The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI)
The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) is the only professional organization whose principle purpose is improving the places where children learn®. CEFPI members are the front-line decision makers regarding the built environment and are the professionals who set and govern policy and who plan, design, build, maintain, and operate school facilities. With nearly 4,000 educational facility practitioners dedicated to this mission, CEFPI serves its membership through professional development opportunities, innovative resources, information distribution and partnerships with affiliate groups that have similar interests and related initiatives.
In 2002 the Council released a substantial revision to its cornerstone publication, Creating Connections: The CEFPI Guide for Educational Facility Planning. This highly referenced document addresses the many components and considerations of a comprehensive and holistic planning process that is focused on improving education by improving the learning environment. The publication defines a process that results in a facility that serves the educational program, the needs of the students, staff, and the community, and which is healthy, safe and a positive environment for all users. The publication is organized into 15 chapters, which lead the user from the planning/pre-design phase through post-occupancy assessment. The content is independent in format but interrelated and necessary for a successful process of educational facility planning. Its tone is directed toward the novice, while referencing outside resources that will help the expert in more in-depth and complex issues to be considered.
San Diego State University, The College of Education, The National Center for the 21st Century Schoolhouse and The Interwork Institute
With nearly 33,000 students and 6, 400 faculty and staff, San Diego State University (SDSU), is one of the largest universities in the western United States. SDSU is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as "Doctoral/Research University- Intensive", placing it among the top 7 percent of higher education institutions in the U.S. SDSU's College of Extended Studies offers more than 30 professional certificate programs.
In concert with the College of Extended Studies, SDSU’s Interwork Institute Center for Distance Learning (II-CDL) provides customized and innovative education and training solutions to audiences nationally and internationally. II-CDL uses state of the art digital technologies to access high quality education and training programs, offering online education and learning support systems that are rigorous, yet engaging, and are grounded in real world settings. Through their programs, students establish networks with peers, colleagues and experts around the world, enabling collaboration no matter the physical location of participants.
The College of Education (COE) at SDSU has been recognized nationally for its academic excellence. The Association of Teacher Educators twice cited the College as the best program of teacher education in North America. The College serves an estimated 1,500 credential, 850 master’s, and 135 doctoral students each year. The program credentials approximately ninety candidates annually.
Established in mid-2000, the National Center for the Twenty-first Century Schoolhouse supports the planning, design, and redesign of school facilities from a learner-centered perspective through communication, research, and training. Housed within SDSU’s College of Education, the National Center facilitates focused discussion of the interrelationships between educational programming and school design and disseminates the outcomes to interested parties. The National Center serves as a source of accurate data, a source of sound analysis, a source of quality training, a forum for interest groups, and a facilitator of productive interrelationships.
