Male teacher with glasses high-fives a young student while he sits at a wooden desk. Male teacher with glasses high-fives a young student while he sits at a wooden desk.

K-12 Flooring Solutions

Healthy and High Performance Schools

We start our everyday strategy by understanding the complex problems in education. The only way to do that is to bring the leaders together to help each stakeholder share how they see the problem so it can be solved with an interdisciplinary approach.  That is exactly how we deliver on our promise when we hosted our last Healthy Building Summit in Education. If you'd like more information about the summit, click here.

Group of children sitting around a circular carpet

Classrooms First: Enhancing the student experience of students today, leaders tomorrow

Learning happens in every square inch of the school, but classroom spaces are where students spend most of their time. Spaces of connection provide a variety of services beyond the teaching of core curriculum. Ensuring that a diverse population of students is holistically cared for requires a variety of learning, social and auxiliary spaces that draw children into their environment and help them develop a sense of community. From innovative lesson plans to classrooms that make those lessons come to life, educators are finding creative ways to develop the students of today into the leaders of tomorrow.

Healthy Spaces for All

The Center for California Research Institute Study released a research project connecting quality facilities to student engagement, learning and community success. This Study is organized into three categories: Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), Spatial Environment and People and Community and examines their sub-categories as they impact learning engagement and performance. This underscores the impact facilities have on students in which flooring can play a significant role.

Giant stair seating area full of children Giant stair seating area full of children

Acoustics

Acoustics has proven to be instrumental in a student's learning, engagement, behavior and overall cognitive performance. Speech recognition, reading and spelling, paying attention, and concentration are all identified by researchers that can impact test scores. In 2022 The Burkhart Center for Autism Education & Research identified 10 areas of development and transition zones for education environments in which number one was acoustics.
School library with tall ceilings and several seating areas with teenagers sitting together School library with tall ceilings and several seating areas with teenagers sitting together

Indoor Air Quality

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air quality is “air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of buildings occupants.” Research shows that school buildings impact student health, thinking, and academic performance. Children’s lungs are developing until the age of 18, making them more susceptible to IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) pollutants. Asthma is one of the biggest indicators of poor IAQ. Per the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 6.1 million children (about twice the population of Nevada) under the age of 18 have asthma, resulting in over 14 million school days missed annually.  
Seating area in a school with children sitting in clusters on gray chairs Seating area in a school with children sitting in clusters on gray chairs

Spaces of Connection

According to the CDC, connectedness within a community is an important way to support mental health and positive behaviors. Students who feel connected to their school are less likely to engage in negative, high-risk behaviors and more likely to experience academic achievement. Careful flooring selections can help a space feel warm, comfortable and quiet, contributing to positive student experiences and engagement.

Hero Products

Tarkett's product category recommendations are designed at the core with high performance and health in mind. They are created to work together fostering creative and flexible spaces for all learners. We want to make the right recommendation for the best possible outcome in each space for each user.  Our Solution Spectrum fosters each category working together whether it is Accessories, Resilient, Carpet Tile or Powerbond they were integrated at the design level to complete a cohesive project.

Multiple students sitting in school hallway and atrium

High Performance Flooring with Low Life Cycle Cost Analysis Tool

Both hard and soft services have significantly driven up the cost of custodial and maintenance costs. Skilled labor, employee shortages and budget shortfalls have all impacted these outcomes. The education facilities industry has sought-after high-performance flooring solutions to enhance high performance buildings for decades.

Tarkett has created a third-party assessed comparison tool that includes both resilient and soft surfaces. The tool includes a floor’s installed cost as well as maintenance costs.


Education Design Solution Guide

Healthy, engaging spaces for every learner. Discover our Education Environment Design Solutions guide!

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Partners

In order for us to best understand the daily activities within the education business we need to spend time with those who design, use and maintain them. The future of sustainable design takes place within associations that foster collaboration at the highest level.