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Greening in and around schoolyards can improve academic achievement. A study of 450 public schools in Washington state showed positive relationships between school greenness and academic achievement in sixth graders when looking at tree canopy cover and total green cover, even after controlling for factors such as socioeconomic status and school resources. Nearby tree cover (within 250 meters) had a more powerful association with high academic achievement than distant tree cover.

Kuo, Ming, Samantha E Klein, Matthew HEM Browning, and Jaime Zaplatosch. “Greening for academic achievement: Prioritizing what to plant and where.” Landscape and Urban Planning 206 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103962.

Topics

Educational value, Trees, Learning landscapes

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