Research

Green Schoolyards America conducts research that connects children's well-being and academic achievement to the ecological health of their school ground and neighborhood environments. We are currently working on two studies related to green schoolyards. We will post updates about them when the results are complete. 

If you are looking for a wide variety of research related to the benefits of green schoolyards and children's engagement with nature, we recommend the research library created by our colleagues at the Children & Nature Network.

Policy

Green Schoolyards America advocates for local, state and national policies that enable school grounds to become dynamic, multi-use, nature-filled public spaces that improve the well-being of children and the environment at the same time.

We collaborate with our colleagues in many related disciplines to build policy support for green schoolyards from within the education, health, and environmental sectors, and to review standards for schoolyard design and management.

Living Schoolyard Month

We worked with California Assembly Member Phil Ting on Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 128 (ACR-128), which designates the month of May as "Living Schoolyard Month" in California every year. It also asks "...the State Department of Education, school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to continue to prioritize the design and construction of student-accessible green space on school campuses and to integrate use of this space into the teaching of standards-based curriculum."  Click here to learn more about this exciting state resolution.

Green Schoolyards America now produces a collaboratively written Living Schoolyard Activity Guide to support California's celebration of Living Schoolyard Month and contribute to the global celebration of International School Grounds Month in May.  Read more about these celebrations and download the free publications here.