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The first ring of a new Gwinnett high school sounds at 7 am, forcing teens to get on the bus before 6 am.
Is it too early? Science and probably some parents would say that's it.
A parent tells me that she was surprised to see Paul Duke Stem, the newest high school in Gwinnett County, located in Norcross, ignoring the science that teens are doing better with more back-to-school hours. The first period of the new school begins at 19 hours.
The August opening of Paul Duke helped prevent overcrowding at Norcross High. Both schools share school buses, according to the parent. "Given the number of students using these buses and the first hour of the first hour at 7 o'clock in the morning at Paul Duke, the high school bus picks up the teenagers in my neighborhood between 5:50 and 5:55," said mother .
In his article on Paul Duke, which focuses on science, technology, mathematics and engineering, the CJA describes it as a "future-oriented" school.
"However, this school, which is STEM-focused and is supposed to focus on the future, operates in the past in relation to current science on teen sleep schedules and the impact of early school hours. back to school, "said the parent.
I agree. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that secondary schools should not start before 8:30 am, keeping the time of the beginning of classes leading to more missed schools or classes, new drivers who are struggling on the road and harming the physical and mental health of teenagers.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine quotes, in its position paper indicating late start times, evidence of reduced daytime sleepiness, increased participation in classroom activities, reduced delays and absences during the first hour and the reduction of the accident rate.
Many times we have written about this issue, which has led readers to think that we love children, because getting up at dawn is part of life in the real world.
But the real world is changing, with many companies creating flexible schedules. In addition, science indicates that graduation and attendance rates improve when schools start later, which should be a key consideration.
A study found that seven high schools in Minneapolis started classes at 8:40 am instead of 7:15 am In a more recent study, researchers found that two years after the start time of classes in high schools in seven states, attendance and graduation rates increased by several percentage points.
A few years ago, a sleep expert at Emory had told me teens are scheduled to stay up late. Teens generally need 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep per night. During puberty, however, changes in the circadian timing system and the homeostatic sleep system delay the time when adolescents can fall asleep. This shift to later bedtime – combined with early early bells – produces dormant students.
Although we can try to change the natural sleep patterns of adolescents and force them to go to bed earlier, researcher Emory said it would be difficult. . The most intelligent alternative: delay the start of studies.
This is what California lawmakers tried to do this fall, by passing a bill that would have made the late arrival of schools mandatory in most high schools and high schools. Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the bill, which would have banned debuts before 8:30, saying it was too fast.
Seattle has postponed its start and end of high school hours starting in the 2016-2017 school year, starting at 7: From 50 am to 8:45 am
A study published today. He confirms that the delay in the start of treatment is bearing fruit. As reported by NPR today under the title "Sleepless No More In Seattle":
researchers at the University of Washington studied high school students before and after the time change. Their findings appear in a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances . They found that students slept an average of 34 minutes more with the late start time of school. This put their total nocturnal sleep from 6 hours and 50 minutes to 7 hours and 24 minutes.
"This study shows a significant improvement in the sleep duration of students, delaying the start of classes so that they are more in tune with the hours of natural awakening of adolescents," says the author Principal, Horacio de la Iglesia, researcher at the University of Washington and professor of biology.
The study also revealed improved grades and reduced delays and absences.
The study also shows a connection between having more sleep and better school performance. Students who took the biology course after the late start time earned 4.5% higher final grades than students who took the course earlier. This could be the difference between an A and a B, says Iglesia. He says that sleep deprivation makes it more difficult to learn and retain new information.
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