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Category: Peer-Reviewed Articles

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Gaines & Curry, 2011

Color impacts student behavior within the physical learning environment. Due to the move toward including students with disabilities in the general education classroom, functional color applications are critical. This article reviews and analyzes existing literature and empirical evidence related to use of color in the classroom for students of all abilities. The three major areas reviewed were (1) the inclusive classroom for students with disabilities, (2) color theory, and (3) the physiological and psychological aspects of color. The results show that color is important in designing functional learning spaces. The results of this analysis may benefit educators, parents, and design professionals in designing beneficial learning environments for all students.

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Lyons, 2001

This paper reviews research that correlates student achievement and the condition and utility of school facilities. The discussion focuses on the influence of various facility conditions on students, including building age, temperature and ventilation, acoustics, lighting, curriculum development, and school size. Research shows that older buildings may pose a variety of negative consequences for the learning process, while safe and modern schools with controlled environments enhance learning. More specifically, students who attend better buildings have test scores ranging from 5 to 17 percentile points higher than students in substandard facilities. The paper concludes by quoting a recent report suggesting that a school's condition may have a stronger influence on student performance and achievement than the combined influences of family background, socio-economic status, school attendance, and behavior.

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Earthman, Cash, and Berkum, 1995

A statewide survey of all high schools in North Dakota was undertaken to examine the relationship between achievement and behavior of students and the condition of the school building. The study used the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills as a measure of student achievement and the numbers of disciplinary incidents to record the behavior of students. The condition of the school building was determined by using an evaluative instrument used in previous studies. A relationship between the achievement of students and the building condition was found to exist in these schools. A relationship was also found between student behavior and school condition. The results of this study were. compared with previous studies using similar methodologies, but different populations. This study supports the growing body of research that suggests there is a positive relationship between achievement of students and the condition of the built environment in which they are housed.

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Earthman, 2002

This paper shows that the condition of school facilities has an important impact on student performance and teacher effectiveness. In particular, research demonstrates that comfortable classroom temperature and noise level are very important to efficient student performance. The age of school buildings is a useful proxy in this regard, since older facilities often have problems with thermal environment and noise level. A number of studies have measured overall building condition and its connection to student performance; these have consistently shown that students attending schools in better condition outperform students in substandard buildings by several percentage points. School building conditions also influence teacher effectiveness. Teachers report that physical improvements greatly enhance the teaching environment. Finally, school overcrowding also makes it harder for students to learn; this effect is greater for students from families of low socioeconomic status. Analyses show that class size reduction leads to higher student achievement.

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Cash and Twiford, 2010

This paper will provide a plethora of data that research has provided regarding how the learning environment can improve student performance.  Over a decade of research has consistently confirmed that the physical environment impacts the learning environment and student achievement.  In an era of data-driven decision making, one cannot ignore evidence that is quantified and specific.  Some factors require minimum investment, but provide significant return.  The authors, who come to the university after extended careers in K-12 public education, have benefited from their own responses to the findings.

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Campbell & Bigger, 2008

In 1992 APPA published a seminal work titled Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities. The work was based on a concept that was in the embryonic stage in 1986 and then grew in momentum through 1988 when the APPA Board of Directors commissioned a task force to address custodial staffing issues at institutions of higher education. The Guidelines became so popular that it was revised in 1998. The two editions addressed a critical need in facilities management at educational institutions. Even though institutions were growing in size and in delivery of services, custodial staffing budgets were either staying static, or in many cases, decreasing. In other words, each custodian was being asked to clean more square feet than ever before. The facilities managers did not have an empirical document to fall back on that indicated how many custodians were really needed to complete the tasks at hand and the impact of such on productivity or cleanliness.

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