Keeping track of nearly 6,000 school improvement projects at once was a tough assignment for education officials in Arizona. So they turned to a handy educational resource–a large Web-based extranet that now links the state's 228 school districts with architects, contractors and statewide supervisors to promote design and construction collaboration and ensure a transparent management process for Arizona's $1.1-billion upgrading program.

Schools in many parts of the U.S. are straining to keep up with population growth and states are earmarking billions of dollars in new funding to build, expand or renovate facilities. Projects are proliferating and management can be daunting. Extranets are becoming a key tool to link myriad project participants and ensure that facilities are ready to open on the first day of school without busting often tight budgets.