National Landscape Report

• In Event: Schooling in the Anthropocene: Research Perspectives and Policy Priorities

Abstract

This paper synthesizes available evidence on the specific consequences of climate change for schools, school systems, and students. A growing body of research establishes how climate change can have lasting consequences for student health and behavioral outcomes, attendance, academic achievement and attainment, and future earnings potential (see Opper et al., 2023). And, research suggests that young students are especially developmentally vulnerable to a range of climate stressors, particularly extreme heat (Proulx et al., 2024). Also troubling is the disproportionate impact climate events are demonstrated to have on racially minoritized students and students from low-income backgrounds, compounding the challenges students from these groups already encounter (Berberian et al., 2022; Filardo et al., 2019; Mohai et al., 2011; The Trust for Public Land, 2020).

Additionally, schools and districts must address climate-related impacts on student health, behavior, and learning—while also managing limited instructional time, supporting staff affected by disasters, and making infrastructure decisions with constrained resources. (Daviset al., 2022). Nearly 100,000 public K-12 schools already endure under-resourced budgets, high teacher turnover rates, buildings in need of repair, and ongoing academic recovery post-COVID, and so these additional climate-related challenges are not trivial (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017; Filardo et al., 2019; Gallegos, 2024).

Not only are the implications of climate change for schools and students already substantial, but they are projected to increase. Estimates assert that children born in 2020 will experience up to seven times as many extreme climate events in their lifetime as previous generations (Thiery et al., 2021). Looking to history as a blueprint, considering our actions now will have great implications for the future of schooling and students.

This paper addresses a critical gap: the absence of a systematic research synthesis on how acute climate disasters and worsening conditions affect U.S. students, schools, and districts. We consulted key experts to identify studies on various climate impacts, then reviewed references from peer-reviewed journals, news articles, and reports on heat, air pollution, hurricanes, and wildfires.

The paper concludes with recommendations for policymakers seeking to mitigate impacts for students and their schools/districts, and to support student success through climate crises. Recommendations include federal, state, and LEA-level policies that address:

Supporting districts to adopt technology and systems to deliver high-quality instruction and social-emotional support both in-person and remotely during hazardous conditions.

Improving facilities systems to ensure schools can provide the physical conditions most conducive to learning.

Proactively upgrading or rebuilding climate-vulnerable schools, while navigating restrictive funding policies to ensure lower-resourced districts can access capital improvement funds.

Developing disaster plans and ensuring schools serve as centers of safety, stability, and well-being for students, staff, and communities after climate disasters.

Equipping teachers, schools, and school systems to educate students on climate science and climate solutions.

This paper contributes to the field by not only identifying specific ways that climate change is affecting students, schools, and systems, but by also providing actionable policy recommendations to support students through the future of climate change.

Authors

• Natalie Spitzer, University of Texas at Austin

• Sarah L. Klevan, Learning Policy Institute

• Jennifer A. Bland, Learning Policy Institute