In Letter to States Education Executives, Eneref Institute Implores Schools to Include Interior Daylight in Classroom Lighting

Philadelphia – As part of the Eneref Institute #WellnessFriendlySchools Campaign, Eneref sent a letter to all 50 state education executives, urging them to act on the findings of a recent Eneref Report on classroom lighting. The Eneref Report examined the biological impact of Natural Interior Daylight in classrooms on improved student performance.  

Link to campaign: https://eneref.org/impact/wellnessfriendlyschools/

Eneref has reached out to school executives in order to place this report in the hands of authorities responsible for student performance. The bottom line of the Eneref Report is this: The right daylight in classrooms alone can improve student test scores.

Eneref Institute is a research and advocacy organization for sustainable development. The Eneref campaign aims to achieve a healthy school environment through an earth-friendly and wellness-friendly approach to building schools. 

As presented in the letter to school executives, the Eneref Report’s key conclusions describe:

  • A high correlation between schools that reported improvements in student test scores and those that reported greater amounts of daylight in the classroom.
  • A possible disruption of the molecular clocks that regulate the temporal dynamics of cellular activities caused by poorly designed artificial electric lighting.
  • The importance of illuminating schools with natural daylight to help students’ bodies regulate melatonin, reinforcing circadian wellness and improving performance. ­

The Eneref Report, titled “Classrooms Optimized with Natural Daylight Increase Student Performance,” can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/eneref-skylightled.

As the Eneref Report states, careful architectural planning and utilization of daylight to illuminate rooms, in conjunction with LED electrical lighting, is not only efficient for buildings but also healthy for occupants, both students and faculty alike.

 

Featured

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • 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.