When Ron Bogle talks about schools, he doesn’t start with test scores or textbooks; he starts with people. The founder and CEO of the National Design Alliance and former president of the American Architectural Foundation has spent decades at the intersection of design, education, and civic innovation. His work, including the Reimagine America’s Schools initiative, explores how thoughtful design can help rebuild not only classrooms, but entire communities.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview, check it out on our YouTube Channel: [Link]
UTHH: You began your career in education as president of the Oklahoma City Board of Education before moving into architecture and design leadership. What first sparked your interest in how the built environment influences education?
Ron Bogle: It’s funny, I can’t pinpoint a single moment. I’d worked with architecture firms for years in marketing and management, so I’d seen firsthand how design shapes lives. When I was recruited to run for the school board, my kids were school-aged, and I thought it was a good civic duty. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into, it’s a little like learning how sausage is made.
What shocked me most was the condition of our school buildings. Oklahoma City had 96 schools, many literally falling apart. We couldn’t pass a funding initiative for decades, so we were using education funds just to fix roofs and replace windows. When we finally assessed the deferred maintenance costs, it was staggering; even with new bond issues every year for 15 years, we’d only make our buildings safe, not inspiring.
That realization led us to do something radically different. We built a partnership between the city and the school district, created a bold funding strategy, and raised nearly a billion dollars to rebuild or renovate every school. What really amazed me, though, was how excited people became about design, about imagining what their schools and neighborhoods could be. And sometimes, design leads innovation.
UTHH: That’s such a powerful shift. For readers who may not know your current work, can you share the mission behind the National Design Alliance and how Reimagine America’s Schools fits into that larger vision?
RB: After my time with the American Architectural Foundation, where we launched programs like Great Schools by Design and Design for Learning, I saw that design could be a tool for better educational outcomes, not just a backdrop. Too often, districts build schools that are 30 years old the day they open because the thinking behind them is outdated.
So in 2018, I founded the National Design Alliance with support from Schmidt Futures, led by former Executive Chair of Google, Eric Schmidt. Our flagship program, Reimagine America’s Schools, helps “change-ready” educators think differently about teaching, learning, and space. We bring architects, civic leaders, and educators together to co-create new models for what schools can be, not just physically, but socially and culturally.
UTHH: You’ve described schools as community hubs. What do communities lose when schools are under-designed or underfunded?
RB: In most cities, schools operate as separate entities; separate governance, funding, even separate priorities. That means they’re often in the community but not of it. Unless you’re a student or parent, you rarely step inside. That’s a huge loss.
During the pandemic, we asked: how can schools become true neighborhood anchors, especially in underserved communities? Out of that came our concept of education-centered community reinvestment, where cities and school districts rebuild neighborhoods together.
We’re piloting this in Atlanta, working with the mayor’s office and Atlanta Public Schools to redesign six neighborhoods. The schools become central hubs; places that might house a medical clinic, a pop-up grocery, even a dental program. These services improve the quality of life and make education more accessible. Atlanta’s leadership has been extraordinary; they’re showing what the future of city-building could look like.
UTHH: Speaking of the pandemic, do you think hybrid or tech-enabled learning has permanently changed what a school needs to be?
RB: Absolutely. During lockdown, we hosted conversations between architects, educators, and technologists to explore that very question. One architect said something that stuck with me: “We build dumb buildings and then layer technology on top.”
Technology should be integrated into the learning environment; into walls, floors, and shared spaces. But there’s a caution: technology can be heaven or hell. It can empower learning or be used for control. And we can’t ignore equity; tech follows the money. Affluent schools attract it easily, while under-resourced ones fall further behind. We need to ensure that access to technology, like access to water or electricity, is seen as a civic right, not a privilege.
UTHH: Budget and bureaucracy can slow modernization. What strategies help communities move forward despite those barriers?
RB: That’s a tough one. Urban districts are underfunded and still bear the scars of segregation. Mayors need to step up and see schools as civic infrastructure, not just classrooms, but engines of equity.
We also need to rethink how we govern and fund education. Cities and schools should be partners, not silos. Architects can play a vital role here. They can help districts visualize new possibilities, but only if they find leaders willing to be “change-ready.” You can’t design innovation for a client who doesn’t believe change is necessary.
UTHH: Let’s talk about that “change-ready” idea. How can architects and builders create schools that inspire both students and teachers?
RB: Collaboration is key. Too often, educators have little say in design decisions. But when architects and teachers sit down together, magic happens.
I’ll give you an example: we once worked with Joel Rose from New York City Public Schools on a program called School of One. He came to us knowing his math program wouldn’t fit a standard classroom. Together, we reimagined a new type of learning space. That collaboration birthed New Classrooms, now operating nationwide. It’s a reminder that sometimes design leads innovation.
Form follows function, but sometimes form creates new functions that we couldn’t have imagined before.
UTHH: What design principles should guide the next generation of schools?
RB: Flexibility and agility. The open-classroom model of the 1970s had flaws, but its spirit was right. Learning spaces should evolve, with movable walls, outdoor classrooms, and multipurpose zones.
Sustainability should also be visible and teachable. Some schools now use rainwater monitors, solar dashboards, or “edible playgrounds” to connect learning with the environment. Students can literally see how their buildings work.
Change in public schools is slow, often because leaders fear criticism. But showing real examples of success, especially from communities that look like yours, builds confidence. You can’t sell a Texas district on a San Francisco idea. You need local proof and trusted partnerships.
UTHH: You’ve described Reimagine America’s Schools as a movement. What does success look like ten years from now?
RB: Success means that schools and cities stop repeating the past. Our teams provide pro bono advisory work, helping districts imagine what’s possible before they ever hire a design firm.
We’re not drawing blueprints; we’re cultivating ideas. Think of us as the pre-design catalyst that prepares a district to be an informed, empowered client. In ten years, I’d love to see every major city treating design as a tool for civic equity, where schools are rebuilt not just as places of learning, but as engines of opportunity.
UTHH: If you could issue one challenge to mayors, school boards, and architects across America, what would it be?
RB: Engage innovative thinkers. Stop trying to solve 21st-century problems with 1950s solutions.
Look at mayors like Joe Riley in Charleston or Richard Daley in Chicago; they used design as a leadership tool to make their cities more livable and equitable. I’d challenge every city to do the same, especially in underserved neighborhoods that have waited too long for investment.
UTHH: Is it true that the design of early American schools mirrored factories, almost as a way to structure the workday for children while their parents labored?
RB: You’re not far off. The modern high school was essentially designed by early-20th-century industrialists, including the Mellons and their peers, who needed a standardized workforce. They wanted graduates who were uniformly educated, whether they came from Pittsburgh or Cleveland.
The model actually came from Prussia. There, education was organized around specific subjects taught in fixed time blocks. So when Americans adapted it, they built schools to match: classrooms aligned along hallways, bells marking time, and movement from one subject “station” to the next. It was efficient, predictable.
UTHH: And it produced a homogenous workforce. So in a sense, we’ve been replicating a factory system ever since?
RB: Part of public education’s role was to create homogeneity. Students took civics, and learned how things worked and what it was to be a good citizen. I believe that model still exists in a lot of communities; that’s the backbone of the American educational experience.
The system worked for an industrial era, but it doesn’t fit today’s world. For those that are looking for new ways of learning and frankly, better outcomes, there is a dramatic, important and significant role that the design and construction industry plays in supporting better ways of learning and better outcomes in education.
UTHH: Last question: what does your dream 21st-century school look and feel like?
RB: It should lift you up when you walk in; full of light, color, and energy. It connects to nature and community, not walls and fences.
But it’s not just about architecture. You can’t build a beautiful, innovative school and keep teaching like it’s 1920. The space should support how we learn now: collaboratively, creatively, and inclusively. Design can help us evolve beyond that model, to create schools that no longer churn out sameness but cultivate imagination, adaptability, and civic connection. That’s the real challenge of 21st-century education: to stop building for the past and start designing for possibility. We can do better.
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