A Longitudinal Investigation of Building Condition, Educational Adequacy and Educational Outcomes in the Milwaukee Public Schools
Jeff
Lackney and Chul-ki Chang
College of Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Project
Principal
Investigator:
Jeffery A. Lackney, Ph.D., AIA
Assistant Professor
Department of Engineering Professional Development
College of Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
432 N. Lake Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
608-262-0638
fax 608-263-3160
lackney@epd.engr.wisc.edu
Project
Assistant:
Chulki Chang, Doctoral Candidate
Department of Engineering Professional Development
College of Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
432 N. Lake St.
Madison, WI 53706
cchang@cae.wisc.edu
Project
Consultant:
Edward McMilin, REFP
Facilities Planner
Milwaukee Public Schools
1124 North 11th Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233
mcmiliem@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Given that the average age of school buildings in the US are 42 years old (Lewis and associates, 2000), and do not always contain what is now considered the essential components for a good learning environment, understanding the relationship between existing building condition and student performance is a critically important issue. Although some earlier researchers have indicated their skepticism about the relationship between building condition and educational outcomes (Frazier; 1993, May), at least ten recent studies (Guy, 2001; Lewis, 2001; O'Neil, 2000, August; Cervantes, 1999; Maxwell, 1999; Lanham, 1999; Gravelle,1998; Earthman, Cash and Van Berkum, 1995, June; Cash, 1993; Berner, 1993, April) have found significant relationships between building condition and academic achievement and student behavior. However, as an important caveat, Lewis (2001) points out only a portion of the difference in scores can be attributed to differences in facility condition, and thus explain little of the total variability in test scores. At best, facility conditions are apart of a complex ecology of the school environment including the school social climate, quality of educational delivery, teacher quality, parental involvement, and student behavior and motivation among many other social and organizational factors.
Building condition studies cited above represent snapshot studies (i.e., a single point in time) that cannot provide a complete picture of the dynamic ecological relationship between facilities and learning. Secondly, building conditions only marginally illuminates the educational adequacy of a given facility - the degree to which a facility supports the educational program. A building may be of excellent physical condition but be inadequate for the educational program being delivered.
There are two interrelated objectives to this study: (a) test the relationship of building condition and educational adequacy to academic achievement longitudinally, and (b) establish a research program to regularly study the changing relationships between building condition, educational adequacy, educational outcomes. The goal of this research program, of which this longitudinal investigation is a first phase, is to develop an educational facility performance assessment procedure within the Milwaukee Public School District (MPS) to regularly monitor the performance of the its school buildings relative to educational outcomes.
The Lewis (2001) study was the first study to look specifically at building condition, educational adequacy and academic achievement in MPS. The Lewis Study results, although finding significant relationships between building condition and measures of academic achievement in MPS, has methodological drawbacks that this research proposal expects to address. Specifically, the Lewis Study in comparing MPS facility condition and educational adequacy assessments conducted in 1991 to student test scores in 1996, 1997 and 1998 severely limited the validity of the findings. This research proposal expects to resolve this methodological shortcoming by comparing facility and achievement data collected in the same year.
Going further than the Lewis study, this research proposal will involve a longitudinal study to compare variation in the relationship between facility data and outcomes between 1991, 1997 and 2002. In doing so, the study will be able to compare variation across an eleven year period in which a number of changes occurred in the building stock of the school district.
The second objective of this investigation is to use this study to establish a framework for the regular performance assessment of the relationship between building condition, educational adequacy and educational outcomes. This study will provide the baseline data for a long-term educational facility performance assessment program.
Studying building condition and educational adequacy within the context of historical change in the a school district referendums and building programs (MPS, 1992, September), the most recent Neighborhood Schools Initiative (Milwaukee Board of School Directors, 2000, August 24) and MPS's newly implemented Forty Year Cyclic Major Maintenance Program provides unique opportunity to understand how and why improving facility condition and educational adequacy across the district may influence educational outcomes and may provide more substantial and robust evidence for the relationship between school building condition and learning in the district.
RESESARCH QUESTIONS/HYPOTHESES
This study hypothesizes that there are two facility factors that may influence academic achievement in facilities within the school district. The model below illustrates the hypothetical relationships between independent facility factors (building condition and educational adequacy) and dependent educational outcomes (academic achievement and pro-social behaviors). In addition, pro-social behaviors (i.e., attendance) may have an additional influence on academic achievement.
A second set of research questions will be focused on data from a longitudinal perspective:
1. Is there a relationship between improved building conditions, through general preventative maintenance undertaken from 1991 through 2002 in the district, and academic achievement?
2. Is there a relationship between improvements in educational adequacy between 1991 and 2002, through building improvements across the district, and academic achievement and pro-social behaviors over the same period?
This study is unable to take into account a variety of variables that may mediate outcomes such as individual characteristics and attitudes of students and teachers, and the quality of student-teacher interactions. The study also assumes that educational program offerings are similar across time and that the educational adequacy measurements reflect the program requirements across school sites. Finally, assumptions must be made that the building condition survey data was reliably collected.
METHODOLOGY
A correlational analysis will be conducted that tests for statistical evidence of relationships illustrated in the Model of Hypothetical Relationships Between Facility Factors and Educational Outcomes. A secondary historical case analysis of the district building and maintenance plans may be conducted as way of explaining any relationships that may be found to exist as part of the longitudinal study.
Building condition data will be gathered for the years 1991, 1997 and 2002 that determines the general condition of each school building. Data was collected in 1991 by Construction Control Corporation through the Existing Conditions Survey (Construction Control Corporation, 1991, November) and was subsequently updated by MPS facility staff in 1997. MPS staff has offered to assist in the collection of the 2002 building condition data. The 1991 Existing Conditions Survey documented 130 separate physical building components, while the subsequent 1997 building condition survey conducted for the MPS Cyclic Major Maintenance Program includes a subset of 37 of the most critical components (i.e., air conditioning, carpeting, lighting, painting, playgrounds, doors, elevators, roofs, etc). The 2002 building condition survey will focus on documenting many of these same 37 components with the objective of aligning the research variables with current district practice.
Educational adequacy data will be gathered for the years 1991 and 2002 through the Educational Adequacy Survey (Construction Control Corporation, 1991, November). Educational adequacy is defined in these surveys as the degree to which a building is sufficient as an educational facility to a team of professional educators and curriculum specialists. MPS staff did not update educational adequacy data in 1997, but MPS has agreed to update this data in the Fall of 2002 in conducting this study using similar methods of data collection.
WSAS test score data (Wisconsin Student Assessment System Scores) is available for 1991, 1997 and 2002 for fourth, eighth and tenth grades in Mathematics, Language, Science and Social Studies. Data from 1997 and 2002 are in electronic format while 1991 is in hard copy format only and the data will need to be entered manually into a database management software program. Social outcome measures are available for suspensions, attendance, mobility, truancy and eligibility for free and reduced price lunch.
Milwaukee Public Schools contains a total K-12 student population of more than 100,000 students served by 180 schools (21 high schools, 23 middle schools, 121 elementary schools, 15 k-8/k-12 schools) in addition to 45 alternative schools and partnerships. This study will draw a sample of elementary, middle and secondary schools from this population. Alternative schools may not be investigated due to their unique partnering arrangements (i.e., sharing facilities with other programs and agencies) which may make comparisons to standard school buildings difficult.
FINDINGS
It is expected that a statistically significant relationship will be found between a number of facility factors and educational outcomes. The model suggests that the strongest relationship between facilities and educational outcomes would be expected where both building condition and educational adequacy are rated high compared with the mean of the sample. In addition, the study is expected to contribute to the field of educational facility research by developing a model for conducting longitudinal research of building conditions and educational adequacy as they relate to educational outcomes.
The findings from this study are expected to be presented at CEFPI's national conference in the Fall of 2003, disseminated on the CEFPI website and/or CEFP Journal, the NCEF website and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. On-going research activities will be reported on School Research Design Studio and the MPS websites. The findings may also be presented at selected educational conferences such as ASCD or AERA.
A possible outcome of this research study will be a 'worked example' from which an educational facility performance assessment procedure can be developed. This procedure can then be tested in a 5-year follow-up study in 2007 to continue the documenting the impact of building condition and educational adequacy on educational outcomes initiated by this project and the Lewis Study. The long-term goal of this procedure is to provide an additional value-added tool for continuous improvement within the district's facility planning and maintenance programs.
REFERENCES
Berner, M.M. (April 1993). Building conditions, parental involvment, and student achievement in the District of Columbia Public School System. Urban Education, 28(1), 6-29.
Cash, C.S. (1993). Building condition and student achievement and behavior. Blacksburg, VA: Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Construction Control Corporation (1991, November 5). Report of findings: Existing conditions survey and educational adequacy survey for the Milwaukee Public Schools. Atlanta, GA: Author.
Cervantes, R.P. (1999). The relationship between the school building condition and academic achievement and behavior of students in selected Alabama public schools. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Earthman G.I., Cash C.S. and Van Berkum, D. (1996, June). Student achievement and behavior and school building condition. Journal of School Business Management, 8(3).
Frazier, Linda M. (May, 1993) Deteriorating School Facilities and Student Learning. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 356 564).
Gravelle, C.M. (1998). The relationship between student achievement and school building conditions in public school districts in Idaho. An unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Idaho.
Guy, L.G. (2001). Student achievement and school condition: Examining the relationship in West Virginia High Schools. An unpublished doctoral dissertation. Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University.
Lanham III, J.W. (1999). Relating building and classroom conditions to student achievement in Virginia's elementary schools. Blacksburg, VA: Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Lewis, L., Snow, K., Farris, E., Smerdon, B., Cronen, S., and Kaplan, J. (2000). Condition of America's Public School Facilities: 1999 (NCES 2000-032).
Lewis, M. (2001). Facility conditions and student test performance in the Milwaukee Public Schools. Scottsdale, AZ: Council of Educational Facility Planners International.
Maxwell, L.E. (1999). School building renovation and student performance: One district's experience. Scottsdale, AZ: Council of Educational Facility Planners International.
Milwaukee Board of School Directors. (2000, August 24). Neighborhood schools plan final report. Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Public Schools.
MPS
(1992, September). Facility Master Plan: 1992-2001. Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee
Public Schools.
O'Neill, D.J. (2000, August). The impact of school facilities on student
achievement, behavior, attendance, and teacher turnover rate at selected
Texas middle schools in Region XIII ESC. Unpublished doctoral dissertation.
Texas A&M University.
