Community Schools Workshop

How can a school’s design and programming enhance learning, resiliency, and wellness not only for students and teachers but the community as a whole? Working with stakeholders across the country, we have seen growing interest in community school models that offer a wider array of services than conventional schools. To help communities explore this more expansive role, we are creating a toolkit with interactive resources and actionable plans that architects can use to start the conversation. This session will provide a summary of our research to date, as well as a facilitated panel focusing on community school partnerships with a variety of organizations (health, food access and nutrition, and social emotional learning/support) and community schools in different geographical contexts (rural and urban).

Speakers:
Bruce Levine, Associate Clinical Professor, Drexel University School of Education
Rebecca Milne, Director of Design Strategy, Perkins Eastman
Sean O’Donnell, FAIA, Principal, K-12 Practice Leader, Perkins Eastman
Katrina Struloeff, Urban Education Expert, Drexel University

About the Speakers:
Bruce Levine is an Associate clinical Professor at Drexel University’s School of Education, where he serves as the Director of the Educational Policy program, the M.S. degree in Education Improvement and Transformation, and co-chair of the school’s Office of Lifelong Learning. His current research includes the exploration of community school models in US education, civic and media literacy, legal implications of education technology, and the relationships between the educational enterprise and workforce development. In addition to his 16-year tenure at Drexel, he has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of law, management consulting, start-up management, and economic/workforce development. He has been associated with leading firms and organizations in their respective industries.

Rebecca Milne is the Director of Design Strategy at Perkins Eastman. Her background in neuropsychology and architecture informs her research and design, which focuses on the connection between space and the human experience. Her strategic approach applies design thinking through a human-centric lens to find innovative solutions that build resilience, create value, and maximize growth. From targeted research consulting and change management services, to design and support throughout all project phases, she works across practice areas to translate research-based strategies into effective, and user-driven design solutions. As a published researcher and designer, Milne has pioneered several studies examining collaboration and individualization in the workplace, healthcare, and education environments. Milne’s research and guidance help teams create meaningful spaces for people to live, work, heal, and play.

Sean O’Donnell oversees and advises diverse project teams on new and best practices in design for learning environments. He leads Perkins Eastman’s international K-12 education practice and understands how intrinsic learning is to the human experience. O’Donnell seeks to revolutionize schools through his work, transforming expectations of their role in educating future leaders. He sees the school as the center of its community and brings together civic architecture, sustainable design, and innovative educational planning to create high-performing, inspiring places where students learn and grow. A global thought leader in education design and co-director of the Consortium for Design and Education Outcomes, a research partnership with Drexel University’s School of Education, O’Donnell conducts innovative research and speaks about transformative, sustainable learning environments around the world. He is deeply committed to sustainable school design and serves on the Board of Directors for the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools.

Katrina Struloeff is an experienced K-12 urban educator with a background in non-profit operations, educational development, and communications. Prior to joining Drexel, Struloeff spent seven years in the New Orleans public charter school landscape as a middle school and high school administrator focusing on operations, facilities, transportation, and student community relations. She has facilitated national training for organizations that serve youth and families in vulnerable positions; taught arts, STEM, and entrepreneurship to youth; engaged with community activism and social enterprise incubation; and led partnerships with numerous national and regional organizations for information-sharing and innovative evidence-based programming. She earned a Master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College in public policy, with a focus on nonprofit management. Her research interests focus on leadership and education policy including equity gaps and representation for women and minority populations, civic education, policy design, and the connection of schools and communities.

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