Looking ahead to the 2016-2017 school year, a number of U.S. school districts are adopting later start times for teenagers. While many scientists and medical associations have confirmed that teens with still-developing minds benefit from later start times, some school districts are meeting resistance from parents.
And as with most education reform efforts, the biggest obstacle comes not from teachers, unions, parents, or the students themselves, but from shrinking budgets.
In 2014, when the American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement advocating for delaying the opening bell, Dr. Heidi Connolly, the Chief of Pediatric Sleep Medicine as the Golisano Children’s Hospital, was just one of many physicians to throw their support behind the movement.
“Kids’ natural sleep cycle can be pushed back by two hours during puberty. It’s this delay in biologic rhythm—not a stubborn streak—that leads to their preference to fall asleep later at night and wake later in the morning.”
Connolly wrote at the time that 90% of high schoolers don’t get the recommended amount of nightly sleep, which makes them more likely to get into car accidents, lowers standardized test scores, and worsens their mood. While nine out of 10 teens aren’t sleeping well, only 40% of adults fails to get enough sleep.
Unfortunately, because changing start times raises busing costs and complicates sports schedules, most Rochester high schools are still starting around 7:30 a.m. — and will continue that early start time for the foreseeable future.
This fall, the Seattle school board voted to move forward start times to 8:45 a.m. for all high schools and a majority of middle schools beginning next year. It’s just the latest of more than 70 school districts to approve similar measures in the last several years.
Because the Rochester City School district hasn’t been able to adopt later start times yet, some education activists are focusing their efforts on after-school programs. This December, a report from the Greater Rochester After-School Alliance revealed that just 30% of students take advantage of these programs, even though they’ve been proven to improve attendance, GPAs, and test scores.
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