Safe, healthy buildings W hen the last batch of schools was built in the 1950s and 1960s, little attention was spent on health or safety issues. Gang-related violence hadn't yet erupted. School shootings of the sort that shocked the nation in the last few years seemed unimaginable. The design and use of school space has a huge but often unrecognized impact on the behavior of students as well as staff. Rather than a global approach to school security, Schneider, Walker, and Sprague advocate considering local needs in order to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors within the unique environment of a school.
Structural issues are only one area to focus attention.
Even attention to maintenance can bolster security. And students get the message that they are cared about, as well. In addition to safety issues, health concerns are also earning increased attention from school planners. Recent research has highlighted links between classroom lighting and student achievement, with students making faster progress in classrooms with large windows or skylights to bring in natural light. Acoustics can have an effect on student achievement, too, according to studies that have looked at schools located so close to airports that runway noise interferes with learning.