by Shane Henson — March 19, 2012—It is now common knowledge that proper nutrition sets the stage for students to reach their potential in school just as much as having educated, motivated teachers. And, as a new white paper published through the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the McGraw-Hill Research Foundation underscores, it is likely that the design, maintenance and operations of the buildings students learn in can have an impact on their health and performance as well.
The white paper, The Impact of School Buildings on Student Health and Learning: A Call for Research, was released at the second annual Green Schools National Conference in Denver, Colorado, a conference dedicated to growing green schools across the nation.
The paper explores research from two perspectives: how the built environment can impact a child’s experience in the classroom, and how different stakeholders could play an important role in bringing more research on green schools to light.
Schools are a critical part of our society, note the paper’s authors. They are where children spend their time, where they learn and where they play, and schools make up the largest area of construction spending. This white paper demonstrates what stakeholders—from teachers to parents to government agencies and more—can do to improve the student learning environments of the future, making a case to use those dollars of construction spending to create the best environments. To date, there are more than 2,300 green schools across the nation that are participating in the USGBC’s LEED green building program.
“With so many of our country’s schools in disrepair, it is critical to highlight the importance of providing our children with healthier, more sustainable educational environments that enhance learning,” said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at the USGBC, an organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. “This paper highlights studies that present clear evidence that the way we build and maintain schools affects how students and teachers breathe, hear, see and learn. At the center, we’re working with partners around the country to facilitate future research that will help us to improve our nation’s schools and the well-being of the students who attend them.”
