NORTHERN VALLEY—On school mornings, a little extra sleep is a good thing, especially if you’re a teenager, according to recent studies.
And now the state wants to select five high schools to help them conduct a study to prove that later school start times help teens perform better grade-wise, in addition to being less susceptible to sleep-deprivation impacts such as obesity, depression and drowsy driving.
On Aug. 9, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law that offers five high schools the chance to participate in a four-year pilot study to assess positive and negative impacts from an 8:30 a.m. or later start.
The law directs the state education commission to pick five schools representing a cross-section of urban, suburban and rural districts statewide.
Most start early
A recent state education department survey found that despite benefits to a later start time, nearly 90 percent of schools had no plans to adjust start times. Most high schools start classes before 8 a.m.
According to studies, including a 2014 American Academy of Pediatrics report, sleep deprivation among adolescents is a critical concern, with negative impacts on academics, health, safety and well-being.
The AAP report cited middle and high school start times as one factor adding to chronic sleep deficits for teenagers and recommended school starts of 8:30 a.m. or later.
‘Improve learning outcomes’
“We are striving to do all that we can to improve health and wellness for our students,” said Gov. Murphy in a statement. “Research shows that academic progress may be negatively impacted by starting school too early. By testing the viability of changing start times, we are exploring ways to improve learning outcomes for New Jersey students,” said Murphy.
The law was sponsored by state Sen. Richard Codey (D-27), and state Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37), among others.
Other factors to be studied by the participating high schools include impacts on student transportation, family schedules, extracurricular activities and after-school activities such as clubs, athletics and jobs.
The AAP study indicated adolescents who get enough sleep had reduced risk for being overweight, depression, less involvement in auto accidents, better grades and overall a positive quality of life.
At the conclusion of the four-year pilot study, the DOE commissioner will compile a report detailing total students participating; before and after start times; impacts on tardiness and absenteeism; assess health, academic and safety benefits with later starts; any negative impacts on districts and families; and make a recommendation on whether to adopt later start times for all high school students.
“Our school schedules should reflect the needs of our students,” said Assemblywoman Huttle in a statement.
‘Far less sleep’
“So often our children are in school on far less sleep than what is medically recommended. This pilot program will give us a deeper understanding of how a later start to the school day may impact students, especially in regard to academic performance. This law is supported by advocates and experts alike, including the American Academy of Pediatrics,” she said.
Codey blamed the early school starts, often before 8 a.m., for students not being able to live up to their academic potential. “Numerous studies by the CDC and American Medical Association support that early school start times conflict with the physical and psychological growth of adolescents…the negative effects of not getting enough sleep will cause mental health issues with students,” said Codey in a statement.
Tenafly’s delayed starts
Starting in 2017 at Tenafly High School, a later start time took effect, said Superintendent of Schools Shauna DeMarco. The start time shifted 15 minutes, from 7:55 a.m. to 8:10 a.m., which moved the daily end time from 3:04 p.m. to 3:11 p.m.
This change also included what is called an “E” day once every five days. On these days, the school day begins at 8:30 a.m., DeMarco said.
DeMarco said a June 2019 student survey of juniors and seniors who were familiar with the previous schedule and the new “later” one, reported feeling like they were getting more sleep and were more alert with the new schedule.
That change was made by Tenafly following much discussion by school board trustees about benefits of a later start and an intricately worked-out high school schedule revamp by Principal James Morrison.
DeMarco said the new schedule incorporated a unit lunch, thereby creating one lunch period for the entire school. She said clubs have benefitted from this change, allowing them to host meetings at lunchtime instead of only after school.
This also increased the involvement of student-athletes into high school clubs since there was less conflict between the two types of extracurricular activities, she noted.