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MON-B06: Shape the Future—One Schoolyard at a Time

Monday, October 13, 2025
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM CT
Location: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Room 206-207
1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AIA/HSW, AICP, NY/HSW, FL

There are nearly 100,000 public schools nationwide, and schoolyards can become vital centers in every community. This session examines transformative strategies for urban and rural schoolyards and a playbook for growing the movement through policies and funding strategies that position community schoolyards as a national standard—and a defining opportunity for the profession.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understand the important role that professional designers can play in transforming schoolyards—and in turn, our future leaders—through policy changes and innovative designs.
  • Examine transformative strategies for urban and rural schoolyards, emphasizing scalable, system-wide approaches to maximize their role as multi-use spaces for play, learning, cultural connection, and environmental impact.
  • Learn about the importance of public funding in schoolyard improvements and how communities are crossing this threshold on a local, state, and national level.
  • Explore the challenges and opportunities in schoolyard transformations, how they can be leveraged to enhance the public realm, and how to actively contribute to this critical movement.