Like many households across America, mornings in my home can be a bit hectic. Between packing lunches, searching for lost shoes, and enduring the inevitable grumpiness, it can feel like a race against time. Luckily, my children don’t need to be at school until 9 a.m., which means our morning rush isn’t caused by an early start time that aligns with the roosters’ crowing. Instead, it’s mostly a matter of slow movers and a touch of laziness.
However, my children’s school is an exception. My nephew’s elementary school begins at 7:45 a.m., and most middle and high schools nationwide also kick off before 8 a.m. This means many students are leaving home before 7 a.m., often rising before the sun. For teenagers, this is simply too early.
It’s not just parents who are concerned about early start times. Sleep specialists and health experts have long warned that forcing teenagers to wake up before dawn is detrimental to their well-being and counterproductive. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that teenagers require 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Yet, due to their unique sleep cycles, it’s more challenging for them to hit the hay earlier in the evening. As they grow older, they tend to sleep later but must still rise early for school, resulting in chronic exhaustion.
This ongoing fatigue is harmful not just to their health but also to their academic performance. Studies have demonstrated that delaying school start times leads to improved attendance, better grades, and enhanced test scores. Schools that have shifted their start times later have seen reductions in tardiness, substance abuse, and even symptoms of depression among students. Some have even noted a significant drop in teen traffic accidents.
For years, health professionals have been advocating for later school start times. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics encouraged schools to reconsider their schedules, and in 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoed this call, urging changes for middle and high school schedules to support teens’ sleep needs for optimal physical and educational development.
The evidence is compelling, and momentum is building for later start times. Recently, the American Medical Association also recommended that schools implement these changes for teenagers. Earlier this year, a position paper published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine highlighted the advantages of starting school later. “Early school start times make it difficult for adolescents to get enough sleep on school nights, and chronic sleep deprivation is linked to a range of issues, including poor academic results, increased depressive symptoms, and car accidents,” stated Dr. Emily Carter, the paper’s lead author.
In late April, the nonprofit Start School Later convened a conference in Washington, D.C., gathering renowned sleep experts, educators, counselors, and policymakers to advocate for the importance of sleep. This meeting united individuals who typically don’t cross paths but share a common goal: protecting children’s health through advocating for later start times. Speakers emphasized that changes must begin at the district and state levels.
Parents must raise their voices, and school districts and lawmakers need to listen. It’s true that change can be challenging, and some may cling to the idea of “this is how it’s always been.” However, just because adults are often tired doesn’t mean our children should be. The traditional approach is not always the best one; there is always room for improvement as our understanding evolves.
Fortunately, many school districts are beginning to recognize the adverse effects of early start times and are taking steps to adjust their schedules. For instance, my local school district in suburban Chicago recently approved a two-year pilot program moving the start time from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. beginning in the 2017-18 school year. To facilitate this change, class periods and lunch will be shortened by two to five minutes.
While change may be difficult, it is not impossible. If these adjustments can positively impact our children’s physical, emotional, and educational growth, why wouldn’t we pursue them? Kudos to my local school district for prioritizing the health of our youth by delaying start times, and to all other schools making similar changes. With continued advocacy from parents, medical professionals, and other supporters, we can hope for a future where more schools prioritize the sleep needs of teens too. Now if only we could convince employers to do the same.
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In summary, shifting school start times to later in the morning can significantly benefit teenagers’ health and academic success. With growing support from health experts and evolving school policies, there is hope for a brighter future where students can thrive both in and out of the classroom.
Keyphrase: Later School Start Times
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