The conference focused on effective practices in the planning of school facilities. Field experts addressed such issues as how to choose a planner, effective ways to include community members in the school facilities planning process, the "nuts and bolts" of establishing a multi-use school facility, what facility attributes contribute to learning and achievement, and the current research on small schools. The conference also provided extensive opportunities for discussion and sharing of experiences among participants.

Dr. George H. Copa delivered the keynote speech, discussing the importance of making decisions about learning as the first step in planning and designing a new building. Dr. Copa is a professor at the School of Education at Oregon State University. He serves as director of the research and development project, New Designs for Learning. He has held university administrative positions at the research center director, department chair, and vice-president levels. His work has been published in over 150 journal articles, reports, papers, and books. These publications include New Designs for the Comprehensive High School and New Designs for the Two-Year Institution of Higher Education that resulted from major projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education.