Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

"Children Need Quiet to Learn, Study and Read"

  • 11/01/17

The headline of this article, as quoted by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., a New York City-based noise specialist, is so obvious, and yet so neglected in schools.

Bronzaft is a strong proponent for educating administrators, planners and architects to the hazards of noise in schools. “The key thing is to educate that noise is a health hazard,” she says. “It diminishes the quality of life. In schools, it robs children of learning.”

Bronzaft says it’s time to quit studying the effects of noise on learning and start implementing techniques to create quieter schools. It isn’t difficult. Here are some starting points for designing a quiet classroom.

  1. Install double-glazed windows to keep the noise out.
  2. Seal ducts properly to prevent noise from traveling from one room to another.
  3. Install doors that keep the noise out. “If a door is closed, I shouldn’t hear children walking through the hallway,” says Bronzaft.
  4. Install acoustical ceiling tiles to absorb noise made by children inside the classroom.
  5. Likewise, install carpeting to absorb noise made by children inside the classroom.
  6. Beware noisy air conditioning units. “We have to be cognizant of design issues, but also of appliances,” says Bronzaft. “We have to design for quiet in a broad sense, but also in a narrow sense in terms of specific products.”

“We have to convince people that noise isn’t just an annoyance,” Bronzaft says, “It’s a health hazard. It causes stress. If I’m stressed, it’s causing wear and tear on my body. Children can not learn in a noisy environment.”

Bronzaft encourages administrators to speak out and be active when it comes to noise. “They can’t wait for the city to make a school quiet. They have to speak on behalf of the children.”

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.