Page 19 - spaces4learning, January/February 2020

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systems improved significantly.
• Comparingthe2017-2018schoolyear,whenthethreecleaning
technologies were not used, with the 2018-2019 school year when they were used, there were “513.5 fewer absent days, rep- resenting a 15 percent reduction in overall school absenteeism.”
Additional Cleaning Benefits
While these studies show compelling evidence that more ef- fective cleaning can help reduce absenteeism, the researchers also wanted to know what the custodial workers at the school thought about the technologies. For instance, instead of increasing clean- ing times, which might be assumed using the three different cleaning systems, the cleaning workers found that cleaning times were reduced. One custodian reported that he could clean the classrooms "in a quarter of the time it used to take."
The benefits of the microfiber cleaning cloths were also not- ed. Cleaning workers could tell they helped trap soils more ef- fectively than terrycloth, helping to absorb and not spread con- taminants on to other surfaces.
As to the no-touch/spray-and-vac cleaning systems, it was noted that these cleaning systems helped the custodial staff
minimize soil build-up in the restrooms. The restrooms in this school are considered "heavy traffic" areas, used by many students throughout the day. It was determined that the more thorough cleaning achieved through using the spray-and-vac cleaning systems helped reduce soil buildup to make cleanup operations easier over the long term.
The Practicality of Enhanced Cleaning Effectiveness
Of course, the goals of both of these studies were to help keep students (and staff, we might add) in school and healthier throughout the year. Apparently, they proved this can be done.
Enhanced cleaning effectiveness has some very practical benefits as well. One is pure "bread and butter." In most states, school fund- ing and attendance go hand-in-hand. For instance, a charter school in a low-income neighborhood in California loses $41 per day for each student not in school. One financially struggling school dis- trict in San Diego loses $29 each day a student is not in class.
Students may be absent for a variety of reasons, such as tru- ancy, suspension or family emergencies. However, a significant number of these absences are due to health-related issues that can be averted with more effective cleaning processes and procedures.
Another very practical benefit of enhanced cleaning is student performance. A September 2018 study, “Student Absenteeism: Who Misses School and How Missing School Matters for Perfor- mance,” conducted by the Economic Policy Institute, examined several issues related to student attendance. This included issues such as which students are most often absent from school, how of- ten and how many days they are absent, as well as many social-eco- nomic factors that can result in school absenteeism.
However, it is their conclusion, which is of importance here. The researchers concluded: “Our analysis confirms prior re- search that missing school hurts academic performance: Among eighth-graders, those who missed school three or more days in the month before being tested scored between 0.3 and 0.6 standard deviations lower (depending on the number of days missed) on the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics test \[when compared to\] those who did not miss any school days.”
The Takeaway
Is our takeaway that school administrators should run out and purchase some of the types of cleaning systems discussed here to help reduce student absenteeism? Not necessarily. Ultimately, our goal is for administrators to realize that effective cleaning is an investment that pays dividends in many different ways.
Each year, most school districts order cleaning-related sup- plies and equipment for the school year. Often, these are the same items purchased the year before.
Let's do something new this year. Let's take a closer look at the cleaning solutions, tools and equipment selected in the past and see if newer or different tools can be selected that may prove to be a better investment in the health of those we are educating.
Robert Kravitz is a frequent writer for the professional cleaning industry. He can be reached at robert.kravitz@outlook.com.
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