About the Program
The Report
Helping Johnny Walk to School: Policy Recommendations for Removing Barriers to Community-Centered Schools |
In May 2008, the National Trust for Historic Preservation launched the Helping Johnny Walk to School: Sustaining Communities Through Smart Policy project to encourage the retention and development of community-centered schools.
When a community considers renovating or constructing a new school, its first objective is to provide a safe, healthy place for children to get a good education. In addition to meeting education goals, however, the school building and its surroundings can also support the community's vision and goals for its future – goals such as preserving the vitality of the surrounding neighborhood, encouraging a healthier population, and conserving open space.
Despite a growing awareness about the numerous benefits of community-centered schools, far too many existing schools continue to be threatened with abandonment and new schools continue to be built far from the residents they serve. According to the most recent National Household Travel survey, only about 35% of K-8 students now live within two miles of their school.
Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and with generous support from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and the Building Educational Success Together collaborative courtesy of the Convergence Partnership, this project brings together experts from the fields of education, health, transportation and community design, and partners in nine states to find new ways states can encourage community-centered schools.
Over the past two years, the project has provided technical assistance and sub-grants to:
- California's Ad Hoc School Siting Coalition with the Local Government Commission, the Center for Cities and Schools at UC Berkeley and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership
- Georgia's GEORGIA BIKES! and the Georgia Safe Routes to School Network
- Illinois's Active Transportation Alliance in partnership with Healthy Schools Campaign and Landmarks Illinois
- Louisiana's Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane University
- The New Hampshire Preservation Alliance
- Oklahoma Sustainability Network in partnership with Oklahoma Safe Routes to School Network and the Neighborhood Alliance
- Oregon's Innovation Partnership
- Preservation Pennsylvania
- The South Carolina Arts Foundation
For more information about the project, please contact Renee Kuhlman at policy@nthp.org or 202-588-6000.
