Crumbling classrooms affect performance.

• Position: Your Life - Disrepair of US school facilities may relate to low academic achievement - Brief Article

Of all the world's economies, the U.S. is ranked No. 1. Why, then, are American students ranked sixth internationally in academic achievement? It may have something to do with their schools' infrastructure. Since the 1930s, research has shown a link between a student's physical environment and his or her academic achievement, according to the Council of Educational Facility Planners, International.

Many people, however, blame poor test scores on teachers or students--without really knowing how run-down their particular school district's buildings and classrooms have become. America's school buildings need more than $286,000,000,000 for improvements, claims Saving America's School Infrastructure, a book co-edited by educational administration...