[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E402-E403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOLS RESEARCH ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 20, 2001

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the High 
Performance Schools Research Act, a bill that would establish a 
research program at the National Science Foundation to quantify the 
relationship between the physical characteristics of elementary and 
secondary schools and student academic achievement in those schools.
  I am pleased that my colleagues Mr. Etheridge and Mr. Honda are 
joining me as original cosponsors of this bill.
  This legislation is part of a package of bills I plan to introduce or 
cosponsor that together will promote ``federal smart growth.'' As we 
have seen in my state of Colorado, sprawl around our fast-growing towns 
and cities destroys valuable open space, farmland, wildlife, and 
natural, cultural and recreational resources. I believe that the 
federal government can do a better job to support state and community 
efforts to control growth and prevent sprawl.
  I am introducing the High Performance Schools Research Act in 
conjunction with a bill I am reintroducing today, the High Performance 
Schools Act of 2001 (H.R. 3143 in the 106th Congress). The High 
Performance Schools Act takes the concept of ``whole buildings'' and 
puts it into the context of our schools, establishing a program in the 
Department of Energy to help school districts produce ``high 
performance'' school buildings. With energy costs and school enrollment 
on the rise and school buildings across the country in need of 
construction or major repairs, school districts need to have the 
appropriate tools and assistance to make good building decisions. The 
High Performance Schools Act is intended to help school districts make 
these good decisions, as well as to conserve energy and protect the 
environment.
  In addition to the economic and environmental benefits of smart 
building choices, evidence is growing that high performance buildings 
are beneficial for student performance. A growing number of studies 
link student achievement and behavior to the physical building 
conditions. A study from Mississippi State University, for example, 
showed that in schools in North Carolina, Texas and Nevada, variables 
such as natural light and climate control played a role in improved 
test scores, higher morale and fewer discipline problems. And in one of 
the most rigorous studies of its kind, a 1999 report commissioned by 
Pacific Gas & Electric found that students who took their lessons in 
classrooms with more natural light scored as much as 25 percent higher 
on standardized tests than other students in the same school district.
  But while these studies have begun to reveal important information 
correlating a school building's environment with student performance, 
no large-scale, comprehensive study has been conducted to date. 
Understandably, school districts are reluctant to base infrastructure 
investment decisions on the results of a few narrowly conceived 
studies. So to give them the information they need to make better 
decisions, I am introducing the High Performance Schools Research Act, 
which will establish a National Science Foundation research program to 
thoroughly investigate the linkages between specific characteristics of 
the physical environment of a school and student learning. My hope is 
that further research will confirm initial findings correlating a 
school's environment to academic achievement, thus bolstering the case 
for high performance schools, which are themselves important components 
in any smart growth plan.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues Mr. Etheridge and Mr. 
Honda and other Members of the House to move forward with this 
initiative.

               The High Performance Schools Research Act

       The High Performance Schools Research Act would establish a 
     research program at

[[Page E403]]

     the National Science Foundation to quantify the relationship 
     between the physical characteristics of elementary and 
     secondary schools and student academic achievement in those 
     schools.
       This bill is intended as a companion to the High 
     Performance Schools Act of 2001, which takes the concept of 
     ``whole buildings'' and puts it into the context of our 
     schools, establishing a program in the Department of Energy 
     to help school districts produce ``high performance'' school 
     buildings.


                                Context

       In addition to the economic and environmental benefits of 
     smart building choices, evidence is growing that high 
     performance buildings are beneficial for student performance. 
     A growing number of studies link student achievement and 
     behavior to the physical building conditions. Although these 
     studies have begun to reveal important information 
     correlating a school building's environment with student 
     performance, no large-scale, comprehensive study has been 
     conducted to date.


                           How It Would Work

       The High Performance Schools Research Act is intended to 
     help give school districts the information they need to make 
     better decisions. The bill would establish a National Science 
     Foundation research program to thoroughly investigate the 
     linkages between specific characteristics of the physical 
     environment of a school and student learning.

     

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