|
Student Achievement |
|
Students in school buildings in poor condition scored six percent
below students that were in schools in fair condition and 11 percent
below students in schools in excellent condition. (Edwards, 1991.
Building Conditions, Parental Involvement and Student Achievement in
the D.C. Public Schools.) |
|
|
Facilities DO Impact Learning |
|
Everyone supports
higher standards for education, yet many still ask . . . Do the
facilities in which our children learn really matter? |
|
|
Teachers |
|
While clearly
important, teacher salaries are not all that matter. Teacher
preferences across a range of job and school conditions may
be just as important as salary in the retention decision.
According to this study, "teachers might be willing to take
a lower salary in exchange for better working conditions." (Buckley,
Schneider, Shang, 2004. The Effects of School Facility
Quality on Teacher Retention in Urban School Districts.) |
|
|
Teachers |
|
Poor facilities
contribute to high turnover rates endemic to central urban
school districts; in turn, high teacher turnover leads to
increase recruitment and training efforts that drain schools
of financial and human capital, both of which are essential
to educational success. (21st Century School Fund and
Ford Foundation Report, 2002) |
|
|
Working Conditions |
|
A study of working conditions in urban
schools concluded that "physical conditions have direct positive
and negative effects on teacher morale, sense of personal
safety, feelings of effectiveness in the classroom, and on the
general learning environment." Building renovations in one
district led teachers to feel "a renewed sense of hope, of
commitment, a belief that the district cared about what went on
in that building." In dilapidated buildings in another district,
the atmosphere was punctuated more by despair and frustration,
with teachers reporting that leaking roofs, burned out lights
and broken toilets were the typical backdrop for teaching and
learning." (Corcoran et al., 1988. Working in Urban Schools.) |
|
|
 |
|
Priorities |
|
The depressed physical
environment of many schools . . . is believed to reflect
society's lack of priority for these children and their
education. (Poplin and Weeres, 1992. Voices from the
Inside: A Report on Schooling from Inside the Classroom) |
|
|
|
Health |
|
Overall evidence strongly
suggests that poor environments in schools, primarily due to
effects of indoor pollutants, adversely affect the health,
performance and attendance of students. (U.S. Department
of Education, 2004. A summary of Scientific Findings on
Adverse Effects of Indoor Environments on Students' Health,
Academic Performance and Attendance.) |
|
|
Performance |
|
Of 36 possible relationships
between facility measures and test performance, 11 were
statistically significant. Of 48 possible relationships
between measures of family background and school attachment,
nine were statistically significant. When differences in
individual ability are controlled, facilities have as much
impact on test performance as measures of family background
and school attachment. (Lewis, 2000. CEFPI Where Children
Learn Project, Milwaukee Public Schools.) |
|
|
Safety and Security |
|
Crime
sprouts from a disorderly environment plagued by broken
windows, graffiti and similar disruptions because criminals
get the message that "no one cares what happens here." (Wilson,
1982. Broken Windows.) |
|
|
School Size |
|
Students in small schools
"make more rapid progress toward graduation, are more
satisfied with small schools, fewer of them drop out than
from larger schools, and they behave better in small
schools." (Raywid, 1999.) |
|
|
