Are your teenagers too sleepy to get to school ready to learn? Carolina Journal columnist Kristen Blair looks at the research. Among the data:
Later start times may even help close achievement gaps. Kevin Bastian, associate director of the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina, led a study of more than 400 N.C. high schools. Published in 2016, the study examined the association between later start times and two types of outcomes, says Bastian: “classic achievement” such as End-of-Course or ACT test scores, and “engagement,” including absences and disciplinary outcomes. “We actually found more positive results for traditionally disadvantaged students,” Bastian says.
Why is dashing to school in the dark bad? It’s misaligned with teens’ circadian rhythms, says the American Academy of Pediatrics, which supports later start times. Teens are wired to fall asleep after 11 p.m.; rising early fuels sleep deficits, which set teens up for inattention, behind-the-wheel drowsiness, and depression.
You can read Kristin Blair’s entire piece on teens and starting the school day later right here.
