US school day starts too early, warns health agency

The US federal agency for public health has called for middle and high schools to start later in the day, to improve educational performance and tackle health problems.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) argue that classes currently start too early in the morning, leading to students not getting enough sleep—which in turn can cause weight issues, substance abuse, depression, and poor academic performance.

Researchers at CDC, working with the US Department of Education, reviewed data from 40,000 public schools gathered as part of the 2011–2012 Schools and Staffing Survey. They found that the average school start time nationwide was just after 8 a.m. The earliest average start time was in Louisiana (7.40 a.m.), while schools in Alaska started latest (8.33 a.m.).

Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a school start time of no earlier than 8.30 a.m., arguing that teenagers need between 8.5 and 9.5 hours’ sleep a night.

CDC researcher Anne Wheaton, who led the study, commented that: “Getting enough sleep is important for students’ health, safety, and academic performance. Early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need.”

CDC’s message is echoed in a recent IZA World of Labor article on school start times by Teny Shapiro, who argues that, because adolescents’ body clocks differ from those of adults and younger children, earlier school start times are not conducive to learning.

In her article, Shapiro writes: “A one-hour delay has the same effect as being in a class with a third fewer students or with a teacher whose performance is one standard deviation higher. Later start times are also shown to improve non-academic outcomes, such as mood and attendance, and reduce the frequency of automobile accidents. While changing start times is not costless, the benefits are likely to outweigh the costs.”

Read more on this story at the Atlantic.

Related articles:
The educational effects of school start times by Teny Maghakian Shapiro
The impacts of shortening secondary school duration by Stephan L. Thomsen

Find more IZA World of Labor articles on education and human capital here