The new middle school: Participatory design and outcomes

Effective school design is a multi-faceted endeavor that involves an assessment of academic goals, an evaluation of architectural factors, a survey of current research and trends, and an understanding of past precedent. However, despite these efforts, the specific sociological needs of the occupants that use the school facilities are often overlooked. This thesis explores student and faculty opinions on the predominant trends in educational architecture as they pertain to the "social" spaces of the current CCSD middle school prototype.; The primary purpose of this thesis is to explore the attitudes of students and faculty with respect to their current middle school design in order to contribute to the conception of a new middle school prototype for the Clark County School District. The secondary purpose is to determine whether participation in the design of their middle school environment will establish a connection among student, faculty, and facility that will serve to enhance interest, motivation, and relationships.