San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) noticed a problem in their schools; students weren’t eating their lunches. San Francisco Public School officials conducted a survey and realized that 57% of SFUSD students who had been approved for reduced-price or free meals actually consumed them.  After that realization, the district started serving fresher, non-frozen meals in hopes that the students would take advantage of school meals. With little to no luck and an extremely generous donation from the Sara and Evan Williams foundation, SFUSD sought out IDEO, the global design company, to help them with a game plan.

Via oneworkplace.com 

There is a video for everything… workout routines, recipe tutorials, DIY projects and baby’s first steps. We connect and relate to visual experiences. And soon, there will be a virtual, augmented, gamified, and even a technology-embedded experience for everything. These experiences not only trickle into our personal lives but are becoming pervasive in business and more importantly, education.

Via ki.com >

DLR Group’s recent Applied Learning Virtual Symposium provided great insight into the current state of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. It seems only fitting to expand upon that discussion and explore how our K-12 clients can begin incorporating STEM spaces into their existing buildings.

Education in the U.S. has steadily been shifting towards a concentration on STEM. Many of the districts we’re fortunate to work with see the value of these disciplines, but also find themselves faced with the unique challenge of finding or creating the right spaces for this type of education within existing buildings.

Via dlrgroup.com >

School interiors have the ability to inspire and enable student learning. Studies have proven that the physical environment affects a student’s capacity to learn. Similarly, we know that color alone in an interior setting can influence our mood and even productivity. There is no doubt that colors inspire students’ imaginations and creativity levels, from elementary children to young adults in college.  

moreThis premise alone explains why these colorful learning spaces intrigue our imagination. We’re amazed by the many ways our vibrant Color Field collection is enlivening a range of learning environments across North America.

Via millikencarpet.com >

A new Google-inspired HSC learning centre has opened its doors with a mission to train the brightest young minds in Sydney for stellar careers in science, medicine, mathematics and English. The first of its kind in Australia, the Talent 100 centre is the brainchild of Richard Chua – a former Business Strategy Associate at Google’s Mountain View Headquarters in Silicon Valley.

With design thinking that focuses on 21st century learning, the new centre delivers a holistic and aspirational learning environment. The fusion of everyday mindfulness with digital technology, including digital yoga, brain training via smart screens and interactive screen technology will be available to students along with informal open community learning spaces – a famous feature of Google offices around the world.

Via interfacedesignface.com >

Research shows that classroom design has a significant impact on student performance. Constant use means that classrooms suffer a lot of wear, and can quickly look tired and outdated. Unfortunately, shrinking maintenance budgets mean many classrooms go years between redesigns, and student performance suffers as a result.

Via millikencarpet.com >

Your school’s library makes a vital contribution to student success, complementing classroom learning and providing an additional learning environment.

Research has repeatedly shown how important classroom design is for student performance and outcomes, and it’s clear that this holds true for all learning environments, not just traditional classrooms. Therefore, your school’s library design is just as important as classroom design.

Via millikencarpet.com >