Windex’s “Windows of Opportunity” Pilot Project Sheds Light on Why Some Schools Need More of That Very Thing—Sunlight

Whether you’re a parent, teacher or just a former student, you can probably recall some formative experiences and memories from your time at school. That’s because those developmental childhood years are crucial to shaping your cognitive, emotional and social growth—so it’s no wonder there’s research¹ showing a supportive and positive school environment can significantly advance academic performance, student wellbeing and long-term success.

Specifically, we’re talking natural light here. Think about your own living space: natural light can often be a huge indicator of how you feel. The same idea, unsurprisingly, applies to schools. There’s research showing students in naturally lit classrooms score higher on tests, focus better, and attend school more regularly². Yet, some schools across America have classrooms with no windows. Windex worked to change that at one school with their pilot “Windows of Opportunity” project.

In the early ’70s, there was a movement in America to build school classrooms without windows—they theorized it would minimize distractions for students so they could focus more on their studies. Turns out, performance and morale actually increase when more sunlight comes into the classroom. That’s where the “Windows of Opportunity” pilot project comes into play.

“I’ve spent my career researching the importance of natural light in our daily lives,” said Lisa Heschong, founding principal of the Heschong Mahone Group, a building sciences consulting firm. “It’s clear there’s an immediate opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our students and teachers by adding more daylight into buildings.”

Spending seven hours a day, five days per week, in a building with no natural light doesn’t sound enjoyable for anyone, and this certainly rang true for students and teachers at Eisenhower Elementary School in Jacksonville, Illinois—one of the aforementioned schools with windowless classrooms, and thus, very little natural light. To help address this concern, a pilot project called Windows of Opportunity, spearheaded by Windex, brought more light into one elementary school’s windowless classrooms, further improving the learning environment. According to a survey of Eisenhower Elementary teachers, 84% reported that student mood and overall wellbeing improved after installing the windows, while 93% reported a positive impact on their own mood and wellbeing.

Thanks to Windex’s pilot project, Eisenhower Elementary School went from zero to 70 windows throughout the building, adding them to classrooms, the gym and cafeteria.

_{¹National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). The condition of education 2002 (NCES 2002–025). U.S. Department of Education.}

_{²Sachs, H. M., Smith, S., & Kleisch, J. (2004). Promoting high-performance affordable housing: Strategies for program design (Paper presented at the 2004 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings). American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.}

_{³Fudge, S., Peters, M., & Woodman, N. (2016). Energy behaviour: The rise of the individual? University of Huddersfield.}