EPA, 2016. Numerous sources of funding are available to create and support healthy, productive school environments for students and staff. The links on this page describe how to find a variety of funding sources, including grants, tax credits, loans and others.
Category: Recent Additions
Does Physical Environment Contribute to Basic Psychological Needs? A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Learning in the Chemistry Laboratory
Sjöblom, Mälkki, Sandström, & Lonkam, 2016
The role of motivation and emotions in learning has been extensively studied in recent years; however, research on the role of the physical environment still remains scarce. This study examined the role of the physical environment in the learning process from the perspective of basic psychological needs. Although self-determination theory stresses the role of the social and cultural environment, as yet the role of the physical environment has been unexplored. The study focused on beginning chemistry university students’ (n=21) experiences in a chemistry laboratory. The data consisted of focus-group interviews and self-report questionnaires. The results indicate that the physical environment can support or thwart the fulfillment of the basic psychological needs. The usability and functionality of spaces and tools contributed to not just the fluency of the intellectual activity but also to the related emotional experience of oneself acting in a particular environment. The physical environment was a source of procedural facilitation: It complemented and challenged the students’ existing skills, contributing to their experiences of autonomy and competence. The everyday successes or struggles in the laboratory built on the students’ developing professional identity as well as their sense of belonging to the professional community. This study demonstrates that the design and functionality of the physical environment has a significant role in users’ intellectual and emotional functioning. It is essential to utilize psychological and pedagogical knowledge when designing or renovating work and learning environments in order to fully make use of the potential of physical environments as part of human performance.
Managing Asthma: A Guide for Schools
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014.
ASTHMA IS COMMON AMONG STUDENTS
Approximately 7 million children younger than 18 years of age in the United States have asthma.1
In a classroom of 30 students, about 3 currently have asthma.2 This rate may be higher in densely populated communities or among certain population groups. For instance, among African American children, 1 in 6 has asthma, an increase of nearly 50 percent from 2001 to 2009.3 Among Puerto Rican children, 1 in 5 has asthma, more than double the rate among Hispanic children overall.4 Additionally, there may be students who have asthma but have not been diagnosed.
ASTHMA IS A LEADING CAUSE OF SCHOOL ABSENTEEISM
Studies have shown that many students who have asthma miss school because of their disease. Asthma can lead to absenteeism for a variety
of reasons, such as symptoms, doctor visits, hospitalizations, the need to avoid environmental triggers at school, and sleep deprivation due to nighttime asthma attacks.5 Nearly half of students who have asthma miss at least one day of school each year because of their disease.6 In 2008, on average, students missed 4 days of school because of asthma.7
- Akinbami LJ, Moorman JE, Bailey C, Zahran HS, King M, Johnson CA,
Liu X. Trends in asthma prevalence, health care use, and mortality in the United States, 2001–2010. NCHS Data Brief No. 94. Hyattsville, MD: CDC; 2012. - CDC. Asthma and Schools [online]. Available from www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/asthma. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- CDC. Vital Signs: Asthma in the U.S. May 2011. Available from www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Asthma. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- National Health Interview Survey, National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. National Health Interview Survey, 2010. Table 4-1. Available from www.cdc.gov/asthma/nhis/2010/table4-1.htm. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- Basch CE. Asthma and the achievement gap among urban minority youth.
J School Health 2011;81(10):606-13. Available from http://onlinelibrary.wiley. com/doi/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00634.x/full. Accessed September 9, 2014. - CDC. Asthma’s Impact on the Nation. May 8, 2012. Available from www.cdc.gov/asthma/impacts_nation/asthmafactsheet.pdf. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- CDC. Vital Signs: Asthma in the U.S. May 2011. Available from www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/Asthma. Accessed July 1, 2014.
- Cohen DE. Asthma and school functioning. Health Reports 2010;21(4). Available from www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2010004/article/ 11363-eng.pdf. Accessed July 1, 2014.
UNCONTROLLED ASTHMA CAN LEAD TO DECREASED ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
When compared with students who do not have
a chronic condition, students who have asthma have decreased academic performance, according to standardized test scores and parental reports. More severe asthma is associated with poorer performance.8,9 Lower readiness scores were
found among kindergarteners who have asthma10; and entering school with asthma was found to be linked with lower reading scores after the first year.11 Effective management of asthma can eliminate potential challenges and obstacles to effective learning and academic success.12
ASTHMA CAN BE CONTROLLED— AND SCHOOLS CAN HELP
Through the use of well-coordinated asthma management programs, schools can play an effective role in helping students keep their asthma under control. Learn what your school can do to provide quality care for students who have asthma; be prepared to handle asthma emergencies; create an environment with fewer asthma triggers; and promote education and partnerships that support good asthma control.
Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Coordinator’s Guide A Guide to Implementing an IAQ Program
EPA, 2009.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ Tools for Schools) Program to help schools assess and improve indoor air quality (IAQ). IAQ is becoming an increasingly important issue in our nation’s schools. Approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population—nearly 56 million people—spend their days inside elementary and secondary schools. Good IAQ assists schools with their core mission—educating children. The background information and activities in this voluntary program are directed toward existing schools in the kindergarten through twelfth grade range, but colleges, universities, preschool, and day-care centers could benefit by applying the principles and activities presented.
HEALTHY CLEANING & ASTHMA-SAFER SCHOOLS A HOW-TO GUIDE
California Department of Public Health, 2014.
School Facilities and Sustainability-Related Concepts: A Study of Hellenic Secondary School Principals’, Teachers’, Pupils’ and Parents’ Responses
Zepatou, Loizidoe, Chaloulakou, & Spyrellis, 2016
Effective building environment sustainability frameworks and practices need to take users’ opinions into account. For this purpose, a survey questionnaire was developed and the “Panhellenic survey of school spaces, materials and environmental-comfort conditions in secondary schools and perceptions, stances and attitudes of pupils, teachers, principals and parents towards sustainable construction and the selection and use of materials in schools that are friendly to the environment and human health” was conducted nationwide with a random stratified sample of 170 Hellenic public secondary schools. Selected findings are presented and discussed here. These show that existing school facilities are primarily rated as good and that selection and use of materials friendly to the environment and human health are extremely important. User groups believe that they should participate in planning/selecting sustainable solutions for schools. An Index of 10 School Environment Desired Outcomes associated with environmentally friendly and health-friendly materials selection and use was devised. Relevant factors were extracted and interpreted. The research establishes users’ subjective opinions that may be considered and integrated into procedures for improving school buildings, assessing and selecting environmentally friendly materials and implementing strategies for sustainable school design, building and operation.
Characteristics of Joint Use Agreements in School Districts in the United States: Findings From the School Health Policies and Practices Study, 2012
Jones & Wendel, 2015
Introduction
Joint use or shared use of public school facilities provides community access to facilities for varied purposes. We examined a nationally representative sample of school districts in the United States to identify characteristics associated with having a formal joint use agreement (JUA) and with the kinds of uses to which JUAs apply.
Methods
We analyzed data from the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study. The response rate for the module containing questions about formal JUAs was 60.1% (N = 630). We used multivariate logistic regression models to examine the adjusted odds of having a formal JUA and χ2 analyses to examine differences in district characteristics associated with the uses of the JUA.
Results
Among the 61.6% of school districts with a formal JUA, more than 80% had an agreement for the use of indoor and outdoor recreation facilities; other uses also were identified. JUAs were more common in urban than rural areas, in large than small school districts, and in the West compared with the Midwest, South, and Northeast.
Consclusion
In many districts, school facilities appear to be an untapped resource for community members. Formal JUAs provide an opportunity for shared use while addressing issues of liability, cost, and logistics.
Planning Classroom Design and Layout to Increase Pedagogical Options for Secondary Teachers
Ford, 2016
The places where high school teachers teach have a relationship with what and how their students learn. Certain aspects of the physical environment have been examined for decades, such as those that affect basic physiological needs including but not limited to climate control, air quality, appropriate lighting, and cleanliness. In addition to these needs, it is important to examine learning spaces in light of the changing pedagogies that teachers are being encouraged to employ with this current generation of students. Pedagogies are continually being added to and adapted; however, improvements in the physical environment are not always considered components of these curriculum adjustments. Without the proper facilities, teachers are limited in the pedagogical techniques they can utilize. As teachers are being required to differentiate teaching strategies, they need to be provided with the appropriate resources, including the most effective physical environments and classroom layouts and the training to use those spaces effectively. Continued studies are necessary to elucidate evidence for those aspects of the physical learning environment that are most effective for aiding in 21st century learning.
Asthma Environmental Intervention Guide for School-Based Health Centers
Regional Asthma Management & Prevention (RAMP) & California School-Based Health Alliance, 2015.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by recurrent episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. Asthma symptoms are triggered by a variety of environmental factors: allergens like pollens and cockroaches or irritants like tobacco smoke and air pollution. These environmental asthma triggers cause inflammation, obstruction, and constriction of the lungs’ airways making it difficult—and sometimes impossible—to breathe. Reducing or eliminating exposure to these triggers can improve a patient’s ability to manage their asthma symptoms.
Although there is a broad array of evidence-based interventions to address asthma triggers, many people with asthma continue to be exposed to the factors that make their asthma worse. School-based health centers (SBHCs) are uniquely positioned to address this gap in order to help children breathe easier. While many SBHCs across the country are already playing a key role in helping students manage their asthma by providing quality clinical care and education, there is an opportunity for SBHCs to also be leaders in managing the environmental factors that make asthma worse. This guide describes the types of interventions that SBHC staff can initiate or support to reduce exposure to environmental asthma triggers.
Planning For A School Building Renovation
Earthman and Cash, 2016
Many school systems in the United States face the prospect of renovating existing buildings rather than constructing new facilities because of budgetary limitations and constraints. The least disruption to the educational process when a building is scheduled for renovation is to move the student body to a vacant building. This option is not available to the vast majority of school systems and the student body must remain in the building while the renovation takes place. Students are moved from space to space in the building as renovation takes place. Obviously the renovation process is a disruption to the educational process. Some research substantiates this assertion (Maxwell, 1996). She found that the student achievement scores dropped during the period of renovation in both the third and sixth grade mathematics and reading scores. The student scores increased when the students returned to newly renovated buildings. There is some recent research, however, that indicates student performance during the renovation process is not as disrupted as previously thought. Mayo (2010), Norman (2014), and Thompson (2014) investigated the influence a renovation had upon student achievement while enrolled in a building during a renovation. They compared student scores during three time periods – pre-renovation, during the renovation and post renovation. All of the researchers found there was no significant difference in student scores during all three phases of the renovation process. Additional research (Wheeler, 2014) suggests that teachers may be doing something to keep student performance at a high level during a disruption of the educational program. In Wheeler’s study of teacher reaction to such a disruption, teachers suggested that close collaboration, focusing upon the necessary elements of the curriculum, increased use of technology, and collaboration of faculty to provide resources for alternative activities in the classroom might help keep students on task and perform better. Such activates on the part of the faculty might ease the disruption of a renovation and maintain student progress.
