Dive Brief:
- A study of conditions in Boston Public Schools buildings found more than half of schools have inadequate ventilation, which can lead to stuffy rooms that trigger asthma attacks.
- The Boston Globe reports many schools also need major roof repairs or completely new roofs because of leaking which could lead to mold, further reducing classroom air quality.
- The findings follow a pledge by Mayor Martin Walsh to put $1 billion over the next 10 years toward improving school buildings, more than half of which were built before World War II and have faced years of neglect.
Dive Insight:
The quality of a physical learning environment is directly tied to student achievement. When students are distracted by deteriorating buildings and sometimes dangerous conditions, they cannot focus all their energies on classroom content.
This is another example of inequality in the U.S. school system, and some districts are facing litigation because of it. While some districts in the city have enough money for state-of-the-art facilities that take advantage of recommendations to bathe learners in direct sunlight and provide open spaces with flexible classroom furniture, others struggle to meet even basic health standards.