The Impact of School Facilities on Student Learning and Engagement

This report outlines, catalogs, and summarizes a framework of literature that highlights the impact of school of facilities and classroom environments on student engagement and learning. The NetZED Laboratory at the University of Oregon commenced this project following a Request for Proposals from the California School Facilities Research Initiative (CSFRI) which sought to identify elements of the built environment of K–12 schools that result in higher levels of student engagement and learning. CSFRI’s goal was to summarize existing literature regarding the effects that physical organizational environments and furnishings within classrooms, makerspaces, laboratories, and interior ancillary facilities, as well as space at the exterior of the building that contribute to student engagement and learning. The overall intent of this white paper is to draw upon published evidence and original research to support the design planning and process for facility planners/managers, architects, educator, and community members.

This paper is organized into three categories:

• Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), which refers to all the factors that influence the occupants’ sensory experience of a place and includes thermal comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ), lighting (daylighting and electric lighting), views, and acoustics.
• Spatial Environment, which includes school design characteristics of the buildings and grounds, school operations and maintenance that influence the functioning and operations of building systems and surroundings, as well as the spatial design of classrooms and within classrooms such as furnishings and arrangements.
• People and Community includes social interactions, relationships, teaching/learning, belonging, safety and security, health and recent innovations and impacts of the design planning around the pandemic.