Researchers observed a 5% decrease in “power of attention” in poorly ventilated classrooms, roughly equivalent to the impact that a student might feel from skipping breakfast (Coley et al., 2007). With similarly poor CO2 levels and ventilation rates in school buildings, students have been observed to experience greater fatigue, impaired attention span, and loss of concentration (Chatzidiakou et al., 2012); poorer performance on tests of concentration (Dorizas et al., 2015a); and lower levels of focus among university students during lectures (Uzelac et al., 2015).
Health Education Initiative
The need for change in education is more urgent than ever
US Schools lag behind international peers in preparing students for the global economy. As educators, what can we do today, to protect tomorrow?
An initiative to close the access and equity gaps.
For the past three academic years, learning organizations (i.e., school districts) encountered insurmountable variables that forever changed the education landscape. The novelty of the pandemic challenged every dimension of excellence, which targeted global discussions that were long overdue in the education ecosystem – equity.
Health is equity: An initiative to close the access and equity gaps with a focus on healthy learning environments, minimizing absenteeism and improving cognitive skills.
Michael T. Conner, Ed. D.
Founder of Agile Evolutionary Group and Champion of Health in Education
Sign up here to find out how to be the difference
Schools in Crisis
Recruitment Gaps
While educator shortages predate the pandemic, particularly for substitute teachers and in hard-to-staff subjects such as math, science, special education and bilingual education, these shortages have grown in the past two years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 567,000 fewer educators in America’s public schools today than there were before the pandemic.
Student health
Our schools are in the midst of an air quality crisis, and COVID-19 has only made it worse. School air quality is of particular concern because of how susceptible students are to poor air quality compared to adults, and how this susceptibility impacts their long-and-short-term academic, physical, mental, financial, and social well-being.
Poor air quality is sucking the life out of our educational system
Time is running out for us to close the equity gap in schools.
COVID, aging infrastructure and limited resources have exploded the equity gap, and we must act urgently. We now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reverse its course.
Most public schools are more than 50 years old and require extensive repairs
More than 40% of public school districts need to update or replace (HVAC) systems in at least half of their schools, and about 30% of those receiving Federal Impact Aid reported the same for indoor air quality monitoring. These issues are further exacerbated by an occupant density that is four times higher than office buildings with similar floor space.
ESSER Funding offer goverment funded solutions, but act fast!
What is the esser fund?
The ESSER Fund provides emergency financial assistance to elementary and secondary schools to help address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, the Department of Education introduced the American Rescue Plan (ARP), allocating $122 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund to provide emergency relief funding for K-12 schools.
Emergency federal COVID-19 funding provides a once-in-a-generation chance for schools to implement upgrades and indoor-air-quality control measures, including improvements to HVAC systems and air-cleaning solutions. Such initutives offer schools valuable short-term opportunity to foster long-term student success by creating better, healthier learning enviroments.
ESSER funds can be used to improve indoor air quality in schools in many ways, including but not limited to the following:
- Inspection, testing, and maintenance of the current ventilation systems and approaches
- Purchasing portable air purifications
- Upgrading or servicing HVAC systems consistent with industry standards
- Purchasing MERV-12 or higher filters for HVAC systems and ACs
- Another spending supports inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve school facilities’ indoor air quality, including mechanical HVAC systems, filtering, purification, and other air cleaning, fans, and control systems.
ESSER I
ARES Act $13 Billion Legislation
Passed: 3/27/2020
Funds Distributed: 4/20/2020
Obligate Funds by: 9/30/2022
ESSER II
CRRSA Act $54 Billion
Passed: 12/27/2020
Funds Distributed: 1/20/2021
Obligate Funds by: 9/30/2023
ESSER III
ARP Act $122 Billion Legistration
Passed: 3/11/2021
Funds Distributed: 3/20/2021
Obligate Funds by: 9/30/2024
Introducing the Disruptive Excellence Framework
Michael T. conner, ed.d
Michael T. Conner, Ed.D., is the CEO/Founder of Agile Evolutionary Group, Corp., and former superintendent of schools in Middletown, CT. He is the architect and creator of the Disruptive Excellence Framework
Air Quality Doesn't need to be an issue, but act fast while there is funding!
Schools face significant challenges with aging infrastructure, overcrowding, and the rapid spread of communicable diseases which threaten student health, attendance, and academic performance.
Find out more and join the initiative. This is a problem we can solve!
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