KIRKSVILLE, MO -- Now that the Fourth of July is over, summer vacation is starting to wind down for students across Missouri. In a little over a month, it’ll be back to the normal routine of setting alarm clocks for 6:00 a.m. But are these early start times hurting teenage students in the classroom?
Our Fact Finder team discovered a study of teens at a Rhode Island boarding school found that pushing back the school day by 30 minutes improved concentration, mood, and even encouraged students to consume healthier breakfasts as well as reduced tardiness.
Fact Finder contacted Kirksville R-III Superintendent Patrick Williams to see what he thought about an extended start.
“Our starting time in this district tends to be around 8:00 a.m. and we are out by 2:45 to 3:00 p.m. in most of our buildings” said Williams. “So I don’t believe any question that sleep, regardless of what time you start, is helpful and it shows that research shows it especially helpful to teenagers.”
Williams believe that a schools starting time, especially in rural areas, depends on a lot of factors.
“You’ll have schools in urban areas start as early as 7:30 a.m.” said Williams. “Some rural schools will start as late as 8:30 a.m., but a lot of it has to do with the nature of your bus routes and how far you have to drive to pick students up in buses.”
The results of the study appear in the July edition of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
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