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

  • Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Agricultural Sciences Complex has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.