To economize, the district decided to replace lamps and ballasts without changing the fixtures. To save on sewer charges, the district installed credit meters on school-sprinkling systems. Custodians, at the heart of any energy-conservation movement, attest to the importance of doing some things on the sly. When they said it was cold, I knew it was really cold. Clyde Chamberlain removed every other tube in the fluorescent lights in Sellwood School's hallway.
Teachers say they try to incorporate energy conservation into the curriculum.
Sixth-graders at one school collected data, graphed numbers, wrote reports, and made presentations. When school officials vow to resign or take pay cuts if students' tests scores don't rise, you can be sure the age of accountability in education is here. Some lessons from the business world are applicable. And it did. This is precisely the challenge faced by American education.