Sleepy high-school students will thrive if classes start later in the day | Opinion

I vividly recall attending a Student Government Association (SGA) meeting at a local high school a number of years ago, where students weighed in strongly against early start times in high school. I heard their disdain for having a bell schedule that ignored research into adolescent brain development and the need for sleep.

The topic was familiar and personal as I, too, struggled each day to recover from early start times during my days as a high school student in Miami-Dade.

Educators, parents, students and administrators have learned that a lack of sleep might affect students’ mental and physical well-being and contribute to health problems, including depression and headaches. Other negative consequences have been cited because of early start times for high school students such as greater absenteeism, lower school performance and behavioral problems.

When I brought the issue to my School Board colleagues in the form of a policy recommendation, I cited several research studies and student testimonials in support of later start times. It was clear that teenagers find it more difficult to go to sleep and rise early.

For years, experts have said the cause is biological. To compound matters, we know that more in-depth school assignments and greater workloads are common in high school, and that participating in extracurricular activities or holding a part-time job contributes to later bedtimes.

In addition, certain student behaviors further exacerbate the problems associated with sleep deprivation, leading to students staying up late and getting less sleep. Such behaviors include poor study habits, greater use of social media and inconsistent work patterns where guidance is lacking and established routines are less frequent.

Today, brain-scan studies and other neuroscience research methods and adolescent brain-research findings consistently reveal that students’ peak efficiency in learning new material is achieved when students have adequate sleep.

In addition, more than a decade ago, our own Research Services department identified safety as an issue. It highlighted two studies that pointed to a connection between later high school starting times and a reduction in the number of adolescent traffic accidents.

Following the School Board’s approval of a pilot for later start times, the district reported that an additional eight high schools across the county began participating in our limited pilot for later start times in high schools. Also, participating students began taking Florida Virtual School classes off-campus to afford them later start times.

Meanwhile, programs in other parts of the country allow eligible high school seniors to drop their first classes on the schedule.

During the past couple of years, the school district has continued to pursue this initiative, and as a part of its ongoing effort to employ later start times, nearly 2,000 high school students were asked to provide valuable input on this issue.

The superintendent, in a policy proposal coming to the Board, endorses the School Board’s previous action as it outlines potential bell-schedule alternatives that will include options for starting all grade levels no earlier than 8 a.m. and allowing for expanded transportation operations.

We eagerly await a comprehensive final recommendation from the superintendent by spring 2020 for potential implementation in the 2020-2021 school year. Reform is accomplished not only through expanded choice offerings and the introduction of innovative and hands-on curriculum, but also when the health and well-being of our students are our top priority.

Martin Karp is vice chair of the Miami-Dade County School Board.

This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 2:05 PM.