Research

We now know, conclusively, that students and teachers who have the opportunity to occupy High Performance Learning Environments outperform their peers.

Students in environments with appropriate natural light are scoring 25% higher on standardized test scores. Even within a single school, research shows that abundant natural light could have a radically positive effect on student learning. In San Juan Capistrano, students in classrooms with the most natural light progressed 20 percent faster on math tests and 26 percent faster on reading tests over the course of a year than those in classrooms with the least light. Higher levels of natural light have even been proven to increase sales in retail areas by 8 to 30 percent.

The Acoustic Society of America reports that students in the average classroom hear only approximately 75% of what their teacher says. They have tracked students who were high-performers in specific subject areas as they transitioned to classrooms with poor acoustics, only to become average or below average in subjects in which they previously excelled. Documented studies show a direct correlation between quality acoustics and academic achievement, with shocking impacts in the key subject area of Reading. On any given day, more than 45 percent of early elementary school students may have hearing loss from ear infections, respiratory infections or colds, or undetected permanent hearing loss. These conditions, combined with poor acoustics, can result in students interpreting less than 50% of what is spoken in the classroom. This problem is compounded by the fact that younger students will not seek repeat information; they will simply proceed with their limited absorption.

It has long been understood that an individual’s attention span is directly attributable to the level of CO2 within the space that is being occupied. It is an easy concept to understand and is often described by asking someone to visualize a car trip on a cold day with the windows closed and the heater on. Individuals usually describe themselves as getting tired and sleepy. This is caused by an increase in the carbon dioxide level and it happens in the classroom as well. Outdoor carbon dioxide levels have risen over the past 200 years, however, they seldom rise above 300 pm (parts per million). The World Health Organization recommends a maximum of 1000 pm of CO2 in the indoor atmosphere. Research indicates that most classrooms start at about 1000 pm of CO2, and often increase dramatically from there.

There is an overwhelming amount of research to support the fact that successfully integrated technology-rich schools generate superior results for students, including advanced achievement, higher test scores, improved student motivation, enthusiasm, and overall engagement. Additionally, these schools have higher student retention and job placement rates. Perhaps the most comprehensive study, a U.S. Department of Education funded study of nine technology-rich schools, concluded that the use of technology resulted in educational gains for all students regardless of age, race, parental income, or other characteristics.

As specialists in the design of educational facilities, our goal has always been to integrate any tool or resource that shows potential for improving teaching and learning. We have a special role in this process, in that our own projects essentially become laboratories for investigating the implementation of better design practices and their impact on teaching and learning. The results have inspired and motivated us… and have made us believers in the power of High Performance Learning Environments and their impact on future generations of students and teachers.