Open tools for better schools

Our Call to Action:

We need standardized, open-source measurement tools tailored to K-12 facilities that capture both educational outcomes and environmental exposures to foster innovative school design, improve educational outcomes, and reduce harmful environmental conditions.

Why This Matters:

National Center for Education Statistics

Recent Publications:

Coalition Founders:

HKS Logo Perkins&Will Logo Multistudio Logo

School District Collaborators:

Sponsors:

Founding Members:

  • At KI, our purpose is to create a positive impact on our customers, partners, and communities through employee ownership and a focus on user-centered design. Since 1941, we’ve done more than just manufacture furniture—we’ve listened, learned, and helped our customers design spaces that inspire and serve the people who use them. This isn’t just our business; it’s our mission. By prioritizing the needs of our customers and end users, we aim to make a meaningful difference in their lives, as well as in the lives of our employees and the communities where we live and work.

  • Interface is a global leader in modular flooring, offering an integrated collection of carpet tile, premium rugs, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and nora® rubber. Our flooring is designed to stand up, stand out and stand for something. Our ambition is to create products that are made for more inspiration, more climate progress, more performance, and more ways transform spaces into environments that can enrich people’s lives. That’s why we’re Made for More™. 

  •  Rockfon is part of ROCKWOOL Group, the world leader in stone wool manufacturing, transforming volcanic rock into safe, sustainable products. We are committed to enriching the lives of everyone who experiences our products and to helping customers and communities tackle today’s sustainability challenges. 

    Rockfon is the only stone wool ceiling tile manufacturer in North America, offering a durable, high-performance acoustic ceiling solution that addresses challenges the built environment faces today; noise, the risk of smoke & fire, mold, mildew and more. With high acoustic performance and low embodied carbon, our products are supported with a comprehensive range of sustainability documentation.

Industry Partners:

Smith System

Tarkett

VS

CAUSE Supporters:

JE Dunn

In2 Architecture

Organizational Partners:

21st Century School Fund

American Education Research Association

Association for Learning Environments

Center for Green Schools

Children's Environmental Health Network

Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)

EDmarket

Learning by Design

National School Plant Management Association (NSPMA)

Our Team:

Research Co-Leads:

Renae Mantooth Headshot
Renae Mantooth, PhD
HKS
Michael Ralph Headshot
Michael Ralph, PhD
Multistudio
Erika Eitland Headshot
Erika Eitland, ScD
Perkins&Will
Raechel French Headshot
Raechel French, PhD
Austin ISD

Project Support:

Aletta Van der Walt
Aletta Van der Walt
CADRE
Jacob Williams
Jacob Williams
CADRE
Brad Hughes
Brad Hughes
NOMA Fellow
Alex Rett
Alex Rett
CAUSE Fellow

Advisory Committees:

School Design:

Kelly Brucher

JE Dunn

Laura Casai

Kingscott Associates

Robert Dillon, PhD

Intentional School Designs

Linda Dove

Meteor Education

Maya Fraser

Quinn Evans

Leonardo Gonzalez Sangri

HKS

Catherine Hefler

Architecture49, Inc.

Celeste Karier

FGM Architects

Sita Lakshminarayan

HKS

Shivani Langer

Perkins&Will

Emily McGinnis

KI

Tommy Miller

Interface

Scot Morris

Smith System

Irene Nigaglioni

In2 Architecture

Heidi Neumueller

Cunningham

Shaun O’Donnell

Perkins Eastman

David Reid

Multistudio

Cleveland Reeves

BVH

Brad Rodgers

Perkins&Will

Stacy Roth

Multistudio

Jessie Sticklor-Lipson

Fielding International

Design Research:

Emily Chmielewski

Perkins Eastman

Amanda Gale

UNC Greensboro

Marcel Harmon

BranchPattern

Cierra Mantz

Fielding International

Juan Matta

KI

Upali Nanda, PhD

HKS

Kimari Phillips

LPA

Traci Rider, PhD

NC State University

Brad Rogers

Perkins&Will

Dustin Saalman, PhD

NAC Architecture

Lennie Scott-Weber, PhD

INSYNC

Helia Taheri, PhD

Arcadis

Education Policy:

Jill Ackers

VS America

James Basham

University of Kansas

Edna Butts

Austin ISD

Page Dettmann

Meteor Education

Mary Filardo

21st Century School Fund

Katelyn Forcucci

PD by Mien

Kyle Gorrell

LSR7 School District

Brad Kiehl

HTK Architects

Danelle Marsden

Scott Rice Office Works

Lorraine Maxwell

Cornell University

B Sanborn

DLR Group

Andrea Swiatocha

US Department of Energy

Ken Wertz

NSPMA

Nse Witherspoon

CEHN

Xuemei Zhu

Texas A&M University

Hear from one of our Co-Leads:

Our Timeline:

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