ED-Green Ribbon Schools Director Andrea Falken will be joined by several other senior Department officials to visit three honored green ribbon schools in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 25 on the final leg of the 'Education Built To Last' Facilities Best Practices Tour. Joining them will be Stefan Huh, director, Charter Schools Program; Doug Herbert, special assistant, Office of Innovation and Improvement; Lily Clark, senior advisor, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development; and Adam Honeysett, acting managing director, state and local public engagement; and others.
They will be joined by other federal and local officials to tour the schools to see and discuss ways that school facilities can enhance the conditions of learning. Some of those officials include Crystal McDonald, policy advisor, U.S. Department of Energy; Jaquelyn Mosby, director, Office of Children's Health Protection, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and EPA Regional Administrator Shawn Garvin.
The schools to be visited are: Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School; Woodrow Wilson High School; and Sidwell Friends School
The visits will include tours of school buildings and grounds, conversations with students and teachers regarding environmental education, health and sustainability, and discussions with key partners and energy management personnel. In addition, local district facilities personnel are invited to attend and participate in a listening session at Woodrow Wilson High School. The listening session will allow facilities experts to share best practices on school facilities and provide input to the U.S. Education Department.
The Department's 'Education Built to Last Facilities Best Practices Tour' features schools that exhibit best practices in school building and grounds design, construction, operations and management to support health, equity, educational outcomes, energy efficiency and cost savings in our nation's public schools.
The tour began in mid-July with visits to several schools in rural Alabama. At the end of July, the tour team wound its way through the New England area, stopping at schools in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. On Aug. 13, the tour made stops at four schools in New York and New Jersey, then visited schools in southeastern Wisconsin Aug. 22-23. Prior to coming to schools in Washington, D.C., the tour team visited schools in California, Oregon and Washington Sept. 16-20.
The ED-Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees are recognized for reducing their environmental impact, including energy use, waste and water; creating healthy learning environments and fostering wellness practices; and providing effective environmental education that prepares students to succeed in the 21st century, including STEM, green careers and civics. A report with highlights on the 78 honorees can be found here. More information on the federal recognition award can be found here.