COVER STORY— August 2017
8
School Daze:
Are We Creating Good Indoor Environments for Learning?
F
all season is just around the corner,
and with it, another school year. But,
what conditions will students and
staff find when they return to the
classroom? The health and comfort
of students and teachers are among
the many factors that contribute to
learning and productivity in the classroom, which
in turn affect performance and achievement.
In 2014, the National Center for Educations
Statistics surveyed a sample of school districts
and estimated that the average age of the nation's
main school buildings was 55 years old – putting
the average date of construction for our nation's
schools at 1959. Additionally. nearly one-fourth of
the nation's schools have one or more buildings
in need of extensive repair or replacement and
nearly half have been reported to have problems
related to indoor air quality (IAQ).
