ADVANCES IN SMALL-SCHOOL DESIGN

Do students learn better in smaller environments? U.S. Department of Education research reveals that small schools foster increased academic achievement, higher rates of graduation, improved behavior, and greater satisfaction among families, students, and teachers. Next week writer Jennifer LeClaire will show how the Harry S. Truman High School in Federal Way, Washington, designed by Seattle-based Mahlum Architects (photo by Benjamin Benschneider) is flexible enough to accommodate a "smaller is better" approach to education and innovative enough to win top honors from the Council of Educational Facility Planners International.

THE GRAND BAZAAR OF CITIES

A celebration of cities was the theme of the XXII World Congress of Architecture, this year held in Istanbul, Turkey. The sponsoring organization, the International Union of Architects, unites professional architects, teachers, and students all over the world by promoting multidisciplinary exchange, sustainable development, and architectural education. Next week, architecture professor Alison B. Snyder will explain how this year’s congress presented different points of view about designer responsibility and how new architecture might be conceived for the 21st century.