Clean Learning

December 10, 2005December 17, 2009 1448 Views Adaptive Reuse, Product of the Month

By age 40, most U. S. school buildings start deteriorating rapidly. As they get older, their worsening physical conditions can have an alarmingly negative impact on a child’s education, especially if the cleaning and maintenance of the schools has been allowed to decline as well.

Several reports indicate that environmental conditions that affect physical comfort, such as airflow, lighting, ventilation, and cleanliness, can influence a student’s performance and achievement. Moreover, these studies have found that test scores in several categories – math, reading skills, comprehension, and vocabulary – were 5 percent to 17 percent lower among students in older, substandard, and/or poorly cleaned and maintained buildings than among those in clean, well maintained, or renovated schools.

The good news is that a school’s old age does not necessarily mean that achievement scores must be lower; in fact, one study of schools in Milwaukee, Wis., found that older, properly maintained schools could actually outperform newer facilities. In a study of 139 city schools, it was discovered that even in old, substandard schools, test scores improved when there was greater emphasis on and improvement in cleaning. With the serious financial constraints found in many school districts today, it is unrealistic for us to consider simply replacing school buildings after age 40. Thus, a more palatable option would be to evaluate the methods and the types of chemicals used in school cleaning to see if changes can result in enhanced student achievement and performance as witnessed in the Milwaukee study.

Cleaning Methods

Researchers, such as Michael Berry, Ph.D., professor at the University of North Carolina, have found conclusive evidence that the cleaning process affects teacher and student health, morale, and performance. Berry found that when more thorough cleaning methods were implemented, the following environmental results were obtained:

Airborne dust declined 52 percent
Total volatile organic compounds declined 49 percent
Total bacteria declined 40 percent
Total fungi declined 61 percent

The Berry researchers concluded that by reducing these contaminants, better health, improved productivity, and student performance would result. In another study spearheaded by Berry at the Charles Young Elementary School in Washington, D.C., major changes were made to the building’s structure and cleaning methods in order to produce the following improvements:

Passing math scores on standard- ized tests increased 51 percent
Passing reading scores on standard- ized tests increased 27 percent
Attendance increased 4.5 percent

Researchers concluded that the improved indoor environment positively affected teacher and student morale, attendance, and retention, which subsequently improved their ability to teach and to learn.

Cleaning Chemicals

The type of cleaning chemicals used can also affect student performance. Although many of the cleaning chemicals used for decades have served us well, we now know that many of these products can be harmful to living things and the environment because of their high toxicity. More specifically, in an indoor environment such as a school, they can affect the health and well being of students and their performance.

Glass cleaner, for example, is usually comprised of alcohol, ammonia, and solvents that can be harmful if inhaled or ingested, and it is typically applied by using a trigger spray or aerosol. This creates a fine mist or vapors, which can enter the breathing zone of custodians and others using the window cleaner, causing respiratory irritation and, with repeated use, possible asthmatic attacks and other breathing disorders.

These vapors can enter HVAC systems, spreading them throughout the school, affecting students, staff, teachers, and visitors. Many researchers believe that the use of traditional cleaning chemicals are one reason childhood asthma has increased by as much as 160 percent the past two decades in some school districts around the country. Eventually these vapors are released into the environment where they cause further harm.

A "green" or environmentally preferable glass cleaner is less harmful to people and the environment. Additionally, applying a liquid or foam glass cleaner directly to the wipe cloth reduces or eliminates the possibility that vapors become airborne. This is an example of the benefits of changing a cleaning method as well as the cleaning chemical used.

Steps to Take

More and more school districts are embracing the use of environmentally preferable cleaning products to reduce impacts on health and the environment. Cleaning is much more than shiny hallways – cleaning is all about health. For the health of our children as well as enhancing school achievement, we must re-evaluate and improve our school cleaning methods and remove contaminants that harm the environment.

Cleaning consultants can help schools improve cleaning standards by implementing new cleaning systems and suggesting new equipment and products. They can also work with custodial workers to help them adapt to these new systems and products. The result of more thorough cleaning and the use of greener products is improved student performance-and at a much greater savings to school districts than rebuilding of aging schools.

Reference: The Impact of School Building Conditions and Student Achievement, published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Program on Educational Building 2001/2002.

Stephen P. Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specializing in greening the cleaning process. The Ashkin Group may be reached at (812) 332-7950 or visit: www.ashkingroup.com.