Wake Up Call

Educators are finally waking up to the reality that high schoolers need to sleep later. High schools have traditionally started their days in the wee hours of the morning in deference to football coaches, band leaders, and others who run the after-school schedule. But the school systems in Milwaukee, Tulsa, Minneapolis and several other cities have pushed back their high-school start times from as early as 7:15 to as late as 8:45. The reason? Reseach revealing that students are routinely "substantially sleep deprived" when they show up to school much before 8:15. A big study in Minneapolis, which made the move several years ago, found that the city's later start time (8:40 vs 7:15) improved attendance, reduced the amount of napping students did in classes, and lowered the reported incidences of student depression. Why don't all high schools read and heed such research? Football coaches and band directors are powerful people in the school world, and tradition rules in public education. I know, I know, if only educators did what's best for kids.