LATER START TIMES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Kevin Petersen, Tiffany Stalcup and Nicole Ouimet

Our Proposal:  We propose that High School start times be pushed back until after 8am. The research shows that this will increase academic achievement, decrease student tardiness and absences, increase time on task and decrease student depression and anxiety.

Student Achievement Data  In Edina, MN high school start times changed from 7:25 to 8:30. In just one year they found significant improvement in SAT averages.

What do students need most? MORE SLEEP!  In order to function at your mental and physical best, an adolescents should be getting up to 9 hours of sleep per night.  “Sleep, as it turns out, may play a crucial role in our brain’s physiological maintenance. As your body sleeps, your brain is quite actively playing the part of mental janitor: It’s clearing out all the junk that has accumulated as a result of your daily thinking.”

More sleep, ctd.  From the National Sleep Study Foundation Report:  Less sleep means MORE traffic accidents, increased moodiness and depression, ADD and ADHD diagnosis’, increased drug use, increased sport injuries and decreased academic achievement.  Academic performance: Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman’s book “Nurture Shock” sums it up best by linking the loss of one hour of sleep to the loss of 2 years brain power.

Safety and Nutrition  After implementing later start times, teen car accidents fell 16.5% within two years in Fayette County Public Schools.  In Virginia, neighboring counties found that the county with a later high school start time had 40% less teen car accidents.  Teenagers are more likely to eat a well balanced meal before school with later start times.

Attendance and Tardiness  Davenport Community Schools has had a major problem at the high school level with tardies and poor attendance.  A later start time is hopefully a way to get kids to school on time.  One reason being they won’t have to come as early, but more importantly they will be well-rested.

Cost  Bussing is the number one cost concern preventing schools from later start times.  Districts that are implementing later start times at the high school are staggering starts with elementary and middle schools. This is off setting the cost and still showing significant improvements in student achievement.

UEN Start Times  Davenport: 7:45-2:35 (All HS)  Cedar Rapids:  Washington: 8:00-2:45  Metro: 8:15-2:35  Kennedy: 8:00-2:45  Jefferson: 7:50-3:00  Council Bluffs: 7:50-2:50 (All HS)  Des Moines: 7:40-2:35 (All HS)  Dubuque: 7:40-2:20 (All HS)  Iowa City: 8:05-3:15 (All HS)  Sioux City: 7:55-2:55 (All HS)  Waterloo: 7:45-2:35 (All HS)

Arguments Against  “So often in education, we design school systems that work for adults and not for kids!”  How is the busing handled?  What about athletics and practices?  Child Care?  What about doctor’s appointments?  It’s always been this way, why change?  The kids will just stay up later?

Proposed Change Specific to Davenport  “Dr. Tate charged the Bell Time committee with three primary goals: Equalize instruction time, maximize instruction time and recommend high school start times. Research shows that melatonin releases hormones that allow students ages years of age to sleep from 11pm to 8 am. If we are able to start school later from 7:45am to a time that starts after 8:00am it will increase the “awake” time for the students. Reports show that teens will come to school on time and ready to learn, get better grades, be less depressed.”  Melody Oswalt-Member of Start-time Committee-Davenport Community Schools 

Davenport Video  schools-start-times-may-be-changing/ schools-start-times-may-be-changing/

Teacher Opinions:  “I think 7:45 is insanely early- especially for high school kids. 8:15 or 8:30 is enough later that Its’ a bit more humane, but not so late that it pushes the day back.”  “I am all for a later start time. The brain science research and 26 years of teaching experience prove to me that students are not ready to learn at 7:45. A later start time will reduce truancy and improve achievement. It’s too bad politics gets in the way of learning –driven decisions. When I say politics I mean; extra-curricular activities, part-time jobs and school personnel who want out early in the afternoon. Many people forget we pay taxes for teaching and learning an approved curriculum not those other considerations.”  “I think the attendance will fall. Many students have afternoon employment that they can’t give up. I also think that the later start will give them more opportunity to skip. That is what I would have done on sunny days.”