Article
Texas Association of School Boards
This article provides a brief, accessible overview of evidence linking school facilities to student achievement and makes a case for governing boards to consider investments in modernization.
Research/Report
Richard J. Shaughnessy, Ulla Haverinen-Shaughnessy, Aino Nevalainen, Demetrios Moschandreas
This study measured CO₂ in 50 fifth-grade classrooms and found an average ventilation rate of only 3.9 L s⁻¹ person⁻¹—about half the recommended minimum. Classes with more outdoor air scored higher in math, indicating that better ventilation may enhance academic performance, although more research is needed.
Research/Report
Kari Leif, Vivian Loftness
This study explores school learning environments' impact on student and faculty outcomes, emphasizing the harmful effects of underfunded public school facilities. It promotes affordable biophilic retrofit strategies, providing a toolkit of 42 retrofits for K-12 schools.
Research/Report
Arthur D. Caffey
This dissertation explores how facility conditions in rural high-poverty schools affect teacher satisfaction and highlights the importance of infrastructure in supporting educator well-being.
Research/Report
Sarel Lavy, Jerri L. Nixon
This article focuses on magnet schools and examines the effects of construction, building age, and building condition on magnet applications, enrollment, attendance, and student achievement measures.
Research/Report
Green Schoolyards America
This article is a comprehensive summary of the wide range of benefits that living schoolyards and schoolyard forests afford, and it includes detailed research citations for each of the benefits listed.
Resource Hub
Children and Nature Network
This resource hub from the Children and Nature Network hosts an array of toolkits, guides, case studies, and research that can help school leaders identify pathways for designing, funding, and implementing green schoolyards and outdoor learning environments.
Article
Terry Byers and Peter C. Lippman
This article critically examines the widely accepted notion that trendy, technology-rich "innovative learning environments" (ILEs) automatically improve student learning.
Resource Hub
American Lung Association
The Clean Air at School resource hub by the American Lung Association offers a comprehensive suite of tools and guidance to help K–12 schools improve indoor air quality (IAQ).
Research/Report
Peter Barrett, Yufan Zhang, Fay Davies, and Lucinda Barrett
This report describing the findings from HEAD Project (UK) shows that well-designed primary school classrooms can boost learning by as much as 16%. It highlights the impact of key environmental design factors and offers practical, low-cost tips for improving classroom environments to support academic progress.