Teens Benefit when School Starts Later
Numerous studies have found adolescents to be sleep deprived, resulting in impairments in mood, attention, memory, behavioral control, quality of life, and academic performance. According to a study at one private high school delaying the start of the school day by just a half hour was associated with teenagers getting more sleep and an increase in their alertness during class, among other benefits. Read the full article here. In another study educational researcher Kyla Wahlstrom, from the University of Minnesota, has been following districts that changed their start times, tracking the effect on schools and students. Wahlstrom says the students have benefited from changing the start time from 7:20 to 8:40 a.m., giving high schoolers an extra hour and twenty minutes each morning. “Students reported less depression when there was a later starting time,” she says. “And teachers reported that students were more alert and ready for learning. Parents reported that their children were easier to live with because their emotions were more regulated.”
Carlyn H., Los Angeles CA
