That data backs up a study in New York state that linked academic achievement increases to schools which improved their building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning, said Lucy Sorensen, an associate research professor at the University of Albany. Sorensen and two other researchers examined 3,000 schools over 14 years and found that schools making HVAC improvements saw attendance gains, fewer suspensions and “modest” increases in student math and reading scores.
In New York state, not counting New York City, about 18% of Black or Hispanic students attend schools with inadequate ventilation systems compared to 13% of White or Asian students, the study reported. Digging deeper on this issue, a new paper that Sorensen helped write shows that “schools serving more students of color are significantly more likely to have poor overall conditions, inadequate ventilation [and] mold exposure.”