The Impact of School Buildings on Student Health and Performance

Jointly released with McGraw Hill Foundation, this paper is an accessible account of current research connecting school buildings with student health and performance. It also includes a summary of research needed and how individual groups (teachers and students, design professionals, government agencies, etc.) can help in the effort to draw connections between where students learn and their well being. Anyone who needs clear, defensible research to support the need for better, healthier classrooms will find the summary of research into how students breathe, see, hear, move and learn useful.

Acoustical Barriers to Learning

Acoustical Barriers to Learning, a study by the Technical Committee on Speech Communication of Acoustical Society of America, is a review of acoustics studies that examine the effects of classroom noise on performance.

Cost of Green Revisited

The Cost of Green Revisited (Davis Langdon, 2007) reveals that projects can and are achieving LEED certification not only within their budgets, but also within the same cost range as non-LEED projects.

Energy Performance of Daylit Schools in North Carolina

Energy Performance of Daylit Schools in North Carolina (Mike Nicklas and Gary Bailey, 1996) analyzes the energy performance and cost of daylit schools designed by Innovative Design in Johnston County, N.C. Sample findings include:

• Students in full-spectrum light were healthier and attended school 3.2 to 3.8 days more per year
• Libraries with superior light resulted in significantly lower noise levels
• Full-spectrum lighting induced more positive moods in students
• Because of the additional vitamin D received by the students in full-spectrum light, they had 9 times less dental decay and grew in height an average of 2.1 cm more than students attending schools with average light

Green Cleaning in Schools: Summary of Selected State and
School District Policies

Environmental Law Institute's Green Cleaning in Schools: Summary of Selected State and School District Policies (2007) explores how "Green cleaning" can reduce environmental and health risks by a building’s occupants, while recognizing that cleaning products are necessary to maintain a sanitary environment in schools. It also summarizes selected state laws, proposed state legislation and school district policies that promote green cleaning in schools.

Green Schools: Attributes for Health and Learning

Green Schools: Attributes for Health and Learning is a report from the National Research Council that examines how the quality of indoor environments can affect the health and productivity of adults and children. It evaluates the potential of green school design for improving education and:

• Provides an analysis of the complexity of determining the potential health and productivity benefits
• Offers an assessment of the potential human health and performance benefits of improvements in the building envelope, indoor air quality, lighting and acoustical quality
• Presents an assessment of the overall building condition and student achievement
• Offers an analysis of and recommendations for planning and maintaining green schools, including research considerations

Heschong Mahone Daylighting Study

The Heschong Mahone Daylighting Study documents how more than 21,000 students showed a dramatic correlation between daylit school environments and academic performance, including:

• 20% faster progression in math
• 26% faster progression in reading
• Views out of windows increased performance by 5-10%

Smart Market Report: Education

McGraw Hill Construction’s Education Smart Market Report addresses the growing trends and market opportunities for green building in the education sector. Sample findings include:

• The concern for “improved health and well-being” is the greatest driver for school decision-makers in building green
• Fiscal advantages, including reduced operating costs, were cited as the most important triggers to faster adoption of LEED and green building in schools
• The education sector is the fastest growing market for green building