A new study has found that school start times have little impact on younger children. There have been many studies done lately on school start times, and the impact it has on the learning of children and youth. They have found that it can have an impact on high school students, and that extra sleep in the morning can help them learn better.
This has prompted them to look at school start times, and all ages. The results could have an impact on school policies, and it may mean that there will be changes made in the future. If later school times help children succeed in school, it seems reasonable to implement them.
According to Study Finds, a new study has found that early start times do not impact elementary school students as much as it does older students. This study was done by the University of North Carolina, and it can be read in full here.
While an early start time may also lead elementary school students to get less sleep, it does not seem to impact their academic performance. The researchers have also said that less sleep is not as harmful to elementary school students as it is to middle and high school students.
As stated, earlier studies have shown that middle and high school students are negatively impacted by early start times, but little work had been done to look at the younger students. When they did this study, they found that earlier start times do not have the same impacts as it does for older youth. What they saw was only a very small increase in absences and a small increase in math scores.
Some school districts in the US have already started to adjust their start times to help the older students, but it looks like they may not need to for the younger ones.
The study can offer reassurance that moving elementary school students earlier is not likely to impact their learning. Elementary school students would have to have an earlier start to help organize transportation, but it sounds like it is OK. The only impact they were able to find was in groups that were already at a disadvantage, and would already need extra support to help them. Science is now confirming that it is fine to move start times for older students to help them achieve their best, and it will all still work for the younger kids.
Sources: Study Finds, SAGE Pub Journals