Recommendation One:
Provide clean, safe, well-maintained school environments that promote learning.

 

Role Group Strategies:

Policymakers
Ensure that sufficient, sustainable resources are available for clean, safe, and well-maintained school environments.

 

 

Building Healthy, High Performance Schools: A Review of Selected State and Local Initiatives.
Environmental Law Institute, Washington,  DC,  2003
http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=10925
This report illustrates the policies, programs, and practices that have been adopted by selected states and school districts in order to incorporate a high performance approach in school planning, design, and construction. The report describes in detail the high performance school building initiatives of the states of California, Massachusetts and New Jersey, along with the districts of Los Angeles, Wake County, North Carolina, Elk River Area, Minnesota, and Edmonds, Washington. Various strategies for establishing regulatory requirements, building community support, developing partnerships and evaluating the results are discussed.

Prototype School Design Clearinghouse
Department of Public Instruction, NC – School Clearinghouse
http://www.schoolclearinghouse.org/clearinghouse.asp
The site includes many examples of  North Carolina schools that have successfully used facilities and resources to improve teacher working and student learning conditions. 

(Re)Designing Learning Environments
The George Lucas Educational Foundation
http://www.glef.org/redesigning/html/case.html
This site includes a set of case studies from the George Lucas Educational Foundation highlighting a diverse group of schools across the country which have designed innovative learning communities that help kids learn.  Interactive case studies provide background, timelines and strategies for creating or renovating school communities and facilities that work for multiple partners.

 

Building Better Schools
Madsen, J. (2005). Buildings.
http://www.buildings.com/Articles/detailBuildings.asp?articleID=2609
This article describes high performance school designs, which focus on indoor air quality, thermal comfort, light, and acoustics. The authors discuss the benefits of such schools on students, faculty, owners and operators, the community and the environment and consider the costs of creating such school facilities.

 

A Summary of Scientific Findings on Adverse Effects of Indoor Environments on Students’ Health, Academic Performance, and Attendance
U.S. Department of Education. (2004).
http://www.iehinc.com/PDF/effects%20on%20students.pdf
This literature review by the Department of Education summarizes the current state of scientific knowledge about the effect of school environments on student health and highlights areas in need of more research. Overall, researchers found that poor indoor environments in schools can adversely affect students’ health, attendance, and overall performance in school.

Policymakers
Support the social and emotional development of students in schools.

What Policymakers Can Do
George Lucas Education Foundation
http://www.glef.org/php/article.php?id=Art_684&key=020
This article considers how various policymakers can support the social and emotional development of students by recognizing and evaluating the significance of various character development efforts within school districts.

National School Boards Association School Health Programs
http://www.nsba.org/site/page_schoolhealth_search.asp?TRACKID=&CID=1116&DID=12022#
To assist policymakers and others in the school community to make informed decisions, NSBA has developed the School Health Resource Database, an ever-expanding source of up-to-date information and materials, including sample school district policies, journal articles, research summaries, fact sheets, and more.

 

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