EBQ: School Start Time 25

Source 1

Introduction

Researchers investigated the effects of changes in school start times on students in elementary, middle, and high school. They were particularly interested in how school start times related to factors such as academic performance and sleep.

 

Participants

Eight school districts in Minnesota, and a total of 38,019 students, were involved in this study. Most of the students were white (54.7%), with 12.4% Hispanic, 8.8% Black, 8.6% Asian, 4.9% multiracial, 3.6% Somali, 3.1% American Indian, and 2.1% Hmong.¹ The sample consisted of 49.2% women and 50.8% men. The grade levels of students were evenly divided (i.e., 25.6% grade 5, 27.3% grade 8, 26.1% grade 9, and 20.9% grade 11).

 

Method

Four of the school districts observed shifted to a later school start time, and the four other districts kept an earlier school start time. Two variables were measured in this study. The first was the grade point average (GPA) of the students. Students reported the course grades they generally received during their current school year (e.g., Mostly A’s, Mostly B’s, etc.). The responses were converted to values on a 4.0 scale (mean = 3.2, standard deviation = 0.9). The second measured variable was the amount of sleep students generally got on a school night and whether they met the recommended hours of sleep for their grade level.

 

Results and Discussion

Results showed that students in school districts that moved to a later start time reported higher GPAs and that higher proportions of those students reported obtaining the recommended hours of sleep as compared with students in districts with the earlier school start time. The increase in GPA for each grade in the districts with a later school start time (that is, comparing grade 5, grade 8, grade 9, and grade 11) over the districts with the earlier school start time ranged from 0.07 to 0.13 GPA points. 

The probability of meeting the recommended hours of sleep increased by 16% for students in districts with a later school start time, a statistically significant finding. However, for students in districts with a later school start time, the likelihood of students obtaining the recommended hours of sleep increased by 35% in grade 5, 11% in grade 8, 8% in grade 9, and 5% in grade 11. Only the grade 8 increase was statistically significant. The likelihood of obtaining the recommended hours of sleep for students in districts with an early school start time did not change at statistically significant levels. 

Caesar, J., Lamm, R., Rodriguez, M.C., & Heistad, D.J. (2021, April 10). Changes in school start time have a significant effect in the amount of sleep and reported grade point average of students [Paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting. https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/194887

Adapted from American Educational Research Association.  

Source 2

Introduction

Most adolescents in the United States do not get sufficient sleep. Early school start times play a significant role in adolescent sleep deprivation. Most primary and secondary schools begin classes earlier than 8:30 a.m. Perceived barriers to implementing a delayed school start time have been suggested in the literature but have not been measured. This study explored both the potential barriers to implementing later high school start times and other, facilitating factors that may encourage adoption of this practice.

 

Participants

A convenience sample of 116 respondents participated in the survey, with a response rate of 7.2%. The participants’ job titles included superintendents (7.8%; 9 participants), assistant superintendents (16.4%; 19 participants), principals (20.7%; 24 participants), assistant principals (42.2%; 40 participants), counselors (11.2%; 13 participants), and school board members (1.7%; 2 participants). At the time of this study (2017), all worked in a high school that was identified as having implemented a delayed school start time.

 

Method

School administrators who had delayed their school start times were invited to complete an online questionnaire ranking the perceived barriers and facilitating factors for implementing the delayed start times.

Participants were asked if they considered each perceived barrier to be “significant,” “moderate,” “minor,” or “not a barrier” to interfere with implementing a delayed school start time. These statements referred to transportation issues, extracurricular considerations, stakeholder groups who were resistant to change, and additional factors such as time for homework and amount of time waiting for the bus. Participants were also asked if each facilitating factor was “significant,” “moderate,” “minor,” or “not a facilitating factor” to support implementing a delayed school start time. These statements addressed stakeholder involvement and education, scheduling alternatives, transportation, and other factors such as spending less unsupervised time at home. 

The questionnaire also contained the following open-response questions: 

• “Do you offer classes that students can elect to take before the delayed school start time (sometimes called zero-hour classes)?” 
• “Did your district ‘flip’ elementary and high school start times?” 
• “Would you recommend that other districts pursue delaying a school start time?”
   

Results and Discussion

Each statement received a “Barrier Percentage” or “Facilitating Factor Percentage” score, which was the percent of adults in each category who perceived the statement as a significant, moderate, or minor factor in discouraging or encouraging implementing the delayed start times.

Among the most cited perceived barriers were a tiered bus system (in which one bus serves several schools), school athletes missing more afternoon classes, and less time after school for athletics. The most cited facilitating factors were school administrator involvement in the decision-making process and sleep education for family members and school administrators.

Results from this analysis are in the tables: 
 

Distribution of Top 10 Perceived Barriers for School Start Time Delay

Barrier Barrier Percentage Athletes missing more afternoon classes to attend or travel to games 84.2 Less time after school for athletic activities 80.7 Family members resistant to change in schedule 78.9 Unavailability of adolescents to provide after-school care for siblings 75.6 Teachers resistant to change in schedule  74.8 Use of a tiered school bus transportation system 71.1 Elementary students having to wait for bus pickup in the early morning 69.6 Less time for adolescents to work 65.8 Students resistant to changing their schedule  63.5 Increased school transportation costs 58.4

 

 

Distribution of Top 10 Facilitating Factors for School Start Time Delay

Facilitating Factor Facilitating Factor Percentage Involvement of teachers in the decision-making process 84.5 Involvement of school administrators in the decision-making process 84.4 Providing education based on adolescent sleep patterns—for students 83.5 Providing education based on adolescent sleep patterns—for family members 82.5 Providing education based on adolescent sleep patterns—for teachers 81.5 Involvement of family members in the decision-making process 80.9 Involvement of students in the decision-making process 79.1 Providing education based on adolescent sleep patterns—for school administrators 77.1 Ability to schedule elementary start times to maintain bus tier system 74.5 Involvement of support staff in the decision-making process 70.4

Participants found that providing sleep education to fellow administrators, teachers, school staff members, families, and students, and including them in the decision-making process positively facilitated the implementation of delayed school start times. Perceived barriers to implementation may be overcome with support from stakeholders and planning committees.

When the 116 participants were asked if they would recommend a delayed school start time, 69% (80 participants) said they would recommend that other districts pursue a delayed start time; 19.8% (23 participants) said they would not recommend a delayed start time; and 11.2% (13 participants) provided no answer.

Source 3

Introduction

The American Academy of Pediatrics developed the following statement on school start times. A committee of scientists and practitioners who specialize in pediatric health issues intended the statement to offer advice on best practices for school start times.

 

Statement

The American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that insufficient sleep is an important issue for adolescents. While several factors may influence students’ ability to get enough sleep, evidence strongly suggests that earlier school start times contribute to sleep deprivation. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports efforts to set school start times for middle and high school students in a way that helps them get 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep a night to improve physical and mental health, safety, academic performance, and quality of life.

Biologically, most adolescents experience a “phase delay” in their sleep-wake cycle when they start going through puberty. As compared with their middle childhood sleep-wake cycle, adolescents experience a shift of up to 2 hours in their sleep-wake cycle, which means they fall asleep later. 

Insufficient sleep hurts academic performance. One study found that 28% of students reported falling asleep in school at least once a week, and more than 1 in 5 students fell asleep doing homework at least once a week. Many studies show an association between decreased sleep duration and lower academic achievement, as well as higher rates of absenteeism and tardiness and decreased readiness to learn. 

An increase in anxiety and mood disorders in adolescents has also been linked to poor quality and deprivation of sleep. Other specific health-related effects of sleep loss include increased use of stimulants (e.g., caffeine, prescription medications) to counter the effects of chronic sleepiness on academic performance. Adolescents are also at greater risk of drowsy-driving-related crashes because of sleep deprivation. 

According to the U.S. Department of Education statistics for 2011–2012, approximately 43% of the over 18,000 public high schools in the United States currently have a start time before 8:00 a.m.

The ongoing debate among school districts in the United States regarding later start times for middle and high schools continues to spark controversy. Perceived barriers to changing school schedules include shorter time for athletic practices and interference with scheduling of games, reduced after-school employment hours for students, challenges in providing child care for younger siblings, adjustments in parent and family schedules, potential safety issues, effects on sleep duration in younger children if elementary school schedules are “flipped” with those of middle and high school students, and the need to make alternative transportation arrangements.