Public schools in the United States are primarily funded by state and local governments. The majority of funding comes from state governments, with local funding coming primarily from property taxes. The state and local governments allocate funds to the schools based on a variety of factors, such as the number of students and the needs of the school district. Schools can also receive funding from the federal government through programs such as Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Additionally, public schools may fundraise or receive donations from private individuals or organizations to purchase school furniture.

School Furnishings

School Library

Gilbert, AZ

How often do schools buy furniture?

The frequency at which schools buy new furniture can vary depending on a number of factors, including the age and condition of existing furniture, the budget of the school district, and the specific needs of the school. Some schools may need to purchase new furniture more frequently than others, depending on the wear and tear of the existing furniture and the size of the student population.

In general, it may be assumed that most public schools will purchase new furniture as necessary, such as when existing furniture is damaged or no longer safe for use. Some furniture like student desks, chairs, and tables, may have a shorter life expectancy due to frequent use and can be replaced more frequently. Other items, such as laboratory equipment and theater seating, may have a longer lifespan and may not need to be replaced as frequently.

Classroom Furniture

Classroom

Chandler, AZ

However, it is also important to note that some school districts may have a replacement schedule for all furniture to maintain a certain standard. Such schedule can be based on the age of the furniture, the usage, and the budget of the school district.

What percentage of schools lease furniture?

Leasing furniture is not a common practice for schools, as most schools prefer to purchase their furniture outright. Schools may choose to lease furniture in some cases, such as when they need a specific type of furniture for a short period of time, or when they lack the budget to purchase the furniture outright.

It is worth noting that some school districts may have a lease-to-own agreement with the vendor, where they pay a monthly fee to use the furniture and after a certain period of time, the furniture is owned by the school district.

Leasing furniture is more common in commercial settings, such as office spaces and retail stores, rather than in schools.

It is difficult to provide an exact percentage of schools that lease furniture, as it can vary depending on the location, school district, and budget. However, it is not a common practice for schools to lease furniture. Most schools prefer to purchase furniture outright, as it allows them to own the furniture and have control over its use and maintenance.

Leasing furniture can be an alternative for schools that have limited budget, and prefer to conserve capital for other expenses. Schools can also lease furniture for temporary use, for example for a specific project or event that is happening in the school.

It is important to note that leasing furniture can be more expensive in the long run, as schools will be paying for the use of the furniture over time, rather than just paying for it once. Schools also lose the ability to own the furniture and may have to return it at the end of the lease period.

In conclusion, it is not a common practice for schools to lease furniture, but it can be an alternative for schools that have a limited budget or need furniture for a specific project or event.

Collaborative School Furniture

Classroom Lounge

Tempe, AZ

What products do schools lease?

Schools can lease a variety of products, including furniture, technology, and equipment. Some common products that schools may lease include:

• Furniture: Schools may lease furniture such as desks, chairs, tables, and storage units for classrooms and common areas.
• Technology: Schools may lease computer equipment, such as laptops, tablets, and interactive whiteboards, for use in classrooms and computer labs.
• Audio-Visual equipment: Schools may lease audio-visual equipment such as projectors, speakers, and sound systems for use in auditoriums, gymnasiums, and classrooms.
• Musical instruments: Schools may lease musical instruments for use in music classes or band programs.
• Laboratory equipment: Schools may lease laboratory equipment such as microscopes, chemicals, and other materials for use in science classes.
• Athletic equipment: Schools may lease athletic equipment such as scoreboards, mats, and weightlifting equipment for use in physical education classes and sports teams.

It is important to note that schools may choose to lease equipment or furniture for temporary use, for example for a specific project or event in the school. Leasing can also be an alternative for schools that have a limited budget and prefer to conserve capital for other expenses.

STEM Classroom

Makerspace Classroom

Mesa, AZ

How long do schools keep old furniture?

The length of time that schools keep their old furniture can vary depending on a number of factors, including the condition of the furniture, the school’s budget, and the specific needs of the school.

In general, most schools will replace old furniture when it is no longer safe or functional. For example, if a desk is broken or a chair is falling apart, the school will likely replace it as soon as possible to ensure the safety and comfort of the students.

Some schools may choose to keep old furniture for a period of time, for example, if they have a limited budget and cannot afford to replace it immediately. In this case, the old furniture will be kept until the school can afford to replace it, or it can be donated or sold as surplus.

Additionally, some schools may keep certain older furniture as historical pieces or for sentimental reasons. Such furniture may be used for display or for educational purposes.

In general, schools tend to keep old furniture for as long as it remains safe and functional but will replace it as soon as the budget allows or if necessary for the safety or comfort of the students.

Modular School Furniture

Modular Lounge

Gilbert, AZ

Are rows of desks going away in the classroom?

Rows of desks in classrooms have been a traditional layout for many years, but it is becoming increasingly common for schools to consider alternative layouts. Research has shown that traditional classroom layouts, such as rows of desks facing a teacher, can be limited to student engagement and interaction.

One of the most popular alternatives to the traditional classroom layout is the flexible seating classroom. Flexible seating classrooms often feature a variety of seating options, such as beanbag chairs, standing desks, and cushions, which allow students to choose the seating option that best suits their needs. This type of classroom layout encourages students to be more active and engaged in their learning, and can also promote collaboration among students.

Another alternative to traditional classroom layout is the use of collaborative and interactive furniture, such as round tables, whiteboards, and writable surfaces. This allows for more interactive and collaborative learning and can be used in a variety of ways, from group projects to individual work.

It’s worth noting that the trend of changing classroom layouts is not a one size fits all solution, and some traditional layouts may work better for certain subjects or grade levels. Ultimately, whether or not rows of desks are going away in the classroom depends on the preferences of each school, teacher, and district, and the budget available for furniture.

Need to upgrade your school furniture? Need classroom furniture? We can help. Reach out today for a free project roadmap and budget.

School furniture in Gilbert, AZ

School furniture in Chandler, AZ

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Classroom Lab

Computer Lab

Chandler, AZ

A couple of years ago, I saw a picture on Facebook that stopped me in my tracks: It was the classroom of Michigan high school English teacher Rebecca Malmquist. It looked like a living room. Like a place you’d go to curl up and read a book, take a nap, or have a really good conversation. And yet it was a classroom.

Now this classroom was just one particular type, a kind of shabby chic, funky, yard-sale mix, but it represented something bigger, a tear in the fabric of how we’ve always done things. It was one example of the way flexible seating and more student-centered classroom design have taken off everywhere, with more teachers breaking away from traditional classroom layouts and finding new ways to make their rooms more conducive to 21st-century learning, where collaboration, personalization, and project-based instruction are becoming the norm.

When I shared it on my website, most people went nuts, but some were discouraged: They loved the room, but there was no way they’d ever be able to recreate it in their school, with small spaces, big class rosters, limited budgets, and strict fire codes. They believed that to create these incredible learning environments, they would need tons of money and big, modern spaces to work with.

The good news is that the principles of learning-friendly design can still be applied without those things. There are plenty of changes you can make to your classroom—without a lot of money or space—to make it a much better place for students to learn.

To get some expert help on this topic, I talked to Bob Dillon, a former middle school principal who now works as a director of innovation for a St. Louis-area school district. He’s done a lot of work on transforming learning spaces, and most recently he co-authored a book on this topic with designer and educator Rebecca Hare. The book is called The Space: A Guide for Educators.

In our interview, Bob and I talk about some of the design problems he sees most often in classrooms today, the things teachers can do to make their rooms more learner-friendly, and how to overcome some common hurdles teachers often experience when redesigning classrooms. Our conversation is condensed here into 12 specific things you can do to make your classroom a better space for learners.

1. ASK YOUR STUDENTS

Students are the best source of information about what needs to change in our classrooms. Dillon advises us to ask them two questions. First, What’s new in the room? and second, What in this room supports your learning, and what gets in the way of it? Having students audit the room this way will help us see it differently.

“Students are going to start naming things that have been up in the classroom since the beginning of the year,” Dillon says. “When that happens, there’s a problem. All of that stuff just becomes visual noise, and it doesn’t do anything to aid the learning.”

And this shouldn’t happen just once: Dillon advises teachers to ask this question frequently, all year long. “Every two weeks,” he says, “I put it on my Google Calendar: Ask my students how the classroom is serving them.”

2. SUBTRACT

One of the simplest changes we can make to our classrooms is to take things out. “I haven’t been in a classroom in the country that couldn’t remove 10 or 15 things,” Dillon says. “Every time a human being comes into a space, they visually process the entire room.” In many of these rooms, he says, “by the time we actually ask (students) to intellectually engage, they’re visually exhausted.”

Dillon advises teachers to take things out on a trial basis. “I tell teachers, take a trunk full of stuff—whatever size the trunk of your car is—take those things out of your classroom for a couple of weeks, then you can really make a decision on whether you need them or not.”

In almost every case, the stuff never makes it back to the room. “I have teachers over and over go, ‘As soon as I was able to actually free my classroom of some space, I was able to see what was possible.’ I think sometimes until you breathe the classroom, give it some air, you can’t even see what the next iteration is.”

3. MIX UP YOUR SEATING OPTIONS

Flexible seating doesn’t have to mean new furniture, hokku stools, and bean bags. Using the furniture you have right now, you can still create different seating options and give students choices.

Dillon explains how this can work: “You have 30 desks. No one’s going to take them. No one’s going to put them anywhere else. Why don’t you make one row of six, then two clusters of six, and then a long kind of what I call a ‘boardroom style’ where you have 12 desks face-to-face to each other, and then give kids a choice on where to be in that classroom. Giving kids choice and agency around where they are going is a long way to saying you trust them and they own the classroom.”

One great example of repurposing what you have is Kelly Almer’s 5th-grade classroom. One of her first steps toward giving students more seating options was to remove the legs from a few classroom desks to make them coffee-table height.

4. CONSIDER THE PERIMETER

“When we think about learning space design,” Dillon notes, “we go directly to furniture, we go directly to the floor plan of the room. But we never think about the perimeter. How are the walls, and every inch of your walls, either supporting or distracting from learning? Do we really need that poster? How do we make everything really accessible? The walls of the room are another piece of the puzzle that usually don’t take money to add to.”

5. REDUCE YOUR TEACHER FOOTPRINT

One way to free up more space is to minimize or eliminate our teacher workspace. In fact, many teachers are getting rid of their desks altogether.

“Whatever we can do to reduce our own footprint in a classroom,” Dillon says, “whether that’s pushing our desk up against the wall, whether that is letting kids know that they have access to all the square footage in the room, all of those things begin to really transform what classroom can be.”

Want to get rid of your teacher’s desk? This collection of resources will show you how others have done it.

6. CREATE SPACES FOR COLLABORATION

Desks in rows are fine if all we want to do is feed information to students and have them spit it back out. But a 21st-century education demands more from us. We understand now that students need more than facts: Among other things, they need to be able to communicate well and work together to solve problems. Our classrooms need to reflect that. So when rethinking your classroom design, look for ways to make more of these collaborative spaces possible.

7. CREATE SPACES FOR CREATION

Classrooms where project-based learning and design thinking are taking the place of rote memorization need spaces where students can sketch, build, make, and prototype. That kind of work requires clear surfaces and centers where students can access all kinds of materials—not just typical school supplies.

“We’ve oftentimes had markers and glue and scissors,” Dillon says. “I advocate deeply for adding just a chunk of cardboard to a lo-fi prototype, to be able to go to a kid and say, Hey, we just finished chapter three. I want you to go get three pieces of cardboard and summarize chapter three for me.”

Another consideration is where to store work in progress. “When you create things, you’re not going to finish them in 30 minutes,” Dillon reminds us. “You have to have a place to store them or put them away.”

8. CREATE WRITABLE SPACES

One specific type of space for creation and collaboration is what Dillon and Hare call a “writable space.” In many of the classrooms Dillon visits, “Teachers own a lot of the writable space. There are teacher words up, there are teacher posters up, and there are things on that writable space. I would give more writable space back to kids for them to process and sketchnote and get all their things up on the board.”

Handing over more of your existing boards is a great start, but you can add more writable spaces by purchasing inexpensive personal dry-erase boards, a free-standing dry-erase easel, or by making your own whiteboard tables or adding an extra DIY whiteboard for very little money.

9. CREATE SPACES FOR QUIET

“We have a lot of kids that come to our schools that are stressed out, that are impacted by poverty on a daily basis, that need a quiet moment in their life,” Dillon says, “and we want to make sure classrooms can be safe, caring, and trauma-informed in the work they’re doing. I think that a really good learning space design, first and foremost, cares for kids and takes care of their needs so that then learning can really happen. A lot of classrooms certainly have a place where they send kids to reframe and rethink. But for us, we want to make sure all classrooms have a space to validate introverts, reflection, and decompression.”

When we don’t have these spaces, our kids find ways to get the quiet they need: “Here’s what’s going to happen: They’re going to raise their hand and say, Hey, can I go to the bathroom? Right now, our bathrooms are our spaces for quiet for kids,” Dillon points out. Half-joking, he adds: “Fifty percent of middle-school kids that need to go to the bathroom just need to move; they just need a moment.”

Setting aside quiet space in a crowded classroom can be a huge challenge, but Dillon says doing this successfully is more about classroom norms than space. “(It can be) a portable whiteboard that gets pulled over into that space that kind of blocks somebody off, a comfortable bean bag on a floor that’s behind a bookcase, a desk where if someone goes over there, the norm is that you just leave them alone. If we are just open, honest, and transparent about why kids respond to that really well. Spaces for quiet don’t have to look fancy. They are just the norm in that space.”

10. CREATE SPACES TO SHOWCASE LEARNING

Both Dillon and Hare happened to send their children to schools that used the Reggio Emilia approach, which emphasizes documenting and displaying the learning process, not just finished products. So they apply that philosophy to the spaces they help design, and they advise teachers to keep looking for ways to display student learning in their classrooms.

What does that look like? “Sometimes that can be an ongoing list of ideas surrounding a central question,” Dillon explains. “That can look like pictures of kids working in a classroom that is up where folks are putting sticky notes on those, either praising what’s going on or asking questions. But all of it showcases that learning is messy. We’re in a process, we’re in a growth process.”

(P.S.: I am now completely in love with Reggio-inspired classroom design. Look at this classroom, and this one, and this one. I know Fire codes. But still!!! Drool.)

11. NARROW YOUR COLOR PALETTE

Designing a learning space isn’t the same thing as decorating it. When our spaces are put together without an understanding of what works best for learning, Dillon says, “You have classrooms that look like a bag of Skittles.”

Rather than fill your classroom with lots of colors, try to narrow your color palette to three main colors: One neutral, “a kind of base color, whether that’s some sort of tan or some sort of gray,” and two accent colors, “colors that can really kind of pop.” Doing this will reduce visual noise and allow students to focus better. “Kids notice,” Dillon says. “There is a coherence, there is a calming, it feels comfortable.”

Making this kind of change doesn’t happen overnight. Start by figuring out if your classroom already has the beginnings of a palette. The key is to figure out what that is, then start to eliminate some of the things that take away from the coherence of that palette in your room. “There are a ton of programs out there, like Canva,” Dillon says, “where if you take a picture of your classroom and it will tell you the color palette of your room.” See if you can identify the three main colors you’d like to work with, then start moving closer to it with the wall color, storage containers, and other accessories.

“When I buy new things,” Dillon says, “when I take things away, I want to get closer and closer to these three colors. That can’t happen in a year, for most places. But it can be a journey that you’re on to get closer and closer to a color palette that’s coherent.”

12. UTILIZE THE HALLWAY

“A third of all the square feet in schools is a hallway,” Dillon says, “and we don’t use that for learning as we could.” So when rethinking your classroom space, remember that you can extend learning beyond the walls of your classroom. One teacher Dillon worked with would roll two small tables out into her hallway every morning and invite kids to use those surfaces for certain activities.

NEVER FINISHED

If the thought of completely redesigning your classroom is overwhelming, remember that this is an ongoing process. “Learning space design isn’t like a, ‘I did learning space’ checkmark for teachers,” Dillon says. So rather than trying to overhaul everything at once, start with small changes, including students in the process, and iterate as you go. “It’s a journey, and it’s always about tinkering.”

Need a little inspiration for your classroom design? Click here for some ideas.

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Reading books, both paper editions, and increasingly more popular e-books, is beneficial for students’ intellectual development. Reading broadens their general knowledge about the ‘adult’ world much better than school textbooks; it feeds their imagination, expands vocabulary and inspires critical thinking. Regrettably, the number of readers among children and adolescents continues to fall. Schools can and should encourage young people to read, starting from the youngest students. Teachers and librarians have their role to play in this important endeavour; however, educational space may also be arranged in a manner conducive to reading books.

Project Roadmap

Reading Spaces

Temoe, AZ

At schools all over the world, students tend to read fewer paper books and this trend is not likely to change. Traditional books are losing the battle against e-books, colorful and dynamic websites, and even e-textbooks that contain more resources supporting learning than traditional paper textbooks. In many schools, attempts are made to try and promote traditional books, with several success stories. Today, however, one needs to make ongoing effort to attract students to books. To put it in market terms, encouraging students to read requires continuous marketing activity to attract the students’ attention, make them interested in a given publication and nearly force the said book into their hands.

Can the school space be of any help? Of course! Once a student has a book in his/her hand, a quiet reading area would come in. Polish schools lack quiet nooks where students could be alone and immerse themselves in reading. It is a good idea to design such areas. There are at least several possible solutions as to how to achieve it.

Project Roadmap

Collaboration Area

Tempe, AZ

In STO School Complex in Bemowo, Warsaw, there is a tradition of reading books to students (both at school and during school trips.) Jarosław Pytlak, the school headteacher, allocated a separate room for reading students – the former scouts’ room. This space was given the name of Czytalnia. The room was renovated; the students painted the walls the color of their choice and soft carpeting was laid on the floor. The room was also decorated with poufs and pillows and with a ‘majestic reading armchair’ (for teachers who read books aloud to children from grades 0-3). In this way, an actual cave was created, for students who look for a place to hide with a good book.

Similar spaces have been arranged in the Vittra Telefonsplan school in Stockholm. With their shape, they even resemble actual caves! The entire educational space in this facility has been arranged according to David D. Thornburg’s theory (for more information see the Introduction). Those rooms have been fitted with a large number of sockets that allow students to read books on their electronic devices.

Project Roadmap

Classroom

Tempe, AZ

The multimedia library is one of the most important self-study spaces in the Evangelische Schule Berlin Zentrum. It holds a large collection of books and it is equipped with computers with Internet access; students can enjoy armchairs, sofas, and a special platform where they can comfortably lay down with a book. The multimedia library is appreciated by the students, who go there with their obligatory readings, textbooks, and computers.

The above cases constitute good examples of how to design a reading area at school. They can be supplemented with initiatives implemented in private Bilingual Schools ATUT in Wrocław. In one of the corridors, a dedicated ‘house’ for books was put up, where students may leave books and magazines they have read for their peers. The ‘house’ is on wheels, so it can ‘follow the students’ to the areas where they spend most of their time. Another interesting idea was spotted in the school library (see the front photo). A rope was hung between two opposite walls of the library and it serves as a display for boards with photos of students who borrowed books. Under every photo, there are copies of covers of the books read by a given student with brief information about the book’s content. It is a great way to promote reading! This unique gallery allows students to visit the library to discover what their friends have recently read. In this way students allow their image to be used to market books, and their peers are more willing to read a publication ‘recommended’ in this way by their friends.

Students and teachers in schools implement projects of their own and participate in those organized by NGOs, schools and other entities. The basic benefit resulting from projects is gaining more knowledge on a particular subject, and expanding particular skills (usually projects involve practical tasks in which we apply the acquired knowledge). The essence of the projects is always students’ cooperation within a team. This can theoretically happen in any place in the school as well as online, but it would be good to provide a place in the school where students could meet, discuss and plan collaborative project activities.

Media Space

School Furniture

Tempe, AZ

Educational projects in the school space can be carried out in regular classrooms and online. Here we will focus only on the physical aspect of the space. The project method requires working in different configurations – usually in teams of several students responsible for particular tasks. The room where students meet and collaborate on a project should therefore enable them to work in groups and access various tools useful in planning (Wi-Fi network, flipcharts, boards, tables, etc.).

The headteacher of Middle School No. 24 in Wrocław decided to invest in creating one room arranged in a different way than traditional classrooms and devoted especially to project work. The school implemented an innovative idea. They introduced the idea of Project Fridays – each Friday various classes hold activities related to projects invented and carried out by students.

The projector displays presentations on one wall, while the wall opposite was used to hang two giant (floor to ceiling) dry-erase boards (black and white) for making notes and mental maps. This is where students can brainstorm, draw up the project schedule, etc.

Study Lounge

Classroom Furniture

Tempe, AZ

Workstations were also taken into account. Students can sit at desks arranged in a horseshoe and in the middle of the room – they can relatively easily talk to one another, consult and create various configurations for the group work. Beanbags purchased for the room can be moved around. If necessary, tables can also be rearranged. Any extra aids and flipcharts can be stacked against the back wall. Students were provided with Wi-Fi access in order to use online resources in their project work. Not everything could be purchased at once (limited financial means), but the classroom is being gradually equipped with new elements. As a result, a very interesting and versatile learning environment was created and students enjoy using it.