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Tag: Academic Achievement

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Recent research suggests that a school’s physical environment also can play a major role in academic performance.

  • Leaky roofs
  • Problems with heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, known as HVAC systems
  • Insufficient cleaning or excessive use of cleaning chemicals
  • and other maintenance issues

can trigger a host of health problems — including asthma and allergies — that increase absenteeism and reduce academic performance. Research links key environmental factors to health outcomes and students’ ability to perform. Improvements in school environmental quality can enhance academic performance, as well as teacher and staff productivity and retention. To learn more, read the Quick Reference Guide for Student Health and Academic Performance.

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Edwards, N., 2006

This qualitative study examined the ways in which middle school and high school students in an urban school district responded to being educated in facilities in some state of disrepair. The purpose of this research study was to arrive at a level of understanding with respect to urban students’ attitudes, perceptions and beliefs regarding the physical environment(s) in which they had been educated. The core questions which guided this research were: 1.) To what extent do students perceive their academic achievement, motivation and/or personal conduct is positively or negatively affected by the condition of the facility in which they are educated? 2.) In what ways does the condition of an educational facility affect students’ perceptions of the overall quality of the teaching and administrative staffing within their building? 3.) In what ways does the condition of an educational facility affect students’ perceptions of the degree to which their school district values their education and personal safety?

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USGBC, 2015

During the 2015 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the Center for Green Schools shared the results of a recent survey that measures the perceived state of public school buildings and awareness of green issues. The findings of the survey point to a growing awareness of the need for better school infrastructure.

This year, we saw a marked increase in support for improving schools. Up from 2013, 92 percent of Americans believe it is important to improve public school buildings, while nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans feel it is "very important." The results also show a shift of public opinion in the right direction, as American support for green schools is steadily increasing each year—72 percent in 2012, compared to 80 percent in 2015.

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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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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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Thornton, 2006

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between building conditions and student achievement of students identified in the subgroups of poverty and minority in high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The targeted population was identified by using the study conducted by Crook (2006) which included information obtained from seventy-two high schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Building conditions used in the study were based upon the responses received from principals on the Commonwealth Assessment of Physical Environment (CAPE) form.

The scaled scores of economically disadvantaged students and minority students on the Standards of Learning tests administered in grades nine through eleven during the 2004-2005 school year were used to measure student achievement. The status of economically disadvantaged students was controlled by the classification of a student receiving free and reduced-priced lunch during the 2004-2005 school year. The status of minority students was controlled by ethnicity as reported by the individual schools to the Virginia Department of Education for the 2004-2005 school year.

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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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Bullock, 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between school building condition and student achievement as measured by their performance on the Standards of Learning (SOL) examinations at the middle school level in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Three major data components were used to complete this study. The first component was the condition of the school buildings. To obtain this information, principals were asked to complete the Commonwealth Assessment of Physical Environment (CAPE) assessment instrument. The second component was the percentage of passing scores from SOL examinations for each middle school in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The third component was the socioeconomic status of the students attending the schools as measured by the percentage of students participating in the free and reduced lunch program.

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Lumpkin, 2013

In Florida, public K-12 students are being educated in two conditions, old and new school buildings, those erected prior to the statewide implementation of the State Uniform Building Code for Public Educational Facilities Construction (UBC) in 2000 and those constructed after.

One research question guided this inquiry. Does the aggregate percentage of fourth, eighth, ninth, and tenth grade students passing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) mathematics and reading subtests increase after transitioning from an old school building to a new facility? A causal-comparative research design was used to determine if the academic achievement of students as measured by the mathematics and reading subtests of the FCAT increased after relocating from an old school building to a new 2000 UBC compliant facility. Two preexisting groups were used. The control group was two cohorts of students attending school in old buildings. The experimental group was two cohorts of students attending school in new buildings. The treatment was the transition from an old school building to a new 2000 UBC compliant structure. Results from this study indicated that the mean percent of students passing the FCAT mathematics subtest increased from M = 48.11in the old school buildings to M = 54.67 in the new school buildings. The mean percent of students passing the FCAT reading subtest increased from M = 41.25 in the old school buildings to M = 44.28 in the new school buildings. The evidence from this study suggests that the quality of the school environment is important to student academic achievement.

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