In the 90s, I taught at a small school in rural Missouri, where the population barely hit 1,200. Aside from winter, our classrooms were stiflingly hot. It’s unclear whether the high school lacked the budget for air conditioning or if it simply prioritized new football uniforms instead. Our only means of cooling down was to crack open a window and hope for a breeze. Although we started school in what should have felt like fall, my classroom often resembled the oppressive heat of a late June day in a Missouri summer.
The administration recognized that both teachers and students were being placed in untenable conditions, so they suggested a few tips to cope with the heat:
- Fans! Nothing quite like dragging a box fan from home to circulate hot air and the unpleasant aroma of sweaty scalps in a confined space.
- Water Bottles! Students were allowed to bring in large jugs of water for hydration—at least until the administration worried that kids would fill them with alcohol instead. They preferred to risk heatstroke rather than deal with potential inebriation.
- Principal’s Office! Unsurprisingly, the principal’s office was the only truly cool area in the entire building. You would often find both students and teachers inventing excuses to hang out with the secretaries just to cool off. The office had to maintain a cool temperature for the printer, but shouldn’t the entire school be equally conducive to learning?
Eventually, the administration resorted to sending students and staff home early when temperatures became unbearable. This was a relief for those who had air conditioning at home, but it also meant losing valuable learning time. Each time the temperature soared, students missed out on around three hours of instruction, which could really accumulate over time.
It was a classic dilemma: students can’t learn effectively if they’re not in school, but they also can’t learn if they’re wilting in the heat.
I can’t recall much genuine learning happening in that sweltering classroom—how could anyone focus when suffocating? Both students and staff turned into lethargic puddles, and it’s tough to absorb information when you’re melting into your desk.
While my personal experience may not be universally convincing, research backs up the claim that excessive heat and learning are incompatible. A study spanning 14 years found a direct correlation between heat exposure and cognitive performance. According to Goodman et al., every degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature during the year before the PSAT resulted in a 1% drop in student achievement. This effect was even more pronounced for low-income and minority students, whose academic performance declined three times as much as that of their wealthier peers.
Tulsa University’s Indoor Air Program approached the issue from another angle, examining a large southwestern school district. They discovered that reducing classroom temperatures from 78 to 67 degrees led to improvements in math, reading, and science scores. They concluded that adequate ventilation and temperature control could significantly enhance students’ test scores, potentially exceeding state standards.
While standardized tests and grades aren’t the ultimate measure of academic success, seasoned educators, like myself, can attest to the detrimental impact of sweltering classrooms on student learning.
The New York State Union of Teachers has encouraged educators and parents to share their “heat stories,” and the responses have been eye-opening. One teacher from North Rockland reported classroom temperatures nearing 100°F, describing students as lethargic, sweating profusely, and suffering from headaches. Another educator in Hyde Park recounted feeling dizzy and dehydrated, noting that students appeared glazed over, with sweaty papers and no learning taking place.
We’ve long recognized that insufficient sleep and poor nutrition negatively affect educational outcomes—why would we assume that extreme heat wouldn’t have a similar impact? Do we really need extensive research or testimonials to understand that extreme heat can impair cognitive function?
Ultimately, school boards face a choice: invest in effective cooling solutions or continue to risk the academic futures of students. Here’s hoping they choose wisely.
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Summary:
Hot classrooms significantly hinder learning, as evidenced by personal experiences and research findings. Excessive heat leads to decreased cognitive performance, particularly affecting low-income and minority students. Schools face a critical choice between investing in cooling solutions or allowing students to suffer in unbearable conditions, ultimately impacting their academic success.
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