Evolving Patterns in Secondary-School Science Facilities

Abstract

V E WITNESSED, IN THE 1960s, a period of rapid growth in secondary-school enrollments and coordinate expansion of school facilities. Some new school construction was continuing as the decade drew to a close, but school boards were showing greater skepticism when requests for new or remodeled facilities were presented. It was evident that a careful assessment of existing facilities was needed and that new construction of science facilities should be planned on the basis of our best judgment of future scienceteaching practices. In April 1970 the National Science Foundation granted funds to the National Science Teachers Association to support a study of exemplary secondaryschool science facilities. I was the project director. A six-member study team was organized to assist in the design and conduct of the study. Members of the team were Walter R. Brown, of the Albemarle (Md.) County Schools; Carl W. Clader, of New Trier Township (Ill.) High School-East; Phyllis L. Magat, of Alfred I. DuPont School District, Delaware; Albert L. Powers, of Timberlane Regional High School, in New Hampshire; Leslie W. Trowbridge, of the University of Northern Colorado; and Robert C. Whitney, of California State College, Hayward. K. Michael Hibbard, of the Greenwich (Conn.) Public Schools, served as project associate and assisted the director.