Hayfield Community Schools Facility Research Study Summary Regular School Board Meeting January 9, 2017
Hayfield Community SchoolsFacility Research Study Summary
Regular School Board Meeting
January 9, 2017
School Facilities and Student Achievement
School facilities have a measureable impact on the
achievement of our children.
The growing body of research demonstrates that clean
air, good light, and a quiet, comfortable and safe
environment are important for academic achievement.
During the school year, children spend the majority of
their waking hours inside our school buildings.
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Three areas of research have been extensively studied
and have been proven to have a measureable impact
on student performance.
Lighting
Air Quality and Temperature
Acoustics and Noise
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Students who receive instruction in buildings with good environmental conditions (ie., lighting, air quality and temperature, acoustics) can achieve test scores that are 5 to 17% higher than scores for students learning in substandard surroundings.1
Schools with better building conditions have up to 14% lower rates of student suspension, truancy, and behavior problems.2
Student achievement scores tend to decrease as the school building ages – to as high as 9%.3
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Lighting
The quality and quantity of light that students receive impacts
their achievement, health and behavior.
Student performance is improved by an even distribution of
daylight along with limited glare and thermal heat gain.4
Standardized math and reading scores among students exposed
to different lighting conditions found a 21% increase in
performance from students exposed to the most daylight
compared to those exposed to the least.5
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Components of a well-lit learning environment
Natural light
Lighting fixtures that reduce the negative effects of artificial
lighting
Minimal glare within the classroom
Control of light sources to shade students from direct sunlight
with adjustable window coverings
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Air Quality and Temperature
Airborne pollution and thermal discomfort have negative effects
on concentration and attendance.
Children are uniquely susceptible to indoor air quality: their
bodies require more oxygen than those of adults, and they
inhale a proportionally greater volume of air.6
Poor indoor air quality can reduce a person’s ability to perform
specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or
memory.7
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Air Quality and Temperature
Antiquated HVAC systems may pollute the air that passes through the school building and decrease the efficiency of the system as a whole.8
Students’ reading speed, comprehension, and mathematics performance are adversely affected by room temperatures above 74 degrees.9
The correlation between room temperature and achievement scores consistently indicate that student performance in environments with good temperature control generally exceed those from children who learn in poorly-regulated classrooms.10
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Acoustics and Noise
Noise pollution from facility equipment, poor acoustics, adjacent
classrooms have been proven to have a negative impact on
student performance.
HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems all contribute to the
ambient noise in academic settings.
Being unable to hear a teacher undermines student ability to
absorb the material being taught.11
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Acoustics and Noise
The harmful effects of learning in an environment with poor
acoustics and background noise include negative impacts on
long-term memory, reading ability, teacher effectiveness, and
student attitudes toward school.12
As with poor air quality, children are more susceptible to the
negative effect of noise pollution than adults.13
Noise exposure impacts teacher performance negatively in the
way of fatigue, frustration, and lost instructional time.14
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Considerations for improving acoustics and noise
Noise from facility equipment
Acoustic properties of learning spaces
Baseline indoor and outdoor noise levels
School Facilities and Student Achievement
The school facility can be viewed as the rising tide that lifts
all boats.
Well-designed learning environments have demonstrable effects
on student health, student achievement, and teacher
performance.
Students and staff working and learning in more optimal
environments and ideal conditions tend to perform better.
Their basic needs have been met.
They are able to focus on more complex tasks.
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Moving Forward
Assess our current situation
Prioritize
Communicate our needs
Plan
Remember our primary purpose
Provide excellent educational opportunities for every student
every day
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Next Steps
Facility tour prior to adjournment of this meeting
Review the data and information provided in the Mid-Audit
Update from UNESCO (November 14, 2016)
Facility Committee Meeting on January 19, 2017 at 7:30
p.m. in Hayfield High School Library
Board committee members, Staff representatives, UNESCO
Prioritization of needs
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Resource List
1. Earthman, G.I. School Facility Conditions and Student Academic Achievement. 2002.
2. Boese, S. and Shaw, J. New York State School Facilities and Student Health, Achievement, and Attendance: A Data Analysis Report. 2005.
3. Blincoe, J.M. The Age and Condition of Texas High Schools as Related to Student Academic Achievement. 2008.
4. Boyce, P. Reviews of Technical Reports on Daylight and Productivity. 2004.
5. Heschong, L. Re-Analysis Report: Daylighting in Schools, Additional Analysis. 2001.
6. Adams, W.C. Measurement of Breathing Rate ad Volume in Routinely Performed Activities. 1994.
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Resource List
7. Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environment Division. Indoor Air Quality and Student Performance. 2000.
8. Bluyssen, P.M, Cox, C., Seppanen, O. Why, When and How do HVAC Systems Pollute the Indoor Environment, and What to Do About It? 2003.
9. Harner, D. School Building Condition, School Attendance, and Academic Achievement in New York City Public Schools: A Mediation Model. 1974.
10. Chan, T.C. Physical Environment and Middle Grade Achievement. 1981.
11. Shield, B.M., Dockrell, J.E. The Effects of Noise on Children at School: A Review. 2003.
12. Klatte, M., Hellbruck, J., Seidel, J., Leistner, P. Effects of Classroom Acoustics on Performance and Well-Being in Elementary School Children: A Field Study. 2010.
School Facilities and Student Achievement
Resource List
13. Klatte, M., Lachmann, T., Meis, M. Effects of Noise and Reverberation on
Speech Perception and Listening Comprehension of Children and Adults in a
Classroom-Like Setting. 2010.
14. Shield, B.M., Dockrell, J.E. The Effects of Classroom and Environmental Noise on Children’s Academic Performance. 2008.