A research study evaluating the impact of how well-designed school buildings can help improve learning outcomes and the health and well-being of both our students and their teachers. The study aimed to quantify the benefits of a school district’s modernization efforts. In order to improve learning environments, staff satisfaction, and student performance, the District of Columbia has invested funds into completing full renovations of many of its non-modernized school buildings to create high-performance, 21st century learning environments. The study looked at the perceived satisfaction of both students and faculty, on-site measurement of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), and archival data collected by the school district. All of these factors are compared between modernized versus non-modernized facilities to assess the success of the modernization efforts in improving the learning environment. Overall, this study supports the continued funding of modernizations of the existing school building stock, using high-performance design criteria in order to protect the health, well-being, safety, and satisfaction of those that teach and learn in our school buildings.
