Lighting of schools is often done with great attention to initial costs. Can lighting be “high quality”, “environmentally sustainable” and cost effective all at the same time- while helping our kids do their best in school? Fortunately, this topic has received some well-deserved research in the late 1990’s, and the verdict is – Yes, under certain conditions.

The conditions include:

• Most importantly, that value is placed on the performance of children and teachers in the classroom setting.
• Second most importantly, that “cost-effectiveness” is based on life-cycle costs, and not only initial costs.
• Placing proper value on higher quality light, as some of the least cost systems have poor visual properties that can cause headache, fatigue, or a heightened sense of environmental stress. These negatives have real negative economic implications that need to be considered.
• Well-designed classrooms that utilize daylight effectively have been linked to improved student performance in daylit classrooms. (Heshong-Mahone, 1999) Daylighting can also be an effective way of reducing electrical energy use, particularly in hallways and large, high-ceiling spaces.
• Flexible lighting and control systems that enable teachers to use the classroom effectively for multiple teaching modes as well as a teaching tool.