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Partnerships/Resources/Related Links

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Partnerships

Resources

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Partnerships

American Association of School Administrators

The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) has been a partner with the EPA in its efforts to build healthy schools programs throughout the country. AASA represents school superintendents nationwide.  AASA works directly with schools and school districts to provide education and outreach on a variety of school issues including healthy school environments.  AASA conducts presentations and exhibits at national meetings, writes and distributes scholarly articles on IAQ issues and management practices, conducts internet presentations on IAQ and financing options, and facilitate implementation of IAQ TfS in urban and rural districts throughout the country.

American Federation of Teachers

The American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation (AFT) is one of the original sponsors of the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Kit. In conjunction with their work with the EPA, they conduct and sponsor studies, training, and research in education and related fields, with the objective of improving the lives of their members and improving the institutions in which they work.  AFT focuses their efforts on advocating for policies that promote healthy environments, and training members to effectively implement these policies.  AFT develops model IAQ programs consistent with IAQ TfS in urban and rural school districts.  In addition, AFT hosts annual trainings for bus drivers and other school employees to promote implementation of anti-idling school bus policies.

American Lung Association

The American Lung Association’s (ALA) mission is “to prevent lung disease and promote lung health.”  A non-profit organization comprised of both volunteer and paid staff, ALA utilizes the work of community activists, nurses, and physicians, including a close relationship with the American Thoracic Society.  Through its partnership with the EPA, ALA has established a highly effective network of more than 70 affiliates who are carrying out community-based indoor environmental protection programs at the state and local level.  Through its nationwide network, ALA will educate and reach children and their families in diverse, underserved communities. The bulk of ALA’s work is targeted at helping school-aged children control their asthma through education and action at school.  Using the Childhood Asthma and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Initiative program, ALA affiliates jointly implement IAQ Tools for Schools and Open Airways for Schools, an asthma education curriculum, in schools across the country. 

Association of School Business Officials International

Founded in 1910, the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) is a professional organization with more than 6,100 members, which provides programs and services to promote the highest standards of school business management practices, professional growth, and the effective use of educational resources.  ASBO was an original sponsor of the IAQ Tools for Schools kit in 1995, and has continued to work closely with the EPA through the years to facilitate adoption of sound IAQ management practices in schools across the country.  Building on these activities, ASBO will launch their innovative “Resident Practitioner” program in 2004.  The Practitioner will serve as a peer educator to provide practical information, resources, and technical assistance that will allow school business officials to implement the IAQ Tools for Schools Program effectively in their districts. 

Asthma and Allergy - Network Mothers of Asthmatics

Asthma and Allergy Network-Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) is a national nonprofit patient education organization devoted to eliminating suffering and death due to asthma, allergies and anaphylaxis.  Founded in 1985, AANMA’s formula for success is based on understanding and affecting patient belief systems, behaviors and outcomes.  An information clearinghouse, AANMA maintains extensive databases and resource information serving a readership of more than 100,000 people; Nurse Christy answers 100 emails and phone calls each month categorizing the subject matter of each contact; responds to more than 700 requests for information via AANMA’s toll-free hotline and Web site; and Ana Aponte provides one-on-one telephone and email and print services in both Spanish and English.  Through their partnership with the EPA, AANMA presents Home, School & Play (HSP), a comprehensive approach to asthma management, which emphasizes reducing environmental asthma triggers throughout a student’s day – at home, school and during play.  HSP will reach 300 households over the next three years to raise awareness of the importance of good IAQ at home, school, and play and the connection with asthma, while directly educating children, parents, and educators about environmental asthma triggers. Volunteers also facilitate problem-solving actions surrounding the identification and implementation of low- and no-cost mitigation solutions in home, school and play settings. 

The Council of Educational Facility Planners International

The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) is a professional organization whose mission is improving the places where children learn.  Founded in 1921, CEFPI provides educational facility expertise and information to over 3,000 members, including architects, planners, engineers, K-12 administrators, construction management firms, facility maintenance and operations officials and state agency representatives.  Since 2001, CEFPI and the EPA have shared the common goal of improving the indoor air quality in our nation’s schools to ensure the health, safety and performance of students and staff.  Through close collaboration with EPA, CEFPI has demonstrated a strong commitment to strengthening public awareness and facilitating the adoption of good indoor air quality management practices in our public and private K-12 schools by sponsoring national conferences, presentations, and continued sponsorship of “School Building Week” activities, including “Healthy Schools Day”.   Building on this proven track record, CEFPI members write articles for trade and technical journals highlighting the benefits of a pro-active indoor air quality management plan. They will develop an interactive DVD that will illustrate ways in which the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools program has been adopted in school facilities from urban, rural and suburban school districts.

Healthy Schools Network

The Healthy Schools Network (HSN) is a national environmental health not for profit organization, centered on children, and dedicated to assuring every child and school employee an environmentally safe and healthy school through work on research, information sharing, advocacy and coalition-building.  Healthy Schools Network promotes the development of national and state policies and regulations which will improve the conditions of school facilities and promote children's environmental-occupational health in their "workplaces" -- the classroom.  HSN collaborates with a wide range of national health, environment, education partners and parent groups to prevent and to intervene early to address environmental exposures that lead to chronic illnesses in children and adults.  HSN offers annual meetings, national conference calls, technical assistance and collaborative projects such as National Healthy Schools Day.  HSN coalition-building has created a network of a dozen state-based organizations concerned with the environmental health in schools.

National Association of School Nurses

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) is a specialty nursing organization that represents school nurses.  Organized to unite school nurses, NASN’s core purpose is to advance the delivery of professional school health services to promote optimal learning in students.  With offices in Castle Rock, Colorado and Scarborough, Maine, it has over 11,000 members from 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign countries.  In partnership with EPA, NASN provides state and local workshops to train school nurses to deliver Managing Asthma Triggers: Keeping Students Healthy, a modular program focusing on environmental asthma triggers.  This modular program, developed by NASN with an EPA grant, educates school personnel, students and parents about indoor environmental asthma triggers, and provides action items from IAQ Tools for Schools to reduce indoor asthma exposures in the school setting.   NASN continues to follow-up and effectively track the number of schools implementing IAQ Tools for Schools and the effectiveness of the Managing Asthma Triggers: Keeping Students Healthy program.  

National Education Association

The National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is to create a safe and healthy environment conducive to learning and teaching by reducing exposure to indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in America's public schools. To fulfill their mission, NEA HIN provides the National Education Association's (NEA) 2.7 million members nationwide with information and training opportunities on a wide variety of public and environmental health issues, including the EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program.

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Resources

Putting the Pieces Together: An Urban School Leader's Guide to Healthy Indoor Environments

This new IAQ resource developed by the American Association of School Administrators examines the challenges faced by urban school districts in the context of the school environment and offers practical, immediate action steps to undertake according to your leadership role.

The Virtual School Walkthrough: Identifying and Solving Common Indoor Air Quality Problems CD

Developed jointly by the Northwest Clean Air Agency and the Washington State University - Cooperative Extension, this DVD training tool provides step by step instructions for self-starting school districts to address IAQ. Use the DVD to help educate your school district on the importance of starting and/or sustaining a pro-active IAQ management program in your school.

Environmental Health Perspectives publishes EPA's 2002 IAQ Management Practices in Schools Survey Results

The manuscript Prevalence and Implementation of IAQ Programs in U.S. Schools has been published in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The article gives an overview and discusses the implications of the first national assessment of indoor air quality management practices and policies. Survey results indicate that 22% of schools in the U.S. have IAQ practices that meet EPA guidelines.

Toolkit for Reducing Diesel Emissions

The New England Asthma Regional Council (ARC) is a coalition of public agencies, private organizations and researchers in New England working to address the environmental contributors to asthma. ARC's members bring together the diverse perspectives and resources of health, housing, education, environment, managed care and advocacy organizations to focus on asthma.  ARC designed the Toolkit for Reducing Diesel Emissions to help school communities, environmental officials, and others make informed decisions about ways to reduce harmful diesel emissions from school buses. It includes materials created by ARC and resources developed by numerous organizations and agencies around the country. Originally designed to support activities in New England, the resources may benefit any state that seeks to improve the health of America ’s school children by reducing diesel bus emissions.  Questions can be directed to the Asthma Regional Council of New England at (617) 451-0049 (ext. 512) or visit www.asthmaregionalcouncil.org/about/_BusToolkit.htm exiting EPA

Indoor Air Quality - Tools for Schools Action Kit for Canadian Schools

The IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit was developed at Health Canada in collaboration with the Indoor Air Quality Working Group of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Environmental and Occupational Health (CEOH).  Based on EPA's version of the IAQ Tools for Schools kit, this version has been tailored to Canadian schools. Three consultation workshops, involving approximately 250 stakeholders from across Canada, were held to obtain feedback on the Canadian kit. In 2002, the kit was pilot tested in 44 schools across Canada. The results of the pilot study were used to further refine the contents of the kit. 

IAQ Lesson Plans

The National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN) has created a series of hands-on, interactive lesson plans geared towards grades K-12 that supplement the U.S. EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools Program. All lesson plans are tied to state education standards and can be easily integrated into your school district’s curriculum. Many of the lessons can be adapted to any grade level, can be used as independent activities, or combined to create an 'IAQ unit'.

Teacher's Guide to Indoor Air Pollutants, National Safety Council (NSC)

This attractively printed guide is designed to help students in grades 4-6 increase their knowledge of indoor air quality (IAQ) problems and solutions.  Offered by the National Safety Council's Environmental Health Center, it can be found online at www.nsc.org/EHC/indoor/teachers.htm exiting EPA  where you can order a copy for $20.

New Brunswick Lung Association (Canada) IAQ Tools for Schools Program (for French-speaking audiences)

Developed by the New Brunswick Lung Association (Canada) with permission from the American Lung Association, this site includes the key concepts of EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program for French-speaking audiences.  Some of the features of the site include the basics of indoor air quality (IAQ) , how to tell if a school has an IAQ problem, what are common school-related IAQ problems and solutions, and a list of tools available to address IAQ issues.  www.nb.lung.ca/schools/index_f.htm exiting EPA

Description du programme

Le Programme des écoles saines préconise une approche globale de la santé en milieu scolaire et une amélioration des environnements  dans lesquels nos enfants vivent, apprennent et jouent. Financé par le  programme Éco Action 2000 d'Environnement Canada, le programme  Vert l’action ainsi que les ministères de l'Éducation et de la Santé et du Mieux-Être du Nouveau-Brunswick, le projet aide les intervenants scolaires à découvrir des ressources et des stratégies qui leur permettront de mieux comprendre et cerner des problèmes réels et potentiels liés à l'hygiène du milieu.

La version canadienne de la trousse Des outils pour les écoles d'aujourd'hui, élaborée par la Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), constitue l'élément de base de ce programme éducatif auquel s'ajoutent des activités complémentaires comme Autobus scolaires et véhicules en marche au ralenti, Verdissement des terrains d'écoles, Identification, remplacement et entreposage des matières dangereuses, Efficacité énergétique, Une envolée pour la vie, Aller-retour actif et sécuritaire pour l'école (Vert l’action) et Programmes de recyclage.

School IPM: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Schools

Supported by EPA and the National IPM Network this site, developed by the University of Florida, defines IPM and provides a wide array of technical information for parents, school administration officials, faculty/staff and pest managers.  Also included is Information for the Administrator; Educational Presentations for School IPM; Teaching Curriculum; links; a School IPM Listserv; and, a School IPM CD-ROM. 

AirSmart: An Interactive Guide to Better Home Air

This interactive CD-Rom takes a learner through all aspects of indoor air quality in a building using an interactive, investigative format.  The CD is available from the University of Minnesota (UMN) Midwest Universities Radon Consortium. 

Hydroville, USA: Challenge Problems for High School Students

(Packet 3, Challenge Problem IV, An Indoor Air Quality Case Simulation)
 This curriculum, designed for high school-age children, uses scientific principles of inquiry.  Students learn about physical science, life science and earth and space science through a case study about a newly renovated middle school that seems to be having indoor air quality problems.   Available from Environmental Health Sciences Center Community Outreach and Education Program at Oregon State University. 

ToxRAP: Toxicology, Risk Assessment and Pollution

In this curriculum, students become health hazard detectives to cooperatively investigate environmental health hazards and their impact on human health using a risk assessment framework.  Using air pollution as an example, students learn to recognize the hazards for air contaminants in their environments, evaluate the potential health risks of these contaminants, and, when necessary, control hazards to reduce risks.  The grade K-3 module focuses on natural air contaminants, (cost $75).  The grades 3-6 module examines natural and human-made air contaminants, (cost $80).  The grades 6-9 module uses lead as a case study, (cost $75). 

Radon and Indoor Air Quality School Resource CD

Developed by the Cuyahoga County, Ohio Board of Health, this program is meant to be a tool for junior high teachers to develop IAQ curriculum for their students as part of the scientific method. The files on the CD are in PDF (you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the file). The disk includes a variety of materials on both radon and indoor air and sample lesson plans in those areas.

NESCAUM's Air Currents Project

Air CURRENTS is a curriculum using science and math principles to teach environmental education through indoor air and outdoor air projects. Very good resources listed, as well as lesson plans, tips for teachers, etc. Grades 6 - 12.  The cost is $20.00. Contact the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) at (617) 367-8540.

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Related Links

Parent Teachers Association - www.pta.org exiting EPA

The University of Minnesota, Department of Environmental Health

Generated by Minnesota K-12 school health and safety personnel and school custodians, these FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) address a variety of issues in indoor air quality including health and other effects, prevention, diagnostics, and mitigation in schools. 

National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI) and the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt)

NIUSI and NCCRESt host an annual National Forum.

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How to Order EPA Publications

You can order Indoor Air Quality publications from EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP):

P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242-0419
Website: www.epa.gov/nscep
Phone:  1-800-490-9198
Fax:  (301) 604-3408
E-mail:  nscep@bps-lmit.com

NSCEP operates a Toll-free phone service for EPA Publication Assistance with live customer service representative assistance Monday through Friday from 9:00am-5:30pm eastern time.  Voice Mail is available after operating hours.  You can fax or e-mail your publication requests.  For technical assistance with NSCEP web pages, write to: nscep_nepis.tech@epa.gov

Please use the EPA Document Number, which is usually bolded or highlighted, when ordering from NSCEP.  See our list of publications at www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs

How Do I Order Other EPA Publications?  Click Here

View Frequent Questions / Ask a Question

Search frequently asked questions or submit your own question or comment in our Frequent Questions Database.  In addition to questions and answers relating to indoor environments, you may use this database to find information on any of our topic areas (click on the icon for a list of IAQ topics with their descriptions, for example, Asthma, Radon, IAQ Tools for Schools, Mold, Smoke-free Homes, IAQ Design Tools for Schools, and General Indoor Air Quality Issues).  You can also use this database to subscribe to any new information or updated information relating to any of the topics that may be posted on our website.

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