In a new study , researchers from SUNY Albany use a decade and a half of data from New York State to explore the impact that replacing or improving heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems had on reading and math scores, as well as absenteeism and suspension rates. To assess HVAC systems, the researchers pulled data from the New York Building Conditions Surveys on cooling and heating systems (which control temperature) and ventilation systems (which control airflow). The HVAC systems were rated as either unsatisfactory or satisfactory. When a system moved from unsatisfactory to satisfactory, it was considered an improvement. They then linked these results with four student outcome measures on NYSED’s report cards: absenteeism rates, suspension rates, math scores, and reading scores. The researchers also examined student performance before and after HVAC systems were replaced.