Monfredo: Changing the Starting Time in Our Secondary Schools

Sunday, September 27, 2015

John Monfredo, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER

“Given that the primary focus of education is to maximize human potential, then a new task before us is to ensure that the conditions in which learning takes place address the very biology of our learners." - Mary A. Carskadon, PhD, Director of E.P. Bradley Hospital Research Laboratory

It’s time that we get into a serious discussion about having a later school starting time for our secondary students. This ISSUE has continued to fester for over a decade as more and more research is done on this topic. Research shows that getting enough sleep is a biological necessity, as important to good health as eating well or exercising. Teens are among those least likely to get enough sleep for according to research they need about nine hours of sleep per night for their health and brain development. Sleep deprivation during the teen years does not enable them to make best use of their learning opportunities for sleep deprivation impairs their ability to be alert, pay attention, solve problems, cope with stress and retain information.

Researchers in the Learning, Media and Technology issue stated, "During adolescence biological changes dictate both sleep duration of nine hours and later wake and sleep times, a phenomenon found in other mammals. At its peak the combination of these two biological changes leads to a loss of two to three hours sleep every school day. Thus, a 07:00 alarm call for older adolescents is the equivalent of a 04:30 start for a teacher in their 50s. Failure to adjust education timetables to this biological change leads to systematic, chronic and unrecoverable sleep loss. This level of sleep loss causes impairment to physiological, metabolic and psychological health in adolescents while they are undergoing other major physical and neurological changes."

Here are a few facts from “Wake – Up Call” from ASCD Education Update:

The CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2011 showed that 69% of U.S. high school students get fewer than 8 hours of sleep on school nights, and 40% get 6 or fewer hours. Results from the 2013 survey were virtually identical.
A National Sleep Foundation poll found 59 percent of 6th through 8th graders and 87 percent of U.S. high school students were getting less than the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep on school nights
Girls are less likely to report getting > 7 hours of sleep per night than boys, as are racial/ethnic minorities, urban students, and those of low socioeconomic status (SES). However, minority or low SES teens and families are also more likely to believe they are getting adequate sleep. (Pediatrics, Feb. 16, 2015)
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools start class no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to allow students to get healthy sleep
Insufficient sleep in teens is associated with obesity, migraines, and immune system disruption and with health risk behaviors including smoking, drinking, stimulant abuse, physical fighting, physical inactivity, depression, and suicidal tendencies
Sleep-deprived teens participate in more violent and property crime than other teens
When schools have delayed the start of the school day, communities have seen reduced tardiness, less sleeping in class, and car crash rates, as well as improved attendance, graduation rates, and standardized test scores
A major, multi-state study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked later high school start times to significant decreases in teen substance abuse, depression, and consumption of caffeinated drinks.
When Jackson Hole High School in Wyoming shifted its start time to 8:55 a.m., the number of car crashes involving teenage drivers dropped by 70%
Switching middle school start times by 30 minutes or more to after 8 a.m. in Wake County, NC was associated with increased math and reading test scores, with disadvantaged students benefiting most.

Pediatrician Judith Owens acknowledged, "Studies show that adolescents who don't get enough sleep often suffer physical and mental health problems, an increased risk of automobile accidents, and a decline in academic performance … getting enough sleep each night can be hard for teens whose natural sleep cycles make it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m.—and who face a first-period class at 7:30 a.m. or earlier the next day." She went on say, “chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is one of the most common—and easily fixable—public health issues in the U.S. today."

Changing a school’s start time involves a wide array of people--parents, teachers, students, principals, school boards, superintendents, counselors and healthcare professionals, among others. The impact is felt at a community level, but it is also felt individually, and the individuals who are affected need to have their views heard and acknowledged so that discussions can move forward in search of common ground.

Obviously, moving bell times is one major step in a larger picture of ensuring that teens get the sleep they need. It will not put more hours in the day, so it is important for teens to know about their sleep needs and have the skills to make a conscious effort to get a good night’s sleep. Many teens assume they are expected to function with a lack of sleep, but sleep is not optional; it is biologically necessary. If sleep is incorporated into educational efforts, teens will be armed with information that will enable them to use a later school start time to their advantage.

So, why haven’t schools made the change? There are a variety of reasons… After school jobs, athletics and the responsibilities in many cases to look after their younger siblings. In addition, the impact of early school times on teens is not fully understood by most educators for many believe that teens are tired, short-tempered and uncooperative because they choose to stay up late or because they are lazy. One researcher stated, "Educators tend to think that adolescents learn best in the morning and if they simply went to sleep earlier, it would improve their concentration.” Next is the cost for it’s expensive to change bus routes.

Not all parents buy into a later starting time… “Many of our parents need to be at work by 8am. This means that with a later start time, about half of our kids would need to have a before school care program to fit their parents needs. This obviously defeats the purpose of getting more sleep time for the kids. I don't think our society is prepared for the complete culture shift that would be needed for kids to sleep in later.”

Other parents thought that there could be another solution… “Instead of being allowed to stay up until 2:00 am texting and playing video games, parents should be making sure their kids are in bed. Contrary to what some believe, you can reset your body clock. If your child doesn't get home from activities until 8:00 or 9:00 at night, perhaps they are a bit over-scheduled. Cut back; make sure they are in bed by 10:00.”

I believe that this topic is worth discussing at the School Committee level so look for more information in the coming month. In the meanwhile, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic!