This presentation explores a theoretical framework and a practical procedure for assessing an urban school physical environment to identify its perceived impacts on the educational process, and reviews and critiques assessment models identified in the literature for assessing the quality of the physical environment. The Baltimore City Public…

This speech addresses the impact of schools on teaching and learning, and explains the need to evaluate the following three influences of physical school settings: health and safety factors; ambient environmental factors; and curriculum-based environmental factors. Also addressed are the influences of school and classroom size, and the need for…

A presentation examines the empirical research on the quality of children's social and educational experiences in educational environments and discusses why the public should be concerned with providing optimal environments for learning. It explores what an optimal learning environment is and provides its five attributes, including its ability to…

Environmental factors are being increasingly recognized as playing a role in school effectiveness and educational outcomes. Volume 1 examines what is known concerning the diagnosis, design, and management of environmental quality in schools, and the perceived relationship between environmental quality and educational outcomes, as revealed in an…

Congressional testimony is presented concerning school buildings and their connection to student health, behavior, and learning, including a review of selected empirical studies conducted over the past 30 years showing an explicit relationship between physical characteristics of school buildings and educational outcomes. The factors responsible…