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Journal of Educational Administration
Themed Issue: Building Quality Schools for Learners and Communities
The Journal of Educational Administration
Few would question the effect of quality built environments on the success of a given task. As the public continues to demand accountability and excellence in curriculum, instruction, and assessment, the importance of quality school facilities for all students is increasingly important, as well. Older schools may not accommodate innovations in curriculum development, instructional strategies, and content development, as a recent policy brief issued in the United Kingdom points out (Higgins, Hall, Wall, Woolner, & McCaughey, 2005). In the United States, 21 percent of schools are more than 50 years old and an additional 50 percent are at least 30 years old (Office of Education Research and Improvement, 2000). Around the globe, governments acknowledge the need to assess and improve the quality of their educational infrastructures (Lange, 2005; Leung & Fung, 2005; Office of Education Research and Improvement, 2000; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2007; Ridolfi, 2001; Tibucio & Finch, 2005; Watson & Thomson, 2005). As a result, the need for new construction and renovation has increased (Chan, 1979; Earthman & Lemasters, 1996; Kjærvang, 2007; Phillips, 1997; Tibucio & Finch, 2005).
The overall impression of a school affects students’ attitudes, as well as the perception the larger community holds about the role of schooling and the school building in their lives. The quality of the building influences the community’s ongoing engagement with a school. Berner (1993) found that parent involvement was related to the condition of school buildings in Washington, D.C. Likewise, Hawkins and Overbaugh (1988) studied exemplary Japanese and American schools finding increased learning in the schools designed to reflect community values. In these schools, cleanliness and care emerged as the most important factors.
In a U.S. study, the physical state of urban schools was found to be a predictor of student achievement; as the schools were improved, achievement scores rose (Berner, 1993). Additional studies in the United States and Hong Kong also bear out this finding (Buckley, Schneider, & Shang, 2004; Cash, 1993; Earthman, 2004; Hines, 1996; Lanham, 1999; Lewis, 2000; Leung & Fung, 2005; Maxwell, 1999; O’Neill & Oates, 2001; Uline & Tschannen-Moran, 2006). Teachers perceive that orderly, clean buildings and the general character of the facility also influence student behavior (Lackney, 1996). Students are not the only ones affected by poor quality buildings. A study of public schools in São Paulo, Brazil found students, teachers, and staff dissatisfied with the environmental comforts in their schools, including temperature controls, acoustics, ergonomically suitable furniture and equipment, accessibility, and general security (Ornstein, 2005). The nature and quality of the built learning environment affects teacher attitudes, behaviors, and performance (Buckley, Schneider, & Shang, 2004; Dawson & Parker, 1998; Lowe, 1990; Martin, 2002; Schneider, 2003).
Significantly, the role of facilities in education is under-examined by the profession as a whole (Bosch, 2006). As both public and policy communities demand proof of the importance of the physical environment to student outcomes, researchers seek to bolster the case for decent schools and appropriate furnishings with quantifiable correlations between bricks and mortar and student learning. Oversimplifications of the relationship may only heighten skepticism. A combination of research approaches may best inform. This issue of The Journal of Educational Administration will examine what we know about the influence of educational places upon students’ learning, as well as the role the public plays in shaping those learning spaces and joining the community of learners (Uline, 2000). It includes researchers who have been active in the study of school facilities over the past 20 years, as well as younger researchers who are bringing new questions, methodologies, and conceptualizations to this endeavor. Researchers invited to participate in this issue span the fields of education, architecture, and environmental psychology, presenting research and practice that is international in scope.
References
Berner, M. M. (1993, April). Building conditions, parental involvement, and student achievement in the District of Columbia Public School System, Urban Education, Vol. 28, No.1, pp. 6-29.
Bosch, S.J. (2006). Research priorities: How facilities affect educational outcomes. In C. K. Tanner & J.A. Lackney. Educational facilities planning: Leadership, architecture, and management. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc, pp. 323-342.
Buckley, J., Schneider, M. & Shang, Y. (2004). LAUSD School Facilities and Academic Performance. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities. Downloaded 4-20-05 from http://www.edfacilities.org/pubs/LAUSD%20Report.pdf
Cash, C. S. (1993). Building condition and student achievement and behavior. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Chan, T.C. (1996). Environmental impact on student learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 406 722.
Chan, T. C. (1979). The impact of school building age on the achievement of eighth-grade pupils from the public schools in the State of Georgia. Athens, GA: Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia.
Dawson, C. & Parker, J.R. (1998). A descriptive analysis of the perspective of Neville high school teachers regarding the school renovation. New Orleans, LA: Paper presented at the Mid-South Educational Research Association, ED 427506.
Duran, V. (2002). Building quality and student achievement: An exploratory study of 95 urban elementary schools. Environmental Psychology Program, the Graduate Center, CUNY. Unpublished manuscript.
Earthman, G.I. (2004). Prioritization of 31 criteria for school building adequacy. Baltimore, MD: American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Maryland.
Earthman, G. I., & Lemasters, L. (1996). Review of the research on the relationship between school buildings, student achievement, and student behavior. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council of Educational Facility Planners International. Tarpon, Florida, October, 1996. (ED416666).
Hawkins, H.L. & Overbaugh, B.L. (1988). The interface between facilities and learning. Council of Educational Facility Planners Journal, Vol. 26, pp. 4-7.
Higgins, S., Hall, E., Wall, K., Woolner, P., & McCaughey, C. (2005). The impact of school environments: A literature review. Newcastle, UK: The Centre for Learning and Teaching, School of Education, Communication, and Language, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Downloaded 5-24-07 from http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/resources/assets/assets/pdf/Publications/The%20Impact%
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Lanham, J. W. (1999). Relating building and classroom conditions to student achievement in Virginia’s elementary schools. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University.
Lewis, M. (2000). Where children learn: Facility condition and student test performance in Milwaukee Public Schools. Scottsdale, AZ: Council of Educational Facility Planners, International, Issuetrak.
Leung, M. & Fung, I. (2005). Enhancement of classroom facilities of primary schools and its impact on learning behaviors of students. Facilities, Vol. 23, No. 13/14, pp. 585-594.
Lowe, J. (1990). The interface between educational facilities and learning climate in three elementary schools. Unpublished dissertation. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University.
Martin, S.H. (2002). The classroom environment and its effect on the practice of teachers. Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 22, pp. 139-156.
Maxwell, L. (1999). School renovation and student performance: One district’s experience. Scottsdale, AZ: Council for Educational Facility Planners International.
Office of Education Research and Improvement. (June, 2000). Condition of America's Public School Facilities: 1999, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.
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O'Neill, D. J. & Oates, A. D. (2001). The Impact of School Facilities on Student Achievement, Behavior, Attendance and Teacher Turnover Rate in Central Texas Middle Schools, Council of Educational Facility Planners Journal, Vol. 36, p. 3.
Phillips, R.W. (1997). Educational facility age and the academic achievement and attendance of upper elementary school students. Athens, GA: Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia.
Ridolfi, G. (October, 2001). Innovation and standardization in school building: A proposal for a national code in Italy. DesignShare: © Giuseppe Ridolfi and DesignShare. Downloaded 5-24-07 from http://www.designshare.com/index.php/articles/innovation-and-standardization-in-school-building/
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Tiburcio, T. & Finch, E. F. (2005).The impact of an intelligent classroom on pupil's interactive behavior. Facilities, Vol. 23, No. 5/6, pp. 262-278.
Uline, C. & Tschannen-Moran, M. (2006, April). The walls speak: The interplay of quality facilities, school climate, and student achievement. Paper presented at the conference of the American Educational Research Association, April 9, 2006.
Uline, C. (2000). Decent facilities and learning: Thirman. A. Milner Elementary School and beyond. Teachers College Record, Vol. 102, pp. 442-460.
Watson, C. & Thomson, K. (2005). Bringing post occupancy evaluation to schools in Scotland.
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