The hidden link between environment, health and learning

I have spent much of my life thinking about how to help people reach their full potential. As a heart and lung transplant surgeon, as a policy maker focused on health and education, and now as president of both The Protection of Nature (TNC) and SCORE (the State Partnership for Education Reform), one question connects all of these experiences: How can our children learn and thrive in a world that’s getting warmer, with weather that’s less predictable than ever?

This question got me thinking about organizing a symposium earlier this year with the name Connecting the Dots: The Impact of Environment on Student Success. We brought together nearly 150 educators, researchers, and community and business leaders from across Tennessee and beyond to explore how environmental conditions—increasing heat, flooding, changing weather patterns—affect student learning, health, and opportunity, and what communities can do about it.

For me this is personal. I have nine grandchildren under the age of twelve. I think of the classrooms where they sit, the playgrounds where they play and the air they breathe. I want them and their generation to spend their days in a world that gives them every opportunity to learn and grow. And I think of the world they will inherit if we don’t act.

Now, one month after our symposium, we reflect on key propositions at the intersection of education and the environment, and the opportunities this changing world offers our next generation. Indeed, the public has not paid enough attention to this connection of environment and education. We want to change that.

When the classrooms feel the heat

The evidence was alarming. Tennessee, like much of the country, breaks temperature records year after year. In 2024, Nashville recorded it hottest year. In the Southeast, rainfall during the strongest storms increased by 37 percent since 1958, bringing more floods and more school holidays. In Memphis, many schools had to opening delay last year due to extreme heat and old HVAC systems that were overwhelmed by high temperatures.

Dr. Lisa Patelfriend and pediatrician at Stanford who runs the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Healthput it clearly:

“When children have already lost so much time, we need to understand what these closures – from things like extreme heat or poor air quality – will mean for the duration of their learning and achievement.”

Research shows that for every one degree increase in classroom temperature, the amount students learn during the school year measurably decreases. Each closing week it can set students back two to three weeks in progress. Unfortunately, these are not isolated incidents. With one in four U.S. public schools located in high-risk zones for extreme weather events, the changing environment contributes to a pattern that requires different thinking.

The implications go beyond academics. Prolonged heat exposure contributes to anxiety and depression among teenagers. Students in urban areas, especially those from communities already facing economic challenges, often attend schools surrounded by the asphalt and concrete that make their neighborhoods seven degrees warmer than greener areas. This difference in temperature across these “heat islands” translates into a real difference in opportunity.

Schools as solutions

The good news is that schools can lead the way in creating solutions. Jonathan Klein of UndauntedK12 reminded us that smart infrastructure choices create lasting value:

“Schools that retrofit HVAC systems with ground source heat pumps save $4 million over 25 years. That’s the salary of two people serving children for a generation, or every adult in the building who gets a raise.”

Clean energy upgrades like geothermal HVAC systems and electric bus fleets improve air quality, keep classrooms comfortable and reduce operating costs—all while modeling environmental responsibility for students. Thanks to new federal incentives, these improvements are now affordable for many areas.

The learning itself can also happen outdoors. As Ximena Marquez of The Nature Conservancy said,

“When students are in nature, they are exposed to a dynamic environment—ripe for developing persistence, teamwork and critical thinking. We know that’s good for kids.” Even a little outside every day — like only ten up to fifty minutes—improves focus, emotional balance, and collaboration. At Tennessee Academy of Natureoutdoor classrooms have helped engage and empower once-struggling students, especially those with different learning needs. Nature is not just nice to have. It is necessary for education.

Education and the Future Workforce

One of the most interesting parts of the symposium was seeing how education ties into Tennessee’s economic future. Preparing students for a green economy makes sense both environmentally and financially.

Jobs in clean energy and sustainable manufacturing are growing twice as fast as the number of skilled workers. Tennessee now ranks first in the country to grow clean energy jobs, adding more than eleven thousand new electric vehicle-related jobs by 2019. Taj Eldridge of Jobs for the Future put it well:

“When I think about climate, I think about energy independence, onshore production and — most importantly — jobs. All of them are connected to student success beyond education.”

From the Oak Ridge STEM Accelerator’s Academic Roadmap for Nuclear Energy in the practical science of fire and prescribed enrollment programs at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, young Tennesseans are already preparing for careers that strengthen both our economy and our environment. Investing in clean energy education means investing in stability, opportunity and the next generation of leaders.

Finding common ground

Perhaps the most inspiring message came from Laurel Creech, the Tennessee state director for The Nature Conservancy:

“Nature is nonpartisan—we all care about it. When you find common ground that resonates with all perspectives, it’s much easier to meet, identify a solution, and work toward it.”

This spirit of unity is Tennessee at its best. Whether through statewide partnerships like the Tennessee Outdoor Partnership or projects like BlueCross Healthy Places, which rebuild parks and playgrounds after floods, progress happens when people come together around shared values.

When I closed the banquet, I said:

“We’ve taken it from zero to ten yards, but we’ve got ninety yards to go. It’s going to depend on us all coming together, as smart as we can, to move that next ninety yards.”

As a doctor, I know that health and learning are deeply connected. When students are healthy—physically, mentally, and environmentally—they learn better, dream bigger, and contribute more to their communities.

Our job now is to create schools and policies that reflect this truth. We must invest in buildings that are efficient and resilient, design curricula that connect students with nature, and build partnerships that bring together business, education, and conservation leaders. Every child in every community deserves a healthy environment to learn and grow.

Connecting the dots is not just about recognizing how these challenges relate to each other. It has to do with their action. Our children and grandchildren are counting on us to get it right.

For more on the lessons from Connecting the Dots: The Environment’s Impact on Student Success, read SCORE’s new note here. You can also view the symposium at complete here.