Most teachers know that teaching in a hot room is not conducive to good teaching and student learning. Of course school and DOE administrators would beg to differ since they have air conditioned offices. Now there is a study that proves that overheated classrooms result in lower test scores and less student engagement.
In New York City , the majority of schools have no air conditioning in most of their classrooms. Even when the classroom has an air conditioner, it is problematic whether it works or not. In one school I was in this year, an administrator received a brand new air conditioner for his office and then"donated" his ten year old air conditioner, that didn't work very well to a non profit organization that supplied services to a couple of students outside the school. While the air conditioner could not be used in the classroom, the "donated" air conditional would have been a welcome addition to the school's teacher work room which had no air conditioner. Is it any wonder this administrator is not well liked by the staff.
This study should show that the New York City Department of Education should give priority to upgrading every school's electrical system and install a working air conditioner in every classroom. That will help improve effective teaching and student learner and maybe the test scores will legitimately improve.