Facilities

Facilities represent all those visible elements of education that help to provide a positive learning environment.

You could also call it "the campus" or even generalize with the term "budget priorities." These external elements of education get a lot of attention and often are the primary reason for rising education costs.

While facilities and budgets are key components of all forms of education, the topic is of particular importance to public education because it directly affects the taxes of income-earning citizens. In other words—if we're going to pay for something, we definitely want it to work!

Consider the following statements about NWEF's approach to facilities and budgets:

• Facilities matter, but they don’t educate.

• Educational facilities should be safe and adequately equipped to enable learning.

• Technology is a tool to support learning and is important for the progress of society.

• Facilities reflect the educational priorities of administrators.

• Physical education is important but may not equate to instruction that equips most students with marketable and life skills.

• Budgets should focus on the interests of students and the citizens who provide funding.

• Effective and worthwhile learning—not facilities—is the measure of a successful school.

A school's facilities and budgetary choices say a lot about the school board's prioirities. While there is room for varying budget allocations among different school choices, the people funding the school (such as taxpayers, in the case of public schools) must hold the school board accountable for using resources wisely.

At the end of the day, facilities and budgets are important...but they don't educate. Evidence-based instruction methods have to take priority if the goal is excellent educational results.