Like many households across the United States, mornings in my home can be described as, well, hectic. With lunches to prepare, shoes to locate, and everyone in a less-than-enthusiastic mood, it can be quite a challenge. Luckily, my children don’t have to be at school until 9 a.m., allowing us to avoid the frantic rush that comes with an early start time. Instead, our mornings are mostly about overcoming laziness.
However, many schools are not so fortunate. For instance, my nieces attend an elementary school that begins at 7:45 a.m., and most middle and high schools nationwide kick off their days before 8 a.m. This means students may be leaving home as early as 7 a.m., waking up before the sun. Such early hours are particularly detrimental to teenagers.
This issue extends beyond parental concern. For decades, sleep specialists and health professionals have recognized that forcing teenagers to rise before dawn is both unhealthy and counterproductive. The American Academy of Pediatrics asserts that adolescents require 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. However, due to their unique biological rhythms, it’s more challenging for them to fall asleep early. Consequently, as kids grow older, they find themselves going to bed later while needing to wake up earlier, resulting in a chronic state of fatigue.
This ongoing tiredness negatively impacts not only their health but also their academic performance. Studies have shown that delaying school start times leads to improvements in attendance, test scores, and overall grades. Schools with later start times have also reported a decline in tardiness, substance abuse, and depressive symptoms, alongside a notable reduction in teenage car accidents.
Health experts have long advocated for later school start times. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics urged educational institutions to push back their schedules, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoed this call in 2015, recommending later start times for middle and high schools to enhance teenagers’ sleep for their physical and educational growth.
The evidence supporting this change is irrefutable, and the push for later start times continues to gain traction. Last summer, the American Medical Association endorsed this shift, and a recent position statement in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine highlighted its benefits. “Early school start times hinder adolescents from obtaining enough sleep on school nights, and chronic sleep deprivation among teens is tied to numerous issues, including poor academic performance, heightened depression, and increased car accidents,” noted Dr. Samuel Carter, the lead author of the statement.
In April, the non-profit organization Start School Later convened a global conference in Washington, D.C., bringing together leading sleep experts, educators, policymakers, and health professionals to advocate for the importance of sleep in children’s lives. The conference aimed to strategize how to encourage schools to prioritize the health of their students by promoting later start times. It emphasized that changes must begin at the district and state levels.
Change is undoubtedly challenging. There will always be those who resist it, clinging to the notion that “this is how things have always been.” However, just because adults are often fatigued doesn’t mean we should subject our children to the same fate. As our understanding evolves, so should our practices.
Fortunately, some school districts are beginning to recognize the detrimental effects of early start times and are making necessary adjustments. For example, my local school district in suburban Chicago recently approved a two-year pilot program that shifts the school day to 8:15 a.m. to 3:10 p.m., a notable change from the previous 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. schedule. To accommodate this shift, 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 enhance our children’s physical, emotional, and educational well-being, why wouldn’t we pursue them? Kudos to my local district for prioritizing the health of our youth and taking steps to adjust start times, alongside other schools across the nation. With continued advocacy from parents, medical professionals, and concerned citizens, more schools might begin to recognize the importance of sleep for teenagers.
Now, if only we could convince our workplaces to prioritize sleep as well.
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Summary
The push for later school start times is backed by substantial research highlighting the negative impacts of early schedules on teenagers’ health and academic performance. As awareness grows, more districts are beginning to implement changes to support students’ well-being.