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Category: Reports

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Oblinger, 2006

Space, whether physical or virtual, can have a significant impact on learning. Learning Spaces focuses on how learner expectations influence such spaces, the principles and activities that facilitate learning, and the role of technology from the perspective of those who create learning environments: faculty, learning technologists, librarians, and administrators. Information technology has brought unique capabilities to learning spaces, whether stimulating greater interaction through the use of collaborative tools, videoconferencing with international experts, or opening virtual worlds for exploration. This e-book represents an ongoing exploration as we bring together space, technology, and pedagogy to ensure learner success.

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Facilities.net

A correlation exists between the cleanliness of school facilities and students’ academic achievements, according to a recent study of college students nationwide. The study, Cleanliness and Learning in Higher Education, is based on the five levels of clean identified in APPA's (Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers) Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities.

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Mendez, 2016

The palette of colors in a school classroom is as varied as the colors of the spectrum. The walls are painted from warm to cool and accented with shades and hues that contrast in color. During the 50's, 60' and 70's school's painted the walls a pale green or creamy white and there was little variation in color across the nation.

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You’re reading this right now because you care about the health of your school and community. By adopting a green cleaning program at your school, you can positively affect the health of each and every person who enters its doors.

Transitioning to a green cleaning program is a big change, but it’s a change that many schools have already made—with positive results. Learn more about why green cleaning is important and how you can get started at your school.

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School Planning and Management, 2013

As schools are being built or remodeled, there are literally thousands of issues to be addressed. Unfortunately, color, especially the color of classroom walls, is often overlooked.

“For budget reasons, a lot of schools don’t seek out good information on color,” says Bonnie Krims, IACC, architectural color consultant with Bonnie Krims Color Studio in Concord, Mass. “In a lot of cases, color choices are left up to administrators, teachers or the maintenance departments. As a result, a lot of walls just end up white, which can lead to understimulation.” Another problem, according to Krims, is that, in the past, there was a belief that the more colorful the school was, the better it would be for the kids. However, recent research says that isn’t necessarily the case. In many cases, too much color, or colors that are too bright, can lead to overstimulation. “The goal is to find a balance,” she says.

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In 2007 the Provincial Executive had proposed in the Annual Action Plan a research study aimed at verifying the importance and value of using board employed staff in providing student services, namely the professional student service personnel. The resulting report, Enhancing Services, Enhancing Success, was used to help establish outside agency protocols around the province and assist in protecting important support service jobs.

The 2013–2014 Annual Action Plan included a research project that examines the relationship between school cleanliness/maintenance and student performance. The study was to clearly demonstrate the importance of adequate funding for the maintenance of current structures and could be used to demonstrate that improving the overall building condition is a cost effective way to achieve measurable improvements in student performance.

The next step in this process will be to develop lobby materials based on the report for use by local Bargaining Units and Districts.

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Published on

Lawrence, B., 2003

Deferring maintenance in small rural schools creates poor conditions that can affect the health and safety of everyone who uses the facility, damage the morale of students and teachers, impair their ability to teach and learn, and threaten the facility itself. Numerous recommendations for policy changes that affect maintenance are presented. A percentage of the replacement cost of the facility should be spent on maintenance. This should be required at the state and district level. Energy conservation and the use of safe materials should be promoted. State policies that require a minimum number of students per building, disqualify renovation projects based on arbitrary formulae of cost ratio to new construction, and promote sprawl should be eliminated. State and local building codes and regulations should be updated to reflect local needs and modern construction practices. Ongoing education for custodians and maintenance workers should be implemented along with a data bank of relevant information. School board members, educators, architects, contractors, andother decision makers should receive education in school maintenance. Regular inspections of school facilities should be required. Students and community members should be encouraged to participate in maintenance and repair projects. Renovation and conversion of existing facilities should be promoted, and feasibility studies of the cost of new construction, renovation, and lease or purchase of existing facilities should be required and discussed in open community forums. State and the federal government should be required to fund maintenance, particularly in poor districts.

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Earthman, 2004

I have been asked by the ACLU of Maryland, which represents the plaintiffs in the Bradford v. Maryland State Board of Education case, to review the 31 criteria for school facilities established by the Maryland Task Force to Study Public School Facilities and to recommend priorities for those criteria in light of the available research on the links between conditions in school buildings and student achievement. Based on my own studies, my review of pertinent research studies, and my background and experience in the field, I have recommended a set of priorities among the criteria based upon the extent to which an element impacts student academic achievement. I recommend that the highest priority be given to those elements which have a demonstrated and significant impact on student achievement and on those elements that directly relate to student safety.

Below, I first summarize generally the research generally demonstrating the link between school condition and student achievement, and the link between the age of a facility and achievement. Then, I explain why, in my opinion, it is crucial for Maryland to address issues related to student safety first, in conjunction with the criteria most directly related to student achievement. Then, I rank several of the criteria that research demonstrates are most directly linked to student achievement, and summarize some of the research related to those criteria. All of my opinions are explained in greater detail in the accompanying report.

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Bruce Buchanan, 2007

Seven years ago, teacher Carol O’Brien was concerned about the indoor air quality at her school, King-Murphy Elementary in Evergreen, Colo. “Our school sits on a steep hillside and the buses delivered kids below the school. Air currents being what they are, the exhaust traveled up the hill and into the school,” O’Brien says. In addition, she saw furnace filters in her classroom “dripping with dust” and realized that mold and other airborne contaminants were circulating through the air.

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