Linking Schools And Smart Growth

"Sadly, most of our children will never experience these same memories because many of today's schools have more in common with an industrial park than a neighborhood-meeting place. Indeed, just down Ray Thorington Road in East Montgomery is one of the most alarming school results in the region: a brand new elementary school that must certainly rank among the least walkable schools in the state, with not a single sidewalk leading to the school -- thus creating a situation where not a single student can safely walk or ride a bicycle to that same school.

...So, how does this all affect the River Region? The answer is simple: if superintendents and school boards in this area do not immediately begin a crash course in the importance of small, neighborhood schools, then many of the Smart Growth advances made in this region could be hurt, if not even undone. The possibility of this occurring is directly tied to the reality that new schools often drive sprawl since families generally try to move to the best scoring schools and, sadly, those schools are commonly located in isolated suburban locations."