Your web browser might not work well with our site. We recommend you upgrade your browser.
/classroom/2302005 Customize URL
Research led by Joshua Goodman, a Harvard University microeconomist studying human capital and education policy, has shown that students who learn in hotter classrooms perform worse on college admissions tests. The researchers found, however, that more than 70 percent of the test-score drop for students with hotter school years disappeared when they attended schools with air conditioning. "Physiologically, as the temperature goes above 70 degrees, that's where people start to feel uncomfortable, the students start to learn less and, basically the hotter it gets after that, the worse that is for learning," Goodman said. Most troubling, though hardly surprising, is the disproportionate impact of hot classrooms on students of color. The report鈥檚 authors conclude that 鈥渉eat effects account for up to 13% of the U.S. racial achievement gap.鈥 We are requesting a portable air conditioner to keep our students cool and focused. Black and Hispanic students are more likely to attend high-poverty schools, which are more likely to lack air conditioning. In addition, more affluent parents are better positioned to reduce the academic effects of hot classrooms on their children with home air conditioning, or paying for a tutor after school. Adding air conditioning to my classroom will begin to even the playing field by giving my students an environment that is conducive to learning.
Read more