The movement to start the school day later is gaining traction, and for good reason.
Research shows that puberty shifts the circadian rhythm of children, contributing to later bedtimes and wake times.
It also shows that teenagers need eight-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half hours of sleep a night, but only one in three are getting at least eight.
It’s why education and health leaders are meeting at the first-ever National Conference on Adolescent Sleep, Health and School Start Times Thursday and Friday in Washington, D.C.
Their goal: encourage school districts to start the class day no earlier than 8:30 a.m. for middle and high school students in order to accommodate their changing body clocks and improve their chances for quality sleep.
The RAND Corporation, Yale School of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Start School Later Inc. are sponsoring the conference.
Phyllis Payne, a spokeswoman for Start Schools Later, told CBN News that hundreds of districts have delayed their start times in recent years but that the majority still start before 8:30 a.m.
Payne says logistical challenges remain the biggest obstacle.
“People have a status quo bias,” she said. “There’s a natural fear of change.”
The conference will help educators create strategies to implement earlier start times and explain the science behind it.
Most major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control, have joined the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in recommending that secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
They cite research which shows that sleep deprivation has become a public health epidemic among American adolescents. A loss of sleep leads to problems with health, academic performance, behavior and overall well-being.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that lack of sleep is associated with an increase in injuries, high blood pressure, obesity and depression. Getting enough sleep leads to improved attention, learning, emotional and physical health.
Rand social scientist Dr. Wendy Troxel says sleep-deprived teens are more likely to be involved in car accidents and more likely to abuse drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
