IAQ Tools for Schools
Improved Academic Performance
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Improvement Can You Expect in Academic Performance and Health?
No two school districts are alike. Each has its own set of maintenance challenges and repair needs. Yet studies and field experiences demonstrate that maintenance and repair programs designed to improve the school environment and reduce asthma exacerbations at school are likely to improve health, reduce absenteeism and enhance academic performance.
Basic Maintenance and School Conditions
Increased Average Daily Attendance (ADA) and Reduced Dropout Rate
Schools without a major maintenance backlog have a higher average daily attendance (ADA) by an average of 4 to 5 students per 1,000 and a lower annual dropout rate by 10 to 13 students per 1,000.6
- Adding custodian/maintenance workers — and reducing the square footage each worker must maintain by an average of 1,000 square feet — increases ADA by 1 student per 1,000 and reduces the dropout rate by 4 students per 1,000. Eliminating the maintenance backlog and providing an annual maintenance budget that keeps the backlog at a minimum can increase ADA rates by an average of 4 to 5 students per 1,000 and reduce the annual dropout rate by 10 to 13 students per 1,000.6 Included in this study were repair needs of the roof, floor, broken glass and electrical system.
Maintenance Improves Test Scores
- Test scores uniformly increase as building conditions improve. Test scores can increase by 3 percent to 17 percent.55, 9, 12, 24 Specific results depend on the type of test and the degree of difference in building condition.
HVAC Maintenance Reduces Student Illness
- HVAC maintenance that ensures effective drain pan drainage, reduces excess moisture, avoids moist insulation, and eliminates pollutant sources within the HVAC system or within 25 feet of the outside air intakes has been shown to reduce the incidence of lower respiratory symptoms — shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness and wheezing — by up to 60 percent in adult populations.32, 59
Outdoor Air Ventilation Rate
Higher Outdoor Air Ventilation Rates Increase Average Daily Attendance and Improve Student Performance
Children in classrooms with higher outdoor air ventilation rates tend to achieve higher scores on standardized tests in math and reading than children in poorly ventilated classrooms. 57
- Raising classroom outdoor air ventilation rates can reduce absenteeism by approximately five to 10 absences per 1,000 students for a 1,000 parts per million, or ppm, decrease in the difference between indoor and outdoor
carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.58 For example, schools with classroom CO2 levels at approximately 1,500 ppm above outdoor CO2 levels (corresponding to a ventilation rate of about 7 cfm/person at steady state), where there are 50 absences per 1,000 students on average, may expect to reduce absentee rates
to 40 or 45 absences per 1,000 students by raising ventilation rates so that classroom CO2 levels decrease to approximately 500 ppm above outdoor CO2 levels (corresponding to a ventilation rate of about 20 cfm per person).
Classrooms with low outdoor air ventilation rates (e.g., about 7 cfm per person) could experience an improvement in school work performance (speed of school work tasks) of about 8 percent by doubling ventilation rates to the standards set by ASHRAE (about 13 to 15 cfm per person, based on typical design assumptions). Similarly, doubling low classroom ventilation rates could improve standardized test scores by about 10 percent.
Dampness and Mold
Moisture and Mold Control Reduces Respiratory Illness and Absenteeism
- Dampness and mold have been determined to be associated with 30 percent to 50 percent increases in a variety of respiratory and asthma-related health outcomes in homes. A comprehensive program to prevent dampness and mold (e.g., provide effective roof, wall, and foundation drainage systems; prevent moisture intrusion through the building envelope; and control condensation) could reduce the rates of respiratory illnesses associated with school environments.17, 38
Cleaning
Rigorous Cleaning Reduces Health Symptoms, Complaints, and Illness
- Frequent and rigorous cleaning that removes surface particles, including allergens, could significantly reduce a variety of health symptoms and complaints.64, 63, 26, 48 A strong cleaning program can improve student and staff health in other ways as well. Disinfection of bathroom surfaces, combined with dispensers for alcohol-based hand rubs, can reduce absences from gastrointestinal infections by 10 percent to 15 percent.52
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