Before Edina High went to a later start time, advanced placement history teacher Lonnie Skretner says her first hour class was consistently outperformed by her sixth hour class. That's no longer the case. They were my best class of the day. University of Minnesota researchers have conducted formal surveys in Edina with students, parents and counselors that reinforce the teachers' point of view. They're now investigating whether the later start time has resulted in higher academic achievement among students.
Sleep experts say there are also health issues to consider when adolescents are sleep deprived.
But experts such as the University of Minnesota's Mark Mahowald warn that changing the school start time won't truly be effective unless it's accompanied by a reevaluation of the frantic pace of teenagers' lives. More and more schools on the weekends are having the students participate in community service activities which I think are very good, the problem is many of them are starting at seven or eight on Saturday morning, which would be the logical catch-up sleep time for the accumulated sleep deprivation. So we are being very disrespectful to the sleep needs of our adolescents. Despite Edina's success with the later start time, and all the research on the adolescent sleep delay, the vast majority of school districts across the country are hesitant to make the shift. Many districts contend one of the primary barriers is the difficulty in changing bus schedules.