An Investigation of School Environmental Effects on Student Achievement

Current research being conducted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln seeks to determine the impact of indoor environmental conditions in K-12 classrooms on student achievement. The indoor environmental conditions being investigated include indoor air quality, thermal, lighting, and acoustics. The data being gathered on indoor air quality and thermal conditions includes size distribution of particulate matter, ventilation rate, concentration of total volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide concentrations, carbon monoxide concentrations, nitrogen dioxide concentrations, formaldehyde concentrations, air velocity, relative humidity, and globe/air temperature. The data being reviewed for lighting conditions include view, continuous daylight autonomy from a computer generated model, daylight excess from a computer generated model, and illuminance level from luminaires. The data being gathered on acoustic conditions include reverberation time, unoccupied and occupied background noise levels. The data is used in a statistical model (i.e., a structural equation model) to determine how these environmental conditions relate to student standardized test scores assessing student achievement. Over the 2015-16 academic year, this study gathered field measurements from 110 classrooms in three seasons: fall, winter and spring. The study plans to gather data from another 110 classrooms over the 2016-17 school year. The final goal is to develop recommendations for school districts and design firms on how best to optimize environmental conditions in schools for improved student learning, while also being cost efficient.