Impact of school start times on middle school

Impact of school start times on middle school students Valerie Mc. Laughlin Crabtree, Ph. D. , CBSM Licensed Psychologist Certified, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Presented to Lakeland School System November 14, 2016

Outline � Sleep needs of middle school students � Impact of insufficient sleep on children’s learning and health � Implications for school start times

Sleep Needs in Middle School � Age 10 -12 � Age 12 -14 10 hours 9 hours

Puberty in Middle School � Average of puberty onset ◦ Girls age 10 �African American girls age 9 ◦ Boys age 12 � Sleep changes often evident prior to the physical changes � Encompasses all of middle school ages

Circadian Changes in Puberty � Biological changes occur with the onset of puberty � Delayed sleep onset with delayed wake times ◦ By age 12. 5, typical sleep onset is 11: 00 p. m. � Early school start times interfere with sleep duration � Sleep time 11: 00 pm needs wake time of 8: 00 am Crowley et al. , 2007; Owens et al. , 2010; Sadeh et al. , 2009

Implications for School Start Times � Delayed sleep onset coupled with early school start times are associated with: ◦ ◦ excessive daytime sleepiness falling asleep in class inattention decreased school performance � Initial moves to early middle and high school start times related to bus cost savings ◦ No science to support this ◦ Resulted in negative impact to most vulnerable group

Insufficient Sleep in Middle Schoolers �< 8 hours sleep significantly more likely to use drugs � < 7 hours sleep significantly more likely to engage in antisocial behavior � 8 th graders: 1 hour less sleep per night associated with increased: ◦ ◦ Hopelessness Suicidal thoughts Suicide attempts Substance use Owens et al. , 2016; Winsler et al. , 2015

Sleep Loss � Middle school students with lower grades (Mostly Cs, Ds, and Fs): ◦ Obtain less sleep on school nights ◦ Have later bedtimes on school nights ◦ Sleep later on weekends � 21% of poor sleepers had school failures and were behind in grade level by one or more years Wolfson & Carskadon, 1998; Kahn et al. , 1989

Positive Impact of Later Start Times � Wake County, NC ◦ Moved M. S. start time to 8 am: ◦ reading and math scores �Particularly beneficial to lower performing students ◦ Watched 15 minutes less TV each day ◦ Spent 17 more minutes on homework per week Jacob & Rockoff, 2011

Positive Impact of Later Start Times � 8: 05 am vs. 7: 25 am schools � Girls with less sleep ◦ Bedtimes 7 minutes later in later starting schools ◦ Wake times 24 minutes later in later starting schools ◦ Overall 17 minutes more sleep (46% return on investment; 85 minutes per week) ◦ Later school students with significantly less sleepiness Lewin et al. , 2016

Late vs. Early Middle School Start Times � 8: 37 am (L) vs. 7: 15 am (E) start time � School L students with average of 50 minutes more sleep per night Wolfson et al. , 2007

Late vs. early middle school start time Wolfson et al. , 2007

Cost savings

Impact of Later Middle School Start Times � Total sleep time � Sleepiness � Test scores � Grades � Tardies � Substance use � Mood � Suicide risk

Recommendations � 2014 American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement ◦ Early start times (before 8: 30 am) are a “key modifiable contributor to insufficient sleep” ◦ Urges middle and high schools to have start times that allow for sufficient sleep (8. 5 to 9. 5 hours per night) � 2015 Centers for Disease Control ◦ Urges school officials to: �Learn about research connecting sleep and school start times. �Good sleep hygiene + later school times improves health and academic achievement

Recommendations � 2016 American Medical Association Policy Statement ◦ Encourage middle and high schools to start no earlier than 8: 30 am ◦ Sleep essential for physical and mental health of adolescents “based on their proven biological need”

Experiences of Other Districts � No “one size fits all” � Some used parent surveys ◦ Many did not � All collected community input ◦ Focus groups ◦ Working groups �Solution-focused � Successful districts educate parents on positive health and academic impact of later start times � Many saw cost-savings

Questions?