Delayed School Start Times: A Simple Solution to Help Adolescents Thrive Post-COVID-19

School start times might seem like a trivial issue during our current state of navigating multiple world crises.  However, this may be the moment to take this issue seriously because schools are in a state of flexibility due to COVID-related changes. The discussion about the effect of pandemic school closings on mental health must also expand to discuss the impact of start times. Why? In statements, the American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other national organizations have expressed support for later start times for adolescents. This is because of the unique developmental status of adolescents and the many benefits they can glean from a delayed start. Specifically, due to changes in circadian rhythms that occur at puberty, the majority of teens will not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm.  Because they need 8-10 hours of sleep, forcing them to start school before 8:30 am leads to chronic sleep deprivation.  

Considerable evidence reveals that unhealthy early start times contribute to teen mental health problems, including ideas of suicide, anxiety, depression, and impulsive behaviors like substance abuse. Several articles have already documented that the quarantine led to teens sleeping two hours later each school day and getting improved sleep, thereby both reducing stress and reducing transmission of the virus. There is also evidence that the negative mental health impacts of quarantine may have been partially mitigated by improved sleep.  It is worth noting that after the tragedy at Sandy Hook School, the district took a long hard look at what might improve student mental health.  One of the first changes they made was to implement healthier (later) start times.   

In addition to their impacts on mental health, early start times also lead to greater numbers of teen car accidents and school sports injuries.  When schools move to healthier, later start times, academic outcomes improve, graduation rates go up, and truancy goes down. There are no other school-based interventions that are known to have impacts on such a broad range of outcomes. In addition, the impacts of school interventions are typically highly variable, to a large degree because of the many challenges to implementing new programs and practices. Whatever improvements are achieved, these often fade over time as schools move on to new initiatives, encounter difficulties sustaining programs due to teacher and staff turnover, and/or struggle to cover the costs of materials and ongoing training. One of the  most difficult aspects of implementing new programs to improve student outcomes (academic, social-emotional, or other) is that they typically require substantial time from teachers and staff, both for training and for implementation (delivering lessons, etc.), day after day, year after year. What is radically different about adopting later school start times is that it avoids all of these implementation challenges. No materials, no training, no time or energy from teachers and staff. There’s also no need to worry that some classrooms or some schools might do it better than others.  It’s a schedule change. You either make the change or you don’t. And once the logistical issues are worked out and later school start times are in place; the work is done. 

Start times are also a social justice issue, disproportionately impacting students of color and students living with poverty. Youth from historically disenfranchised communities may experience challenges or stressors that leave them at greater risk for poor sleep.  For instance, among low to middle income families, Black male students as a group report getting the least amount of sleep, which suggests that Black male adolescents may be the most vulnerable to the negative consequences of chronic sleep deprivation from early start times.

Two recent studies in Washington and North Carolina bring this issue into focus.  The city of Seattle recently moved their school start times one hour later.  Researchers were able to directly compare student performance at two high schools before and after the move. The resulting study demonstrated several important findings.  First, students increased the time spent sleeping. In other words, they did not simply go to bed later.  Second, grades improved.  Third, attendance improved.  Importantly, these improvements were greater for the high school with the largest number of economically disadvantaged students and students of color. Further, the positive effect on morning attendance was only seen at this high school.

A second study followed 30,000 students in North Carolina, comparing schools with start times before 8:30 am to those with later start times. The researchers found that later start times were associated with positive student engagement outcomes (reduced suspensions, higher course grades), especially for economically disadvantaged students. Disturbingly, compared with suburban schools with more white, middle class and affluent students, the schools with the earliest start times were disproportionately urban schools that educate more students of color and students living in poverty.  Schools that serve more disadvantaged populations also have much higher rates of teacher and staff turnover. This is one of many issues that make consistent implementation of interventions a significant barrier in these schools. Taken together, these studies highlight the impact that later start times will likely have on closing the academic gap and providing support to all students --especially our most vulnerable ones.

It seems obvious that we should follow the recommendations of these national health organizations and not have any middle or high schools start before 8:30 am. Later school start times may produce myriad positive outcomes, such as increased immune function, mental health, and social justice. We’ve spent the last year of quarantine doing our best to keep our young people healthy and engaged. Changing school start times would be a logical next step to continuing that care and concern for our children’s wellbeing.

Maria D. LaRusso, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Connecticut. Dr. LaRusso is a developmental psychologist and former child and family therapist who studies clinical and school-based interventions to support social and emotional development and well-being of children and adolescents.  She earned her doctorate in Human Development and Psychology at Harvard University, completed postdoctoral fellowships awarded by the American Psychological Association & the Institute of Educations Sciences and by the American Association of University Women, and received a Fulbright Award for research in Colombia. Her current research focuses on school and healthcare responses to increasing mental health and behavioral challenges among youth and how unhealthy environments and inadequate social protections in the U.S. are violating children’s rights to healthy development. 

Sarah A. Raskin, Ph.D. is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Director of Neuroscience, and Director of Faculty Mentoring at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.  She is Board Certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology-Clinical Neuropsychology and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 22 and 40) and the National Academy of Neuropsychology.  She co-authored the Memory for Intentions Test (MIST) published by Psychological Assessment Resources, she is co-author with Catherine Mateer of Neuropsychological Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, published by Oxford University Press (2000) and she is the editor of Neuroplasticity and Rehabilitation, published by Guilford Press (2011) and Prospective Memory in Clinical Populations (2020) published by Routledge as well as numerous articles on cognitive rehabilitation and memory deficits after brain injury.  She serves on a number of community organizations including the West Hartford Human Rights Commission and is Board Chair of the Brain Injury Alliance of Connecticut. 

Janée Woods Weber is a social justice advocate and activist. She works for a small foundation that focuses on equity in education. She also serves on the board of directors for several organizations.

(c) 2021 Maria D. LaRusso, Sarah A. Raskin, and Janée Woods Weber