesign the chemistry lab at the 600-student school, which will need to be improved by the school’s next accreditation cycle in 2011. “The numbers for aligning an aging chemistry lab to modern standards really shocked us,” he admits. Scientific Expansion In San Lorenzo, Calif.—courtesy of its first bond issue in 40 years for the District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November 2008

District Administration - November 2008
School Breakfasts: An Added Value
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
1-2-3 Campus Safety
News Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Snacks as Part of Your School Nutrition Program
Technology
Facilities & Construction
Admissions
DA Web Seminars
Leadership Assessment
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Technology Books
Professional Opinion
Supervisor’s Opinion
Crisis Response
Problem Solution
Research Center

District Administration - November 2008