Helping Johnny Walk to School Project
The Helping Johnny Walk to School: Sustaining Communities through Smart Policy program helps states encourage the siting of schools to achieve their educational, public health, and sustainability objectives. A community-centered school helps anchor the surrounding neighborhood, is centrally-located to a majority of students, and uses existing infrastructure whenever possible.
In 2009, the National Trust awarded sub-grants to the following:
- California: Center for Cities and Schools at University of California-Berkeley, $6,000, to prepare a proceedings report from a Spring 2010 forum focused on aligning education and regional growth goals;
- Georgia: GEORGIA BIKES!, $6,000, to research affects of minimum acreage standards and to host a forum to discuss their policy recommendations with Georgia Safe Routes to School Network;
- Illinois: Active Transportation Alliance, $9,000, to research joint use policy and to develop model transportation policy;
- Louisiana: The Cowan Institute at Tulane University, $6,000, to research state funding for maintaining and retrofitting schools and to explore the formation of a school buildings commission;
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, $6,000, to survey school districts about the pros and cons of sharing space with non-school entities and to find ways of overcoming barriers to the "joint use" of libraries, ball fields, auditoriums, etc.;
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Sustainability Network; $6,000, to develop policy recommendations for maintaining and renovation schools through the Neighborhood Schools Preservation and Planning Project in partnership with Oklahoma Safe Routes to School Partnership and the Neighborhood Alliance;
- Oregon: Innovation Partnership, $6,000, to develop case studies about the benefits of schools and public/private entities sharing spaces; and
- Pennsylvania: Preservation Pennsylvania, $6,000, to develop case studies showing where schools and other public/private entities are sharing spaces to encourage more "joint use" of facilities throughout the state.
In 2008, the National Trust awarded sub-grants to the following:
- California: Local Government Commission, $6,000, the official representative of California's Ad Hoc School Siting Coalition that includes the Center for Cities and Schools and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, to provide recommendations to the California Department of Education related to revisions of state-level school siting policy guiding documents;
- Illinois: Healthy Schools Campaign, $3,000, to develop model state-level policies which encourage sustainable schools throughout Illinois with Governor Pat Quinn's Office and Landmarks Illinois;
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, $6,000, to enhance school building aid and siting policies;
- Oregon: Innovation Partnership, $6,000, to educate the Oregon public and decision-makers about the many benefits of coordinated planning between school districts and local governments;
- Pennsylvania: Preservation Pennsylvania, $6,000, to determine how state-level fiscal policy affects school siting decisions across Pennsylvania; and
- South Carolina: South Carolina Arts Foundation, $6,000, to develop model policies that eliminate design barriers and encourage collaboration among governmental entities for educational facility planning.
"Community-centered schools have a vital role to play in this country – not only do they help us reach our educational goals, but they also help ensure a healthier community." said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "When older neighborhood schools are abandoned, it's a waste of our nation's physical resources and shared history. We need to step back and figure out how we can make better use of limited resources to achieve both our educational and community goals."
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has been actively involved raising awareness about the important link between community vitality and walkable neighborhood schools, along with threat to their existence. In 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation published Why Johnny Can't Walk to School in the Age of Sprawl, listed the threat to neighborhood schools on the list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places and developed educational resources for community leaders.
The Helping Johnny Walk to School program is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and with generous support from the Building Educational Success Together collaborative courtesy of The Convergence Partnership.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a partner in the Smart Growth Network, a collaborative of nonprofit and governmental organizations working to encourage development that serves the economy, community, and the enviroment.
For more information about the program, e-mail policy@nthp.org or call 202-588-6234.
