User:Steven Jenkinss/Start school later movement

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Shifted circadian rhythm and sleep deprivation

A study completed in the Minneapolis Public school district in 1997-1998 demonstrated that mutiple sleep deprivation effects could be alleviated by delaying school start times. Factors such as attendance increased especially. Another outcome of the Minneapolis study was a decrease in disciplinary problems indicating that chronic sleep debt also drove behavioral issues amongst the student population.

Other studies have indicated that school start times may not be the only solution to improving cognitive functioning during the early hours of school. One alternative is to restructure class schedules in which morning classes are focused on fluency based skills instead of implicit memory skills that are stronger for adolescents later in the day. This proposed restructuring does not address sleep deprivation or sleep debt.

Economic impacts

As for immediate economic impacts, on the individual district level, delaying school start times could decrease transportation costs. A study completed in Boston which created a staggered start time schedule for schools in which buses could be reused between school drop offs resulted in a $5 million decrease in transportation costs. Furthermore, many schools could optimize transportation with a staggered schedule and as a result provide immediate economic benefits for the school.

The delaying of school start times if not strategically planned may conversly have larger economic effects on the community as well as families. Concerns in implementing delayed school start time ineffectively may result in various detrimental or negating factors instead of the benefits of a delayed start time. increased congestion during rush hour as a result of more buses on the road is one concern at the community level. At the familial level, students may not be able to care for younger siblings if they are still in school later into the day, negatively impacting the family as they must hire caregivers. For the individual student, issues like ability to work a part time job and participation in extracurricular activities are affected if students must stay at school later in the day. These issues are all confounding factors that can complicate the benefits and implementation of later school start times at the community, familial and individual level.