U.S. schools are beginning to push back start times to give teens more time to sleep, reports Chris Weller on Business Insider.
The changes are bolstered by a mountain of sleep science research that says pre-teens and teenagers are some of society’s most sleep-deprived people and would actually do better in school with more rest. A new study involving 30,000 high-school students across 29 schools in seven states found that graduation rates and attendance rates both went up in the two years after schools pushed start times to at least 8:30am.
Before the 2015-2016 school year, Dobbs Ferry (New York) started its middle school at 8:15 am and its high school at 7:30 am. Now, both schools start 30 minutes later.
Students say they’re more alert in school, said Superintendent Lisa Brady. Most go to bed at the same time they did before the schedule change.
In Seattle, 85 percent of middle and high schools are starting at 8:45 am this year. Elementary schools, which used to have the later start time, now open at 7:55 am. Research shows an early start is a better fit for younger children’s biological clocks.
Start School Later reports that bells are ringing later at hundreds of schools in 44 states.