Great School Leaders Find New Learning Uses for Spaces in Their Buildings

Michael Keany

September 2026

Walk through almost any school, and you will find spaces whose purpose was determined decades ago. The library is for books. The cafeteria is for lunch. Hallways move students from one room to another. The auditorium hosts assemblies. Classrooms contain desks and chairs facing the teacher.

Great school leaders see something different.

They ask: What else could happen here?

Increasingly, educators are recognizing that the physical environment is not simply the container in which education occurs. Space itself can become an instructional resource. A 2026 systematic review of 118 studies found that flexible spaces—featuring elements such as movable seating, collaborative work surfaces, varied learning zones, and environmental controls—can support collaboration, inventive thinking, learner autonomy, and different forms of instruction when those spaces are intentionally aligned with pedagogy.

The important phrase is intentionally aligned. Buying beanbag chairs and rolling tables does not transform learning. Research on flexible learning environments warns that the space itself does not guarantee instructional change; thoughtful planning, teacher collaboration, and pedagogy determine whether redesigned spaces actually make a difference.

That means principals should begin not with furniture catalogs, but with a building walk.

Look at the School With Fresh Eyes

Imagine converting an oversized hallway alcove into a small-group tutoring area. An underused computer lab might become a makerspace. A cafeteria could become a presentation and exhibition space between meal periods. An outdoor courtyard might support science observations, writing workshops, art, or independent reading.

Even stairwells, entrances, and corridors can become learning environments. Student writing can replace generic decorations. Walls can display evolving mathematical problems, historical timelines, vocabulary challenges, student research, or questions that invite students to stop and think.

The library may offer the greatest opportunity of all.

Teacher-librarian Sue Ducau recently described transforming her K–8 library into several distinct environments, including a makerspace, flexible Learning Lab, and quieter “Reading Nest.” Some students could collaborate and create while others read, draw, talk quietly, or take a purposeful break. The objective was not merely to redesign a library. It was to create a place supporting learning, belonging, and student well-being.

Start With Learning, Not Space

A useful question for principals is:

“What do we want students to be able to do that our current building makes difficult?”

Perhaps teachers need places where four students can meet without occupying an entire classroom. Students may need somewhere to rehearse presentations, record podcasts, construct prototypes, receive tutoring, or work quietly.

Once the learning need is identified, leaders can search for space.

The solution may cost surprisingly little. Ducau used donated items, repurposed furniture, thrift-store purchases, and materials already stored in the school.

Let Students Help

Students should also be invited into the process. Ask them:

Where do you learn best? Where would you go to work with three classmates? Where could you think quietly? What unused place in this building could become something better?

Their answers may surprise adults.

Great principals understand that school improvement does not always require a new program, technology platform, staffing position, or multimillion-dollar construction project.

Sometimes improvement begins with looking at something familiar differently.

So, during your next building walk, don't simply ask whether classrooms are clean, bulletin boards are current, and hallways are orderly.

Stop occasionally and ask:

“What kind of learning could happen here?”

A great school leader sees not just the building that exists today, but the learning environment it could become tomorrow.

References

1. Sathish, S., & Lau, S-K. (2026). Spatial flexibility and 21st-century education: A review-informed synthesis of learning-oriented classroom design attributes. Educational Research Review.

2. Ducau, S. (2026, August 28). How K–8 Libraries Can Be Hubs of Student Well-Being. Edutopia.

3. Reinius, H., Korhonen, T., & Hakkarainen, K. (2021). The design of learning spaces matters: Perceived impact of the deskless school on learning and teaching. Learning Environments Research, 24, 339–354.

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (5.2) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com