A new report released by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) aims to spark a new conversation about high-performance sustainable schools can deliver high-performance students.

The future of Australian education: Sustainable places for learning was launched today by the GBCA as part of World Green Building Week.

“Too many students in Australia learn in school buildings that are too cold in winter, too hot in summer, badly lit and poorly ventilated,” says the GBCA’s Chief Operating Officer, Robin Mellon.

“Companies around Australia are achieving increases in productivity of up to 15 per cent when they move their employees into high-performance, Green Star-rated buildings. We must demand similar high-performance learning environments for our students.”

The future of Australian education: Sustainable places for learning bring together the current international research into green schools, which demonstrates that:
•Good lighting and ventilation can deliver a 41.5% improvement in health of students and teachers and a 25% improvement on test scores
•Students with access to good daylight in their classrooms progress 20% faster in maths and 26% faster in reading
•The classroom environment can affect a child’s academic progress by as much as 25%.

“We believe that, just as investment in quality teaching and quality resources is essential, so too is investment in quality learning environments,” Mr Mellon says.

“We call on industry and education stakeholders to work with us to establish an Australian Centre for Green Schools to provide people with the information they need to create the sustainable, productive, healthy places that our students and teachers deserve.

“Improving the performance of our schools will improve learning outcomes – which in turn will boost Australia’s future productivity and international competitiveness in the Asian century.

“Our vision for the future of Australian education is one in which all students and teachers have access to sustainable places for learning, and all students and teachers can reap the benefits of happier and healthier education facilities,” Mr Mellon concludes.

Download The future of Australian education: Sustainable places for learning.