Why Optimal Learning Environments Matter.

A presentation examines the empirical research on the quality of children's social and educational experiences in educational environments and discusses why the public should be concerned with providing optimal environments for learning. It explores what an optimal learning environment is and provides its five attributes, including its ability to foster strong formal and informal leaders where teachers are treated as professionals; its ability to be learner-centered; and its being created and sustained through parental and community attention, collaboration, and partnerships. (GR)