OECD - Six international experts involved in the OECD CELE's International Pilot Project on Evaluating Quality in Educational Spaces (EQES) reflect on the importance of evaluation in improving understanding of the relationship between educational effectiveness and the physical learning environment.
“All individuals have a right to a quality educational facility, a physical space that supports multiple and diverse teaching and learning programmes and pedagogies, including current technologies; one that demonstrates optimal, cost-effective building performance and operation over time; one that respects and is in harmony with the environment; and one that encourages social participation, providing a healthy, comfortable, safe, secure and stimulating setting for its occupants.”
Ensuring the quality of educational facilities is a policy priority in many OECD countries. The above statement summarises the conclusions of experts participating in three OECD meetings in 2005-06 on “Evaluating Quality in Educational Facilities". In 2005, the OECD Programme on Educational Building (PEB) brought together experts from over 20 countries in two experts' group meetings to discuss how they define and measure quality in educational facilities. In 2006, the OECD/PEB Governing Board agreed to form a Working Group on Evaluating Quality on Educational Facilities to advance this work. In 2009, this work encompasses numerous strands.
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Papers from Experts' Group Meetings on Evaluating Quality in Educational Facilities, 2005.
Second ad hoc Experts' Group Meeting on Evaluating Quality in Educational Facilities, Telchac-Puerto, Mexico, 3-4 October 2005, organised by the OECD Programme on Educational Building, and the Administrative Board of the Federal School Construction Programme (CAPFCE) and the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP), Mexico:
First ad hoc Experts' Group Meeting on Evaluating Quality in Educational Facilities, Lisbon, Portugal, 1-3 June 2005, organised by the OECD Programme on Educational Building and the Ministry of Education, Portugal:
