Research shows later school start times benefit students in several ways
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Some schools will start the school year on a different schedule.
Research has shown teenagers perform better at school when they get more sleep, and that has prompted some districts to make changes. Researchers also say when students, especially high schoolers, get more sleep, they use less caffeine, there’s less substance abuse, fewer signs of depression, more attention paid in class, lower car crash rates, better grades, fewer absences, less tardiness, better graduation rates and those are just some of the changes.
Sleep specialist Sarah Honaker from Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health has been saying this for years, that sleep for teens is crucial for their development.
“There’s a lot of very clear scientific evidence when middle and high schools start later,” says Honaker. “Where we get into trouble is middle school and high school. In a lot of cases, those schools start earlier than children are meant to be awake.”
The research is very clear; teens actually need more sleep than most other people, including younger children. Their bodies naturally make them stay up longer into the night and wake up later the next day. So to help them do better in high school, doctors believe systems in place should change.
“It does require the community to make some adjustment,” says Honaker.
One school going against the grain is Zionsville Community Schools. Seven years ago Jane Burgess was part of the board that decided to change start times for Zionsville High School. Burgess is now president of the school board. This year will be the first with later start times for all schools, including the middle and elementary schools.
“Just in what we hear from parents and students, I think it’s been very successful in making school an even better experience and more successful,” said Burgess. “I absolutely would recommend and advocate for the later school start times. I think it makes a huge difference in the academic day for our adolescents, who are in middle school and high school. Without a doubt, I think it’s been a great change for our corporation and I would highly recommend it to other school corporations interested in doing it.”
Indianapolis Public Schools considered a similar change this past spring.
According to StartSchoolLater.net, a nonprofit grassroots organization trying to change school start times, there are about a dozen districts that have changed their start time. The question is, if the research is so clear and school districts that switch see success, then why isn’t every school changing over?
Terra Snider is from Start School Later.net and says if communities mindsets change then schedules will change too.
“People don’t understand much about sleep,” said Snider. “We don’t really respect it in this country, we think of sleep as a sign of weakness. The problem basically to boils down to three things: fear of change, two failure of imagination and three is widespread ignorance about sleep.”
“Sometimes sleep seems to come in behind other things like activities and I think really getting enough sleep is, I think a lot of ways the best use of a child’s time,” said Honaker.
“It’s essential. We’ve learned this over the last decades, we now know it really matters. It’s really hurting the health and safety of our kids and our communities,” said Snider.
There has been a lot of movement on this issue over the past few years. In fact, there is legislation being worked on in 11 states. California is close to passing a bill that would mandate schools not start before 8:30 a.m.