This chapter explores how schools can partner with nature both architecturally and pedagogically to enhance educational experiences and community well-being. The research is grounded in John Dewey's century-old vision that schools should serve as social centers helping young people understand their world while preparing them for active citizenship and community engagement.
The study examines schools through three conceptual frameworks: green infrastructure (as defined by LEED certification), biophilic design (incorporating natural elements that satisfy humans' innate connection to nature), and ecosystem services (the benefits people derive from natural systems including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services). These approaches recognize that contact with nature benefits people, especially children, and that schools are uniquely positioned to provide this contact given their extensive land holdings across the United States.
The research presents detailed case studies of five public schools that demonstrate different approaches to nature partnerships. Kiowa County Schools in Greensburg, Kansas, represents new construction following tornado devastation, where community decision-making led to LEED Platinum certification with renewable energy, native prairie views, and energy-efficient design that saves substantial operational costs. Discovery Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, showcases net-zero energy design with rooftop solar panels, stormwater management, vertical gardens, and an interactive energy dashboard that makes sustainability tangible for students.
Three schools demonstrate how existing facilities can be transformed: Louis B. Nettelhorst School in Chicago combines historical architecture with outdoor classrooms, gardens, and community programming that revitalized both the school and neighborhood; Green School of Baltimore repurposed a former convent with nature-based curriculum organized around environmental concepts and partnerships with local conservation organizations; and Chester Arthur School in Philadelphia transformed 99% impermeable asphalt into a learning laboratory addressing stormwater management while dramatically increasing student play and community use.
The research also examines larger-scale initiatives including the Boston Schoolyard Initiative that transformed 88 schoolyards over nearly two decades, Chicago's Space to Grow program addressing urban flooding through green infrastructure, Philadelphia's partnership between schools and water departments, and Green Schoolyards America's response to COVID-19 with outdoor learning guidelines. These examples demonstrate how partnerships between schools, municipal authorities, non-profit organizations, and community residents can scale nature-based solutions across entire districts and regions.
The analysis reveals that schools pursue nature partnerships for various motivations, from energy cost savings and LEED certification to curriculum enhancement and community revitalization. Schools focused primarily on pedagogy often take holistic approaches incorporating biophilic design throughout their facilities and programming, while those motivated by energy efficiency discover additional benefits including enhanced learning environments and community connections. Successful partnerships typically require new or evolved staff roles, such as energy managers or community facilitators, to maintain and strengthen connections between schools, communities, and local ecology.
The chapter concludes that schools partnering with nature experience multiple co-benefits including reduced operational costs, enhanced academic opportunities through place-based learning, improved student physical activity and behavior, increased community cohesion, and environmental stewardship that extends beyond school grounds. These partnerships demonstrate practical applications of Dewey's vision for schools as social centers while addressing contemporary challenges of sustainability, health, and community resilience through connections to local ecology.
The Bottom Line
This chapter examines how public schools in the United States have partnered with nature to improve campus experiences and community outcomes. Drawing on John Dewey's philosophy that schools should help young people understand the world around them and serve as social centers, the research explores schools that have integrated green infrastructure, ecosystem services, biophilic design, and community hub approaches into their facilities and programming. Through case studies of five schools across urban, suburban, and rural contexts, the analysis reveals that motivations for nature partnerships include desires for environmentally sustainable infrastructure, developing social and ecological community networks, and delivering health and wellbeing benefits for students, teachers, staff, and broader community members. The findings demonstrate that schools can successfully partner with nature regardless of their circumstances, whether through new construction incorporating renewable energy and native landscapes or retrofitting existing facilities with gardens, outdoor classrooms, and stormwater management systems that transform asphalt into green learning spaces.