School environmental conditions and links to academic performance and absenteeism in urban, mid-Atlantic public schools

• Published in: International journal of hygiene and environmental health 2018-06, Vol.221 (5), p.800-808
• Main Authors: Berman, J.D., McCormack, M.C., Koehler, K.A., Connolly, F., Clemons-Erby, D., Davis, M.F., Gummerson, C., Leaf, P.J., Jones, T.D., Curriero, F.C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absenteeism; Academic achievement; Academic Performance; Air pollution; Child; Chronic absence; Cities; Crime; Environment; Facility condition; Humans; Maryland; Poverty; Schools
• ISSN: 1438-4639; 1618-131X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.04.015

•The impact of environment and community on school performance was assessed.•Exposure to industrial hazards increases absenteeism among school-aged children.•Building facilities and perceptions of safety impact performance and absenteeism.•Consideration of school and community factors is important for adolescent success. School facility conditions, environment, and perceptions of safety and learning have been investigated for their impact on child development. However, it is important to consider how the environment separately influences academic performance and attendance after controlling for school and community factors. Using results from the Maryland School Assessment, we considered outcomes of school-level proficiency in reading and math plus attendance and chronic absences, defined as missing 20 or more days, for grades 3–5 and 6–8 at 158 urban schools. Characteristics of the environment included school facility conditions, density of nearby roads, and an index industrial air pollution. Perceptions of school safety, learning, and institutional environment were acquired from a School Climate Survey. Also considered were neighborhood factors at the community statistical area, including demographics, crime, and poverty based on school location. Poisson regression adjusted for over-dispersion was used to model academic achievement and multiple linear models were used for attendance. Each 10-unit change in facility condition index, denoting worse quality buildings, was associated with a decrease in reading (1.0% (95% CI: 0.1–1.9%) and math scores (0.21% (95% CI: 0.20-0.40), while chronic absences increased by 0.75% (95% CI: 0.30–1.39). Each log increase the EPA’s Risk Screening Environmental Indicator (RSEI) value for industrial hazards, resulted in a marginally significant trend of increasing absenteeism (p