Public school districts in the United States spent as much as $600 billion in total capital outlays for renovation and construction of local public schools for the 10-year period of 1995 through 2004, according to recent research. Yet millions of students still attend classes in substandard and crowded schools.

Two surveys, one by the Government Accountability Office in 1995 set the estimated need at $163 billion, and the other in 2000 by the National Education Association found that state agencies estimated their building needs were $322 billion. But both estimates fell far short of actual expenditures. Today, no public agency is monitoring school conditions nationwide and many states have no way to evaluate the extent or level of need.

In addition to the continuing need for school construction and renovation, the disparity between the capital expenditures of affluent and low-income districts on a per pupil basis is substantial. While $6,249 per pupil of facilities expenditures is the national average, 10 mostly rural states had average construction spending per pupil of less than $4,000 while eight states had expenditures of from $8,000 to more than $10,000 in construction expenditure per public school pupil.

A total of 28 states had per pupil capital expenditures below the national average, and a high percentage of those states were largely rural or had significant rural populations. The research report was issued by Building Educational Success Together (BEST), a group of local and national organizations under the leadership of the 21st Century School Fund with the support of the Ford Foundation.

Recent research confirms what many educators know as common sense--the quality of a school facility affects students’ experience and ultimately impacts their educational achievement. The research on school building conditions and students outcomes finds a consistent relationship between poor facilities and poor performance. When school facilities are clean, in good repair, and designed to support high academic standards, there will be higher students achievement, independent of student socio-economic status.

* The cognitive requirements for learning and teaching--motivation, energy, attention, hearing, and seeing--are affected by the physical surroundings.

* The amount of natural light, the indoor air quality, the temperature, and the cleanliness of schools and classrooms all impact student learning.

* Overcrowded schools lead to higher absenteeism for both students and teachers, and have detrimental effects on children’s ability to perform well.

* Poor building conditions greatly increase the likelihood that teachers will leave and that these substandard schools will have high teacher turnover rates and the least experienced teachers.