Independent School District 834 Stillwater City Hall North Fourth Street, Stillwater, MN School Board Work Session March 8 at 4:30 p.m.

Transcription

1 Independent School District 834 Stillwater City Hall North Fourth Street, Stillwater, MN School Board Work Session March 8 at 4:30 p.m. AGENDA I. Presentation on Later Start Times for High School Aged Students II. Question and Answer

2 Teens, Sleep and School Start Times: Research Findings Kyla L. Wahlstrom, PhD College of Education and Human Development University of Minnesota

3 Recommended hours of sleep for children and teens

4 Circadian Rhythm and Sleep in Humans Is a 24-hour cycle that involves behavioral, biochemical and physiological processes. Melatonin, controlled by circadian rhythms, is a hormone which induces sleep. Sleep timing in pre-teen children and adults can be adjusted. Sleep patterns are genetically determined, except for during adolescent shift.

5 Sleep Phase Shift in Human Development Related to puberty Disappears in early adulthood In adolescents, melatonin secretion does not begin until about 10:45 PM and continues until about 8 AM. The result is 9.25 hours of sleep when it is unrestricted.

6 Pattern of Melatonin Secretion in Adolescents (as measured in saliva samples) controlled by the circadian timing system Carskadon et al.,1997 Teen brain in sleep mode

7 Why is Melatonin Timing Key? Adolescents who go to bed early, such as before 10:30 PM, will not feel sleepy until melatonin secretion begins. The brains of teens who get up before 8 AM are still in a sleep mode. Sleep-deprived brains do not function well, nor will they attain maximal development. More than 30% of teens fall sleep in their 1 st hour class if rise time was before 7 AM.

8 20 Years Research on Start Time Over 1,000 studies conducted! Studies conducted by physicians, educators, psychologists, economists, statisticians

9 Start Time Research Designs Randomization of students or schools is virtually impossible Only known random assignment of students to early vs. late start was done at the Air Force Academy (Carrell, 2011) Quasi-Experimental design includes control subjects in Pre-Post change comparing the same students over time

10 Issues in Start Time Research Volatile nature of this issue: *Lack of school cooperation *Lack of parental cooperation Academic assessments differ by state National tests (SAT/ACT) are skewed towards the most academically able students Costs

11 Research Literature Overview Outcomes for insufficient sleep in teens include: Increased stress; more likely to be overweight; greater use of sleeping pills, cigarettes, and alcohol (Noland et al., 2009). Decreased motivation & emotional regulation (Winsler, 2014; Dahl et. al. 2002; Dahl, 1999) Decreased school performance; attention/performance problems (Fredriksen et al., 2004; Dewald et al., 2010).

12 Research Literature (cont d) A computer in the bedroom is related to later bedtimes, later wake-up times, and shortened sleep duration (Shochat et al., 2010). Teens who text or surf the internet at bedtime are more likely to have problems falling asleep, plus mood, behavior and cognitive problems during the day (Polos et al., 2010). High daytime caffeine users experienced more interrupted sleep (Ludden & Wolfson, 2010; Boegers et. al., 2014; Pollak & Bright, 2003).

13 A Clash of Strong Forces Biological Demand of Teen Brain (to be asleep from 10:45pm -8:00am) High Schools Historically Start First

14 Reporting less than 8 hours of sleep on a typical school night (Minnesota Student Survey 2016: 85% of schools) participated hours hours hours 42% 63% 77%

15 Earliest Research Completed in by Univ. of MN Edina, MN school district in 1996 was first in U.S. 7:20 8:30 Minneapolis School District in 1997 shifted start time: 7:15 8:40 (Wahlstrom et al., 1997)

16 Initial Findings in Edina Students reported statistically significant less depression. Principal noted fewer discipline referrals, a more calm cafeteria, and quieter passing times in the halls. Nurses and counselors had fewer students self-referring for peer problems and physical complaints. Coaches reported students remembering plays better with later start time.

17 Initial Findings in Minneapolis Statisically significant increase in attendance rates for grades Graduation rates significantly improved over the three years. Minneapolis elementary teachers reported the earlier start benefitted their students, who were more ready for learning, especially those whose day care began at 6:30 or 7 AM.

18 8 Mean Grades Earned X Start Times (n = 7,168 students) 7.5 Mean Grades < 7:30 7:30 7:35-7:55 8:00-8:15 > 8:30 Start Times Letter grades coded as 5 = B & C; 6 = B; 7 = B & A; 8 = A 10th 11th 12th

19 National Research Study ( ) funded by CDC Five school districts Eight high schools: 5 schools in three Minnesota districts 2 schools in Colorado district 1 high school in Wyoming district Grades 9-12 (N = 9,395 students) Start times ranged from 8:00 AM to 8:55 AM

20 GPA Outcomes Statistically significant increases in 1 st period GPA in one or more core courses of English, math, social studies, and science in three districts with start times from 8:00-8:35 AM. Significant increases in GPA in all 1 st period core courses for all semesters in all grades in Jackson Hole HS with start time of 8:55 AM.

21 Summary of Academic Outcomes with Later Start Significantly Improved grades Reduced tardiness Reduced absenteeism Improved graduation rates in schools where that is an issue (McKeever, 2016; Wahlstrom et al., 2014; Edwards, 2012; etc.)

22 Sleep and Health

23 Links between insufficient sleep and health-risk behaviors: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2007 N= 12,154 students in grades 9-12 across all states <8 hrs vs. > 8 hrs Used 1+ cigarettes daily 24% / 15% Used alcohol in past 30 days 50.3% / 36.7 Used marijuana in past 30 days 23.3% / 15.6 Currently sexually active 39.1% / 27.8 Felt sad or hopeless (felt daily in 31.1% / 21.6 past 2 wks & stopped usual activities) (McKnight-Eily, L. et al., Preventive Medicine, 2011)

24 Health Research Findings Students who slept 8+ hours were significantly less likely (p= <.001) to: Report symptoms of depression Fall asleep in class Drink caffeinated beverages Have a phone or computer in bedroom Do dangerous things without thinking (Wahlstrom et al., 2014)

25 Electronics and Sleep Devices like laptops, ipads and iphones emit blue and white light. The light suppresses melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep. About one hour is needed for the brain to unwind and enter into a sleepcompatible state after use of an electronic device.

26 Effects of Technology on Sleep Students who reported more bedroom distractions were significantly more likely to get insufficient (less than 8 hours) of sleep on school nights. Device distractions included: o A cell phone (87.6% kept it in bedroom) o A computer/laptop/ipad (46.5% had one in bedroom) (Wahlstrom et al., 2014)

27 Sleep and the Regulation of Emotions Adequate sleep allows brain to balance positive and negative memories. Inadequate sleep: causes a dominance of negative memories to be retained. reduces remembering positive and neutral memories. (Walker, 2009; Stickgold, 2005)

28 Depression and Suicide by Average Number of Hours of Sleep on a School Night Eighth, Tenth and Twelfth Grade Students N=27, % 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% 51.8% 31.2% 13.6% 4 Hours or Less Fairfax County Public Schools, % 21.3% 5.3% 32.0% 25.0% 20.4% 19.0% 27.5% 15.2% 12.1% 9.6% 8.0% 3.1% 2.4% 2.4% 1.7% 15.3% 6.6% 5 Hours 6 Hours 7 Hours 8 Hours 9 Hours 10 Hours or More Feeling Sad & Hopeless Considered Suicide Attempted Suicide Source: Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, 2009, Youth Survey

29 Sleep and Safety

30 Sleep and Impaired Driving 18.5 hours of wakefulness produced changes equivalent to 0.05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC). (Arnedt, 2001) 21 hours of wakefulness produced changes equivalent to.08% BAC (i.e., legally drunk).

31 Car Crashes and Teens Car accidents: highest cause of death in teens. More than 2,700 teens are killed in car crashes each year. (NHTSA, 2010) 16.5% decrease in crash rates for teen drivers in high schools in a NC county in the two years after one hour later start time, while crash rates in the rest of the state increased by 8.9% during the same time period. (Danner & Phillips, 2008).

32 Crash Findings in CDC Study Jackson Hole, Wyoming, changed to start high school at 8:55am, and saw a 70% reduction in crashes in the first year after the time change. Reductions in other schools ranged from 6% to 65%. (Wahlstrom et al., 2014)

33 Effects of Early Start Time on Elementary Students No difference between school start time and Wayzata elementary students academic achievement comparing an early-start school with a later-start school. (Dupuis, 2015) No differences in achievement between students in Wayzata early start elementary schools and middle school students. (Dupuis, 2015) Decreased academic performance and negative behavior in early start schools may primarily affect 6 th graders. (Keller, 2015 & 2017)

34 Effect of Early Start Time on Sleep Duration of Elementary Students (N=625) Shift to early start: Sleep Change in Minutes From 9:10 to 7:45 3 rd Grade +24 From 8:20 to 7:45 4 th Grade -4 From 8:20 to 7:45 5 th Grade -9 (Appleman, 2015)

35 Contact info: Kyla L. Wahlstrom, PhD

36 The Path to Healthy School Start Times Julie Dahl, APRN, CNP President of the Minnesota Sleep Society

37 6 Essential Requirements for School Leaders Knowledge of the Evidence Spirit of Collaboration Willingness to Compromise Realizing Your District is not Unique Good Communication Committed Leadership

38 The Evidence is Clear Good Sleep is Important Keeps the brain functioning well acts as the gardener Minimizes chronic stress Maximizes mental performance, helps prevents injury and lowers disease risk Later Start Times, in alignment with teen sleep schedules reveal: Improved driver safety Improved alertness to facilitate peak academic performance Reduced anxiety and depression Less risk taking behavior (i.e. substance use, sexual activity) Less tardiness and school absences to foster improved opportunities for learning

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40 What a School Can Do End electronic homework submission deadlines and official school activities no later than 10 hours before bus pick up the next day Include Sleep Education in health class, starting in elementary school Assess for sleep deprivation when counseling students Eliminate zero hour Adopt a later school start time for teenagers, 8:30 or later

41 Lessons Learned from Boston

42 Have a reasonable timeline Facts Reactions Impact Options Decisions School Leader Teachers Parents Students Community

43 First Steps Teen Sleep Loss Tool Kit Communicate with internal stakeholders first, then the community Form an advisory committee of people willing to work towards a solution Data and Surveys may or may not be helpful, consider using them for later in the process Start the discussion with some general goal setting Get organized, try to anticipate everyone's needs

44 How to Communicate to the Community Communicate early and often Clearly define the problem and rationale for adjusting times Be transparent Link ALL of the information for the community to view (executive summary and/or webpage) Have an outlet for them to provide feedback

45 Understanding the Community Reaction David Sipress, New York Times

46 Understanding the Community Reaction Situational Characteristics that Cause Stress NOVELTY UNPREDICTABILITY THREAT TO THE EGO SENSE OF CONTROL Sonia Lupien, Centre for Studies on Human Stress

47 HOW to Listen to the Community Understand their reaction as they cope Provide the right direction at the right time Organize the concerns: Are they individual or majority focused?

48 HOW to Listen to the Community Categorize their concerns Individual or majority Real or is there a lack of proof Real: Younger children on the bus corner in the morning, childcare in the afternoon, students leaving early for athletics Lack of proof: Cost of transportation will go up, athletic programs will fail, after school employment will be impacted Aim for a compromise that benefits the MAJORITY

49 Superintendents Who Adjusted Start Times Changing the school start time was one of the most important achievements I made as a superintendent. Kenneth Dragseth, former superintendent of Edina My only regret is I wish I would have done it (adjusted start times) earlier. Chace Anderson, superintendent of Wayzata We did this because it was the right thing to do for students. Scott Thielman, superintendent Buffalo/Hanover/Montrose We have no plan to go back to early start times for teenagers. Keith Jacobus, South Washington Schools

50 6 Essential Requirements for Community Members Knowledge of the Evidence Spirit of Collaboration Willingness to Compromise Realizing Your District is not Unique Good Communication Committed Leadership

51 Adjusting School Start Time is an Opportunity Keep the Current Schedule= Less Healthy Student Brains Adjust School Start Times= More Healthy Student Brains

52 Adequate and well timed sleep allows a student be safe, healthy and function at their full potential In Summary: The Reason to make Healthy School Start Times a Priority Teen biology is never going to change School start times can change!

53 How to Communicate with the Community about School Start Times Parent Concerns Validation Solution "It Works" Young children We understand you want to know There are many MN schools (Edina, Wayzata, Duluth) who have had on a dark bus corner your child will be safe. elementary children starting before high school children for years if not decades, without reports of an incident. Young children not getting enough sleep (if bus times are "flipped" for teenage students) Aren't we exchanging one problem for another? There is no evidence. It can be unsettling to make a change without knowing how it may effect your child. Most younger children are naturally morning larks. In fact, teachers most often schedule core curriculum classes like math and reading in the morning hours, as they find younger children have more attention to focus on learning at that time, compared to after the lunch hour. And, younger children have more malleable sleep schedules so you will have the ability to get them the sleep they need. Less family time in the evening: Elementary (due to earlier bedtimes) We live in a fast paced society and we realize you already feel crunched for time. Now it feels like you have even less time to get it all done. Families have been been able to make it work. Health Professionals say prioritizing sleep for our children is important for their health, mood, safety and ability to learn. Yes, you are making a compromise now by putting your younger child to bed earlier, but you will benefit from this school time change later, when your young child is a teenager. Less family time in the evening: Teens (due to later school days) Teenagers can be difficult to communicate with so we understand you need to have every opportunity to connect with them. Consider quality over quantity. Socializing with a well rested teen in a good mood is much easier than doing so with one who is tired and cranky Less time for sports We recognize your concern that this change in schedule may hamper the athletics our community enjoys. Sports play in an important role: activity, teamwork and build confidence. Schools have found both sports and later start times can co-exist. They have found ways to work around schedules. They have not seen a decline in the number of children participating in sports. And there is data showing teenagers who are well rested perform better athletically and have less injuries.

54 How to Communicate with the Community about School Start Times Highschool students missing academic time in order to attend games or be involved in other extracurricular activities See above Students today have a wide variety of choices for activities and some of those will require leaving school early. The students in schools with later start time have been able to make this work. They obtain homework ahead of time. Some schools will allow for these students to take a study hall at the end of the day. Cost of after-school childcare It can be stressful to have a change in the family and work schedule, especially when that might involve effect finances. In districts where start times were moved, many families were able to adjust work schedules or find less expensive childcare by enlisting the help of grandparents or neighbors. School leaders making parenting decisions You know what is best for your child better than anyone. And we wish we could accommodate everyone's individual needs. We are trying our best to help the majority of the students in school in this community over the duration of the time they are in our district. Right now, we are not being fair to our current or future teenagers. They need more sleep to minimize negative effects to their health. That evidence is clear. If this is so important for children, why are we not putting money into it by getting more buses so that everyone can go to school around the same time. This would help with the family/work scheduling difficulties We agree! We wish there were unlimited funds. School leaders, like parents and teenagers themselves, are constantly needing to make decisions on where best to put their available time and resources. Other school districts in MN have been able to put the time in to make this work without extra costs to the district so they could put their financial resources into other areas. So that is where we are going to put our efforts for now, to see if we can find a similar solution.

55 Sleep and the Brain Sleep regulates thinking and behavior areas in the brain and is especially important during periods of brain development. Sleep cleanses the brain and balances hormones and chemicals. Sleep acts as the brains filter by holding on to important information and getting riding the brain of less important info. A well-rested brain can focus better on tasks, decide what is important and move information from the short-term memory to the longterm memory for future use. Good sleep also helps us tap into our creativity as well Decision Making Area Reward Area Prefrontal Cortex A degree of boundary testing is normal during the teen years, although teens who are sleep deprived are more focused on rewards and are less likely to completely perceive risks Amygdala Striatum Emotional Area Quality sleep in the right amount is required to allow time for connection between the cognitive parts of our brain and emotional areas to keep our mood stable and well balanced The biologic shift in sleep timing makes it difficult for teenagers to fall asleep before than 10:45 pm, making it difficult to obtain adequate sleep when schools start too early. Tiredness in only one of the consequences for teenagers: Sleep Loss Causes Tiredness Slows thinking and memory functions Slows reaction time Impairs judgement effecting safety when driving Leads to bad choices and more aggression/fights More negative thoughts are retained when one is sleep deprived Sleeping in on the weekends does not make up for 5 days of inadequate sleep Chronic Stress Cortisol levels increase at night rather than decrease, making it more diffiuclt to fall asleep Emotions are difficult to control leading to irritability and sensativity Lack of ability to manage mood can lead to relationship issues (ie tension with peer/parents) Overscheduled teens have even more pressure Coping with caffeine use at night can make it harder to sleep Vulnerable Teens Some teenagers will use alcohol or drugs to try to help thier mood swings Teenage years are commonaly when mood disorders occur, like anxiety and depression. The risk is higher in the setting of sleep loss and chronic stress Low socioecominc challanges adds to the burden for teens who lack resources Risk is also higher when underlying sleep disorders are present