The purpose of this thesis is to explore the policies which hinder the use of historic neighborhood schools as schools. The adoption of large acreage requirements, funding formulas which favor new construction over rehabilitation, and modern building codes lead to the abandonment of neighborhood schools and the creation of poorlydesigned new schools that instigate urban sprawl. Education specialists agree that smaller schools equal a better education. Historic schools offer this type of learning environment and have proven to be adaptable for other uses, bolstering the argument for their structural flexibility. Research is focused on adverse planning and education policies and the implications for our quality of life and health. Creative policies that deviate from the norm and provide good alternatives to school sprawl are presented as a way for communities to adopt policies that encourage the rehabilitation of historic schools for schools and the construction of small neighborhood schools.