What if the buildings we design for learning could shape communities for generations?

In this episode, Mark Barga sits down with David Schrader, Principal at Schrader Group (now part of Cord Coplan Macht), to explore what it truly means to design schools that serve as community centers. From an unlikely start designing correctional facilities to walking through Alcatraz with drooped shoulders, David shares how he found his calling in academic design—and why he believes every school should feel like a town green surrounded by spaces where learning happens.

Takeaways:

• Start with the learner, not the line item: When districts lead with conversations about students and learning processes rather than dollars and timelines, you know you're stepping into something transformative
• True partnership means going on the journey together: The best projects span years—sometimes decades—of relationship building, surviving multiple boards and administrations while staying rooted in community values
• Flexibility isn't a buzzword—it's a warehouse mentality: Build simple structural bays where walls can move; combine that with modern furniture, and you've created adaptable environments the fifties never imagined
• Watch how industry thinks about space: The most forward-thinking work environments drip down through higher ed into K-12—and ideally, should start in pre-K and lift with learners throughout their journey
• The best buildings are community centers that happen to teach: Twenty years from now, success isn't about the design holding up—it's whether the building still feels like the heart of its community
• Design for timelessness, not trends: Avoid the puke-green glazed tile of one era or the split-face block and standing seam roofs of another—build something that can't be pinpointed to a decade

About David Schrader:

Principal, Academic Programmer, Planner, and Designer

For 35 years, David's professional experience has been focused on the design of next generation educational facilities. David acts as Principal-in-Charge and leads the design team throughout the project duration to develop and execute design solutions that achieve all client goals.

His ability to create a vision with his clients has fostered significant success for all involved including the client, the design team and the public-at-large. "Partnership in design is key to creating a better designed environment for each client."

Learn More About Kay-Twelve:

Website: https://kay-twelve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kay-twelve-com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kay_twelve/

Episode 308 of the Better Learning Podcast

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/

EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/

Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/

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