Our building plan emphasises a pleasant school environment with a campus that the children are proud to attend. This encourages them to relish their learning experience and in the long run, they are more apt to pursue a longer education. It all begins with their early learning experiences.
A new study explains the link between run-down schools and lower test scores and academic achievement among students.
Lorraine Maxwell, an associate professor of design and environmental analysis in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University found a chain reaction at work: Leaking toilets, smelly cafeterias, broken furniture, and run-down classrooms make students feel negatively, which leads to high absenteeism and in turn, contributes to low test scores and poor academic achievement.
"School buildings that are in good condition and attractive may signal to students that someone cares and there's a positive social climate, which in turn may encourage better attendance," Maxwell said. "Students cannot learn if they do not come to school."
Maxwell found that poor building conditions, and the resulting negative perception of the school's social climate, accounted for 70 percent of the poor academic performance.
At Mountain View School we also employ practical ideas that add benefit to our local environment, such as rain water harvesting, tree planting and solar panel power.