Rooted in the study of health care facilities, evidence-based design in elementary and secondary schools is used to optimize academic environments. Architectural determinism, from which evidence-based design evolved, is a theory that postulates the physical environment influences behavior. In evidence-based design, stimulus-response approaches to the environment incorporate the full span of the developmental continuum. In other words, researchers study how design affects the individual and collective needs of students as they learn and grow.
In 1999, 2001 and 2003, the Heschong Mahone Group conducted some of the first and most cited evidence-based research on elementary and secondary schools. Their studies were commissioned by Pacific Gas and Electric and involved more than 21,000 students in California, Colorado and Washington. Heschong Mahone discovered statistical correlations between the amount of natural light in classrooms and the performance of students on standardized math and reading tests. Their findings identified a central tendency of a 21-percent improvement in student-learning rates from classrooms with increased natural light. Subsequent studies linked air quality and interior design to student success.
According to a 2013 news release from the American Lung Association, children across the U.S. miss more than 10 million school days each year because of asthma exacerbated by poor air quality. These statistics are compounded in light of other airborne illnesses such as the common cold. In 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency consolidated evidence from scientific literature and found that improved ventilation reduces absenteeism through the control of carbon dioxide, mold and other airborne contaminants. The American Lung Association recognized schools that modified activities, programs and facilities accordingly.
A 2012 study by the New Jersey Institute of Technology linked flexible interiors with psychological and social development. More than 300 educators, administrators and clinical specialists contributed to this study sponsored by the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities. The study demonstrated how adjustable classrooms, tables and chairs enhance access, equity and inclusion by facilitating multiple, dynamic and simultaneous activities. The Council of Educational Facilities Planners International and National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities disseminated the research.
Evidence-based design will claim the attention of education stakeholders for the foreseeable future. Recent federal legislation and education initiatives including No Child Left Behind, The Education Sciences Reform Act and The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have called for evidence-based practice. The growing rationale for evidence-based design is simply this: environments should be assessed to determine whether and to what extent intended outcomes are achieved and daily practice should be developed based on such assessment.