The Healthy and High Performance Schools Act of 2002 has set specific federal guidelines for school design, and developed a federal/state partnership program to assist local districts in their school planning. According to the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), high-performance schools are, among other things, healthy, comfortable, energy and material efficient, easy to maintain and operate, safe, stimulating, and excellent places to teach and learn. In many ways, the list of criteria for healthy, high-performance school environments parallels the list of carpet's recognized benefits. Carpet has contributed to high-quality school environments for many years. Valued by educational facility designers for its color and design flexibility, carpet's softness makes it a safer as well as more comfortable flooring choice. In a classroom, carpet reduces noise, defines learning areas, and cuts down glare. In terms of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carpet is one of the lowest-emitting of all building materials, and multiple studies demonstrate how clean, dry carpet actually contributes to improved indoor air quality. Hard science illustrates how carpet in schools helps create environments where teachers are happy to teach and students are excited about learning. From health and safety, to comfort, energy efficiency, and ease of maintenance, carpet is in step with the goals of high performance schools. (Contains 9 resources.)