Assessing Aircraft Noise Conditions Affecting Student Learning, Volume 1: Final Report (2014)

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The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transporta- tion Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individu- als interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ........................................................................................... iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... iv CHAPTER 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1-1 CHAPTER 2 Literature Review ............................................................................................... 2-1 2.1. Scope of the Review ............................................................................................... 2-1 2.2. Background to the Research Field .......................................................................... 2-2 2.3. The Assessment of Noise Exposure ........................................................................ 2-3 2.4. The Effects of Noise Exposure on Children’s Learning ......................................... 2-3 2.5. Current Guidelines for Acoustics in Children’s Classrooms ................................ 2-12 2.6. Non-Auditory Effects on Children’s Health ......................................................... 2-13 2.7. Summary of the Noise Effects on Children’s Cognition and Learning ................ 2-16 2.8 References ............................................................................................................. 2-18 CHAPTER 3 Gaps in Knowledge and Future Research ........................................................ 3-1 3.1. Summary of Research Findings .............................................................................. 3-1 3.2. Summary of Gaps in Knowledge ............................................................................ 3-1 CHAPTER 4 Development of Alternative Research Designs ................................................ 4-1 4.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 4-1 4.2. Datum – Macro-Analysis (Top 60 Airports) .......................................................... 4-1 4.3. Evaluation of Research Plan Candidates ................................................................ 4-3 4.4. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 4-7 CHAPTER 5 Implementation of the Research Plan ................................................................... 5-1 5.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 5-1 5.2. School Database ...................................................................................................... 5-1 5.3. School Noise Data..................................................................................................... 5-2 5.4. Ambient Noise ........................................................................................................ 5-5 5.5. School Sound Insulation Database .......................................................................... 5-6 5.6. School Test Score Databases .................................................................................. 5-7 5.7. Preparation of Test Score Data ............................................................................... 5-8 5.8. Accounting for Demographic Factors ..................................................................... 5-9 5.9. Selection of Data Analysis Procedure................................................................... 5-10 5.10. Results ................................................................................................................... 5-15 5.11. Grade Equivalent Scores ....................................................................................... 5-18 5.12. Results related to Study Objectives ...................................................................... 5-18 5.13. Cautionary Notes .................................................................................................. 5-19 5.14. Comparison of Results with Previous Studies ...................................................... 5-20 CHAPTER 6 Future Research Recommendations ..................................................................... 6-1 6.1. Longitudinal Studies ............................................................................................... 6-1 6.2. School Case Studies ................................................................................................ 6-1

6.3. Classroom Acoustics ............................................................................................... 6-2 6.4. Combined Exposure ................................................................................................ 6-2 6.5. Thresholds for Effects ............................................................................................. 6-2 REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................................R-1 GLOSSARY AND ACRONYM LIST .............................................................................. G&A-1 APPENDICES APPENDIX A Annotated Bibliography–Effects of Noise on Children and Learning ............... A-1 APPENDIX B Catalog of Research Studies–Subjects ................................................................B-1 APPENDIX C Gaps in Knowledge .............................................................................................C-1 APPENDIX D Development of Alternative Research Designs ................................................. D-1 APPENDIX E Estimation of Test Score Validity........................................................................ E-1 APPENDIX F Adjustments to Test Scores .................................................................................. F-1 APPENDIX G Detailed Analysis Results................................................................................... G-1 ii

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1 RANCH study adjusted mean reading Z score (95% Confidence Intervals) for 5 dBA bands of annual aircraft noise exposure at school (adjusted for age, sex and country) ....................................................................................................... 2-8 Figure 5-1 Distribution of Aircraft Noise Levels at Target Schools .......................................... 5-4 Figure 5-2 Distribution of Leq - Lamb at Target Schools. ........................................................... 5-6 LIST OF TABLES Table 4-1 Data Gathering for the Research Candidates ........................................................... 4-2 Table 4-2 Example of the Pugh Matrix .................................................................................... 4-3 Table 4-3 Pugh Matrix Rating Scheme ..................................................................................... 4-4 Table 4-4 Research Plan Evaluation Criteria ............................................................................ 4-4 Table 4-5 Pugh Matrix for ACRP 02-26 Research Plan Evaluation ........................................ 4-4 Table 4-6 Median Values of the Ratings and Scores ................................................................ 4-5 Table 5-1 Airports and Schools in Corresponding States Included in the Study ..................... 5-2 Table 5-2 Statistics for Airport Noise Measures in Schools Exposed to Aircraft Noise .......... 5-3 Table 5-3 Numbers of Sound Insulated Elementary Schools at US Airports ........................... 5-7 Table 5-4 Grades at Which Test Scores were Included for Each State in Each Year .............. 5-8 Table 5-5 Total Number of Schools and Districts Included in the Test Score Database ................................................................................................................. 5-12 Table 5-6 Number of Schools and Districts Included in the Main Analyses for Each Grade and Subject .................................................................................................. 5-12 Table 5-7 Relationship Between Percentile Ranks and Standard Deviation Units ................ 5-15 Table 5-8 Summary of Estimated Noise Effects for Various Aircraft Noise Metrics ............ 5-16 Table 5-9 Mean Adjusted Test Scores for Subgroups of Students ......................................... 5-17 Table 5-10 The Effect of Sound Insulation on Reading and Math Scores (119 Schools) ........ 5-18 iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Aviation noise effects on schools and school children have been well-researched and documented. Recent studies indicate a potential link between aviation noise and both reading comprehension and learning motivation, particularly for those children who are already scholastically challenged. However, there has been little work done on establishing a dose- response relationship between aviation noise and classroom effects. This lack of a reliable dose- response relationship makes the evaluation of aircraft noise on schools and setting policy very difficult. With this background, the objectives of this project were to: 1. Identify and evaluate conditions under which aircraft noise affects student learning, 2. Identify and evaluate one or more alternative noise metrics that best define those conditions. The project consisted of seven tasks conducted in two phases. In Phase I, a literature search was conducted, leading to the identification of gaps in knowledge relevant to the project objectives. Alternative research plans were designed to fill these gaps and presented to the ACRP Panel for final selection. In Phase II, the research plan was implemented. This final report fully documents the Phase I and Phase II research activities and presents the results of the research analyses. The research plan selected by the Panel was to conduct a nationwide macro-analysis to identify the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and student performance, taking into account the effect of school sound insulation and other confounding factors. The study examined this relationship for schools exposed to aircraft noise in the years 2000/01 to 2008/09 at the top 46 US airports, prioritized by the number of schools exposed to DNL 55 dB and higher. Student performance measures were based on the standardized reading and mathematics test scores in Grades 3 through 5 at each school. The study found statistically significant associations between airport noise and student mathematics and reading test scores, after taking demographic and school factors into account. Associations were also observed for ambient noise and total noise on student mathematics and reading test scores, suggesting that noise levels per se, as well as from aircraft, might play a role in student achievement. This study further contributes to the increasing evidence base which suggests that children exposed to chronic aircraft noise at school have poorer reading ability and school performance on achievement tests, than children who are not exposed to aircraft noise. Overall, evidence for the effects of noise on children’s cognition is strengthening and there is increasing synthesis between epidemiological studies, with over twenty studies having shown detrimental effects of aircraft and road noise on children’s reading The study is one of the first studies to quantify the potential impact of sound insulation on children’s learning achievement for aircraft noise exposure. From a sample of 119 elementary schools it was shown that insulated schools have better test scores than those with no insulation, which may be an indication that insulation could contribute to improved scores by returning test scores to what they would have been with no aircraft noise. iv