Kids from Marginalized Communities Are Learning in the Hottest Classrooms

"A fan moves air around in a third-grade classroom in Denver, Colo., on October 8, 2024. A heat wave can turn a classroom without proper cooling into an oven. Excessive heat can interfere with the learning process of any childbut in the U.S., the students who are most affected are disproportionately from low-income families and communities of color. A recent study published in SSM Population Health has now quantified these inequities across U.S. public schools for the first time."

"Researchers found that Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native and Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander students, along with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, are significantly more likely than their white and wealthier peers to attend schools located in places that experience the highest number of days with extreme heat . This is information that we probably could have concluded without the data, says study co-author Sara Soroka of the University of California, Santa Barbara."

"Because of rising global temperatures caused by burning fossil fuels, heat waves in the U.S. are happening more often, lasting longer and spreading into spring and fall. Although it is well known that people from minority racial and ethnic groups are generally more exposed to heat than people in white and wealthier communities, there has been no data on how disparities in exposure play out in schools."

Researchers quantified national inequities in extreme heat exposure at U.S. public schools. Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native and Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander students and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch are significantly more likely than white and wealthier peers to attend schools located in places with the highest numbers of extreme-heat days. Rising global temperatures from burning fossil fuels are increasing heat wave frequency, duration, and seasonal spread. Excessive heat can disrupt learning in uncooled classrooms. National data on school heat exposure were previously lacking. The findings can inform cooling, resilience, and policy interventions for vulnerable school communities.

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