Federal Way parents might wholeheartedly agree with Susan Kovalik when she asserts that the teenage brain operates differently than that of an adult. When charged with the task of deciphering the mind of a 16-year-old, what tools to these parents have?

They'll have to come to her seminars at the Center for Human Brain and Human Learning to find out, Kovalik says.

The center's founder and director, along with a staff of 30, promise to help unravel the mysteries of the developing mind and teach their clients the ways in which their brains' receive and process information.

Serving as a retreat center as well, they also hope to attract a steady business of customers looking to host an event or conference in the center's wooded and peaceful surroundings seeped in feng shui and mood lighting.

At the center's grand opening last Thursday evening, Kovalik and her staff introduced about 75 Federal Way residents and community leaders to the facility and the work that has become their passion for the past 28 years. Mayor Mike Park, Judge Michael Tracy and members of the city council sipped punch and nibbled catered smoked salmon inside the building that once served as the Federal Way District Courthourse before it moved to the new city hall building nearby.

Besides serving as a year round conference and retreat center, the 10,000-square-foot facility at 33506 10th Place South is also the new home to the Center for the Future of Public Education and Books for Educators, Inc, as well as Susan Kovalik and Associates.

Relocating from a small facility in a Covington strip mall, Kovalik looked across most of western Washington in search of the perfect setting for the center. They settled on the Federal Way building because of its secluded, wooded and tranquil setting.

Kovalik, a white-haired, fiery and enthusiastic woman, started her career as an elementary school teacher in San Francisco. Since then, she became increasingly interested in how the brain learns, and what kind of environments either promote or obstruct learning.

She has designed everything at the center, from layout to lighting, to promote brain function.

"At the Center here in Federal Way, participants will experience firsthand the effects of a truly brain-compatible learning and working environment," Kovalik told visitors at her grand opening.

She's dedicated thousands of hours and dollars to turning the vacant courthouse into the headquarters of her organization.

"I'd like to tell you I was a brunette before this project began," laughed Kovalik, pointing to the white locks of hair that stood out against her bright pink suit, "but I'd be lying."

In 1980, Kovalik developed a model for curriculum and instruction based on brain research called ITI, or Integrated Thematic Instruction. At the core of ITI is the concept that "being there" experiences give students common ground from which to build understanding and knowledge.

When standards and benchmarks, such as assessment tests, are tied to these experiences, students understand and apply skills at a conceptual level.

It's the traditional field trip taken to a whole new level.

Kovalik gives the example of having students visit a local car dealership to see how mathematics is important for sales and marketing or observe the how oral and written communication skills are important as orders are places and sales are finalized.

According to the ITI model, once students are back in the classroom, they figure out the base cost of a car and the percentage of dealer markup, write a proper business letter to the city council regarding sign ordinances for advertising automobiles, plot the increase in number of automobiles during the past 50 years, or consider the effect of growth in relation to pollution, road development and traffic. Real-world contexts, taking students out into the community each week, are crucial for students to develop a comprehensive understanding.

In 1984, Kovalik formed a company to help educators apply brain research findings to the classroom. Since then, her company provides model teaching weeks, workshops and seminars throughout the United States and around the world and Kovalik says that more than 40,000 teachers have attended the one-week experience, learning how their students respond to brain-compatible curriculum and instructional strategies.

Her educational model, in conjunction with improvements in the physical educational environments, such as converting from fluorescent lighting (proven by recent research to inhibit brain function) to natural or full-spectrum lighting, synthesizes what scientists have discovered about the human brain over the past three decades and optimizes learning in fundamental ways.

Kovalik has branched out by offering businesses "workplace climate assessment".

By making simple changes in environment, such as the aforementioned lighting, and converting wall and carpet colors to neutral, warm tones, she has helped scores of companies increase their productivity.

"Our brains respond to colors, light, sound and tension in some very predictable ways...a brain-compatible environment is one in which the physical and emotional setting is intentionally designed for the brain to do its best work naturally...by applying recent brain research, we can now orchestrate environments that enhance capacity and productivity," explained Kovalik.

The conference and retreat center is a full-service facility. They supply catering, all technological support such as projectors, SVGA splitters and wireless microphones, and event coordination. The largest conference room, the Crystal Mountain Room, seats 144 at tables or 287 in audience-style seating and is equipped with wireless microphone, wireless Internet access and two drop-down screens.

The center also offers seminars for educators and parents. The first one of this year will be on February 1, from 7 to 9 pm, and the topic is "The Teen Brain." Kovalik says parents will learn a practical understanding of the biological learning processes in their child, a plan for enhancing their physical environment, methods for monitoring success and receive an individualized action plan. A single session with handouts costs $40. Upcoming topics include "Enhancing the Capacity of Young Children", "ADD and ADHA" and "Using Brain Research to Enrich the Development of Children with Special Needs". Contact the Center for Human Brain and Human Learning at 253-681-6161 or www.theCenter-ska.org for more information.

Additional reporting by Seth Bynum