HOUSTON — Why are students not the only ones to benefit when schools start later?
In the last few years growing evidence has suggested children, especially teenagers, benefit when school starts later. Even the CDC now strongly recommends that school not start any earlier than 8:30 a.m. citing the importance of adolescents getting at least eight hours of sleep a night.
Research has shown around the age of 11 a child’s natural biology shifts leading them to not being tired
Now research has shown that shifting school start times later also benefits parents. National Jewish Health studied parents in a district that moved start times later for middle and high school students.
They found parents slept more when they didn’t need to get up to get kids to school early. Experts noted not only the physical and mental health benefits of parents getting more sleep but also the fact it created less parent-child conflict. Something any parent who has had to wake up a tired teen can relate to.
Despite all this research most districts have rejected the call to start later, citing parent work schedules and after-school activities. According to Medpage, before the pandemic 93 percent of high schools and 87 percent of middle schools started before that 8:30 a.m. recommended start time.