School Start Research Articles

Effects of Sleep Deprivation and Early School Start Times on Adolescent Health

As sleep deprivation is a general public health issue reported by the Center for Disease Control, it becomes an even more detrimental problem in adolescent years with potential consequences of physical, mental, and academic impairments leading to chronic health issues such as obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and increased cardiovascular morbidity into adulthood. The reasons behind the epidemic of insufficient sleep during adolescence are complex and multifactorial which include the biological and central changes in sleep regulation in teenage years as well as early high school start times (SST) determined by state legislation and local school districts. This important public health issue of sleep loss in adolescents has led increased research and policy changes about the ideal SST. Studies have shown that later SSTs are associated with positive student outcomes, including improved academic performance, mental health, and physical health, along with increased public safety and long-term economic gains. In light of this scientific evidence, the average teenager is best suited to wake at 8:00 AM or later. In this review article, we aim to summarize the literature and raise awareness on long-term effects of insufficient sleep in teenagers, school start times (and its potential delay), as well as general health recommendations.

Minimum age requirements and the role of the school choice set

Using several data sources from Chile, we study the impact of the size of the school choice set at the time of starting primary school. With that purpose, we exploit multiple cutoffs defining the minimum age at entry, which not only define when a student can start elementary school, but also the set of schools from which she/he can choose. Moreover, differences across municipalities in the composition of the schools according to these cutoffs allow us not only to account for municipality fixed factors (educational markets) but also for differences in the characteristics between schools choosing different deadlines. That is, we compare the difference in outcomes for children living in the same municipality around the different cutoffs with those for children in other municipalities that experience a different change in the available set of schools across cutoffs (double difference in RD). We show that a larger set of schools increases the probability of starting in a better school, measured by a non-high-stakes examination. Moreover, this quasi-experimental variation reveals an important reduction in the likelihood of dropping out and a reduction in the probability that a child would switch schools during her/his school life. Second, for a subsample of students who have completed high school, we observe that a larger school choice set at the start of primary school increases students’ chances of taking the national examination required for higher education and the likelihood of being enrolled in college.

O3-6 The Healthy School Start Plus Study - A parental support programme to promote healthy behaviours and prevent childhood obesity in disadvantaged areas

BackgroundThe rise in childhood overweight and obesity worldwide demands effective health promotion and obesity prevention programmes, especially targeting socially disadvantaged areas. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a revised parental support programme, promoting physical activity and a healthy diet, and on preventing overweight and obesity among children in disadvantaged areas.MethodsThe effectiveness of this programme will be compared to standard school routines in a parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial. The 6-month programme included: 1) A health information brochure; 2) School nurses conducting motivational interviewing with parents; 3) Classroom activities and home assignments for children; 4) A self-test for type-2 diabetes risk for parents. Seventeen schools were enrolled including 352 six-year-old children (155 intervention/197 control). Physical activity and sedentary time were measured by accelerometry. Dietary intake was assessed by a newly developed mobile phone-based photo method. Weight and height were measured by trained researchers. All outcomes were measured at baseline and at 6 and 18 months post baseline. Parental level of education was self-reported, and the highest level achieved by either parent was used as an indicator of socioeconomic position (SEP). A mixed-effect regression analysis will be performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme.ResultsAfter the intervention, when adjusting for sex and parental education, the intervention group showed 6.4 mins more moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during weekdays than the control group (p = 0.03). No significant effect on MVPA was detected during weekends (p = 0.47). Further, no significant effect was detected on time spent sedentary during weekdays (p = 0.12) nor during weekends (p = 0.78).According to IOTF classifications, 9.6% of the children had obesity, 16.4% overweight, 4.4% underweight and 69.6% normal weight. Results on changes in BMI, and dietary intake at 6 months will be presented.ConclusionsThe results from the evaluation of this parental support programme will add to the knowledge and advance intervention and implementation research in the Swedish/Nordic context relating to prevention of overweight and obesity in childhood.

Investigating cohort effects of early foreign language learning

ABSTRACT With the rapid implementation of early foreign language programmes in the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, first for Grade 3 (ages 8–9 years) in 2003 and then from Grade 1 (ages 6–7 years) in 2008, primary school teachers had to adapt to teaching a foreign language in Grade 1 quickly. Teachers had little experience with language teaching to very young learners, and curricula and materials had not been tested prior to implementation. This study investigates the development of receptive English proficiency across three large cohorts (N = 7,289) . The first cohort started in Grade 3 , the second cohort was the first to start in Grade 1, and the third cohort started in Grade 1, six years after the initial implementation. Propensity scores were used to compare sampling weights of cohorts without the influence of confounding variables. Results confirmed a slight advantage for an earlier start in primary school for students’ receptive proficiency in Grade 5. The results further indicate that proficiency scores did not improve from the first cohort of students starting in Grade 1 to one six years later. Systemic changes in teacher education for language specialists in primary education may not yet have been able to affect student outcomes.

Timing of puberty and school performance: A population-based study.

ObjectiveTo determine whether the timing of puberty associates with school performance.MethodsGrowth data on 13,183 children born between 1997 and 2002, were collected from child health clinics and school healthcare and school performance data from school records. Age at peak height velocity (PHV) marked pubertal timing. The relationships between age at PHV and average grades in mathematics, native language, English, and physical education from school years 6 (end of elementary school; age 11-12 years), 7 (start of middle school; 12-13 years), and 9 (end of middle school; 14-15 years) were modeled using generalized estimating equations and linear mixed models, adjusted for the month of birth and annual income and education levels in school catchment areas.ResultsThe mean (SD) age at PHV was 13.54 (1.17) years in boys and 11.43 (1.18) years in girls. In girls, age at PHV was associated with grades in mathematics (β=0.041–0.062, p<0.005) and physical education (β=0.077–0.107, p<0.001) across the study years, and in school year 9, also with grades in English (β=-0.047, 95%CI -0.072 to -0.021, p<0.001). Among boys, only the grades in physical education were related to age at PHV across the study years (β=0.026–0.073, p<0.01) and in middle school the grades in mathematics decreased dramatically.ConclusionsIn both sexes, the timing of puberty was associated with the grades in physical education, and in girls, with academic achievement. The decrease in boys’ mathematics grades and sex difference in academic achievement were unexplained by the timing of puberty.

İngilizce Eğitim Veren Uluslararası Okullarda İkinci Dil Edinimi Eğitim Modelleri: Dünü, Bugünü ve Geleceği

The international school market continues to expand, and an increasing number of English language learners (ELLs) are enrolling in English-medium international schools. As new schools start and existing schools evaluate their second language acquisition model(s), care should be taken to implement a model that provides ELLs with the necessary support for English language acquisition. Understanding current practice and teacher preference can enable school leaders to make more informed decisions when implementing or revising an SLA instructional mode (IM). The purpose of this research study is to build upon previous research findings through further examination of the frequency of SLA IM used in English-medium international schools. Additionally, the researchers sought to compare the preferred SLA IMs between ELL, Primary, and English teachers. Findings from this quantitative survey-based study reinforce previous findings that the hybrid push-in and pull-out SLA IM is the most implemented SLA IM in English-medium international schools. Additionally, the hybrid SLA IM continues to be the preferred SLA IM in English-medium international schools.

Delayed high school start times and graduation and attendance rates over 4 years: the impact of race and socioeconomics.

The current study was designed to examine if improvements in high school graduation and attendance rates persist 4 years after start times later than 8:30 am. Socioeconomic status and race were accounted for in the graduation analysis. School-wide attendance and graduation records (n = 28 schools) from 1999-2017 were analyzed in August of 2021 using a repeated-measures analysis of variance at 5 points in time, 1 year predelay and 4 consecutive years postdelay start times. Graduation rates for students in grade 12 (n > 47,000) after postdelay year 4 increased from 80% to 90% (P < .001) and attendance rates in grades 9-12 (n > 80,000) improved from 90% to 93% (P = .012). Attendance and graduation rates for all students improved after 4 years following a delayed start. Economically disadvantaged students and Black students showed significant changes in graduation rates postdelay year 4 and White students significantly improved postdelay years 2, 3, and 4. Adolescent students, especially economically and racially disadvantaged students, have a vulnerability for obtaining adequate sleep. Delaying high school start times is a cost-effective intervention that could promote sufficient sleep and boost graduation and attendance rates. McKeever PM, Dodd R, O'Sullivan DM. Delayed high school start times and graduation and attendance rates over 4 years: the impact of race and socioeconomics. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(11):2537-2543.

Association between school start time affected by extracurricular activities and sleep duration: national questionary survey in Japan

Association between school start time affected by extracurricular activities and sleep duration: national questionary survey in Japan

The association between school start times, school day sleep duration and social jetlag among Norwegian high school students. Results from a large-scale, cross-sectional study

The association between school start times, school day sleep duration and social jetlag among Norwegian high school students. Results from a large-scale, cross-sectional study

Multiple positive outcomes of a later school starting time for adolescents

ObjectiveWe tested the effect of later school start time (LSST) by 1 hour during 1 week on sleep, sleepiness, and mood profile using within-subject design. DesignA within-subject 3-weeks-long interventional study. A baseline week with school starting at 7:30 AM (week A), followed by an intervention week with school starting at 8:30 AM (week B), and a recovery week with school start time back to 7:30 AM (week C). Mixed model for repeated measures analysis was applied to test for the LSST effect between weeks. SettingA private high school with high level of socioeconomic status. ParticipantsForty-eight adolescents from 3 different high school years. MeasurementsParticipants were invited to wear actigraphs continuously during the 3 experimental weeks. Somnolence was obtained every school day twice, at arrival and before departure of school. Sleep quality and mood profile were evaluated by standard measures by the end of each school week, resulting in 3 repeated measures for each variable. ResultsThirty-eight adolescents completed the study. Adolescents woke up later during week B (7:42 ± 00:30) in comparison to weeks A (6:54 ± 00:12) and C (6:46 ± 00:15) (p < .001), with no significant change on sleep onset between weeks (p = .657), resulting in a longer sleep duration in week B (p < .001). Significant improvements on sleepiness and mood profile were also reported during week B. ConclusionsStarting school later was effective in improving multiple aspects from sleep patterns, subjective sleepiness, and mood profile.

Body Weight at Age Four Years and Readiness to Start School: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Adolescents with obesity have lower academic performance, but little is known about the association between body weight in early childhood and school readiness. The objective was to examine the association between age- and sex-standardized body mass index (zBMI) and body weight status and school readiness in young children. Methods: A prospective cohort study in Toronto, Canada, was conducted in young children enrolled in TARGet Kids!. Children's weight and height were measured before the start of kindergarten. Children's school readiness was measured by the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a validated teacher-completed instrument that assesses children's skills and behaviors in five developmental domains in kindergarten. Generalized estimating equations, adjusted for relevant confounders, were used in the analysis. Results: The study included 1015 children (1217 observations): 52% were male and mean age at zBMI was 4.2 years [50 months (SD 12.1)] and school readiness was 5.2 years [62.7 months (SD 6.9)]. There was no evidence found that zBMI was associated with school readiness. However, in a post hoc analysis, being classified as overweight or with obesity in kindergarten was associated with twofold higher odds of vulnerability in school readiness and a lower social competence score compared with their normal weight peers. Conclusions: Being classified as overweight or with obesity was associated with poor school readiness in year 2 of kindergarten. Early interventions to promote healthy growth before school entry may help promote development and school readiness in young children. www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01869530).

Predictors of Word and Pseudoword Reading in Languages with Different Orthographic Consistency

This study analyzes the impact of certain cognitive processes on word and pseudoword reading in languages with different orthographic consistency (Spanish and Arabic) in the first year of Primary Education. The study was conducted with a group of 113 pupils from Algeria and another group of 128 pupils from Ecuador, from a middle-class background and without any special education needs. The participants were assessed in terms of their reading ability of words and pseudowords, knowledge of letters, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and phonological memory. Using a correlational design, descriptive-exploratory, bivariate, and hierarchical multivariate regressions were applied to the different measures of reading in each language. The findings show that knowledge of letters, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and phonological memory contribute differently to the explanation of reading ability in each group at the start of compulsory schooling. These results have important implications for the teaching of reading skills and the prevention of specific learning disabilities, as well as the theory of reading acquisition.

A National Survey of U.S. Adolescent Sleep Duration, Timing, and Social Jetlag During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Objectives To assess changes in duration, timing, and social jetlag in adolescent sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate the impact of mood, physical activity, and social interactions on sleep. Study Design An online survey queried adolescents’ sleep before (through retrospective report) and during the initial phase of COVID-19 in May 2020. Adolescents (N = 3,494), 13–19 years old, in the United States (U.S.) answered questions about their current and retrospective (prior to COVID-19) sleep, chronotype, mood, and physical and social activities. Linear regression models were fit for time in bed, reported bed and wake times, and social jetlag during COVID-19, accounting for pre-COVID-19 values. Results Total reported time in bed (a proxy for sleep duration) increased on weekdays by an average of 1.3 ± 1.8 hours (p < .001) during COVID-19, compared to retrospective report of time in bed prior to COVID-19. During COVID-19, 81.3% of adolescents reported spending 8 hours or more in bed on weekdays compared to only 53.5% prior to COVID-19. On weekdays, bedtimes were delayed on average by 2.5 hours and wake times by 3.8 hours during COVID-19 compared to prior to COVID-19. On weekends, bedtimes were delayed on average by 1.6 hours and waketimes by 1.5 hours (all p’s < 0.001). Social jetlag of >2 hours decreased to 6.3% during COVID-19 compared to 52.1% prior to COVID-19. Anxiety and depression symptoms and a decline in physical activity during COVID-19 were associated with delayed bed and wake times during COVID-19. Conclusions During COVID-19, adolescents reported spending more time in bed, with most adolescents reporting 8 hours of sleep opportunity and more consistent sleep schedules. As schools return to in-person learning, additional research should examine how sleep schedules may change due to school start times and what lessons can be learned from changes that occurred during COVID-19 that promote favorable adolescent sleep.

Childhood overweight and obesity at the start of primary school: External validation of pregnancy and early-life prediction models.

Tackling the childhood obesity epidemic can potentially be facilitated by risk-stratifying families at an early-stage to receive prevention interventions and extra support. Using data from the Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort, this analysis aimed to externally validate prediction models for childhood overweight and obesity developed as part of the Studying Lifecourse Obesity PrEdictors (SLOPE) study in Hampshire. BiB is a longitudinal multi-ethnic birth cohort study which recruited women at around 28 weeks gestation between 2007 and 2010 in Bradford. The outcome was body mass index (BMI) ≥91st centile for overweight/obesity at 4-5 years. Discrimination was assessed using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC). Calibration was assessed for each tenth of predicted risk by calculating the ratio of predicted to observed risk and plotting observed proportions versus predicted probabilities. Data were available for 8003 children. The AUC on external validation was comparable to that on development at all stages (early pregnancy, birth, ~1 year and ~2 years). The AUC on external validation ranged between 0.64 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62 to 0.66) at early pregnancy and 0.82 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.84) at ~2 years compared to 0.66 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.67) and 0.83 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.84) on model development in SLOPE. Calibration was better in the later model stages (early life ~1 year and ~2 years). The SLOPE models developed for predicting childhood overweight and obesity risk performed well on external validation in a UK birth cohort with a different geographical location and ethnic composition.

Returning to Normal in an Abnormal Environment: Mothers’ COVID-19 Uncertainties and Uncertainty Management Strategies

ABSTRACT This study used uncertainty management theory to assess mothers’ COVID-19-related uncertainty sources and management strategies during the Delta variant outbreak as the fall 2021 school year approached. Twenty-five mothers living in Indiana were interviewed between July-August 2021. Data indicated four uncertainty sources: COVID-19 illness risk, children’s psychological health, reintegration, and COVID-19 vaccine/prevention rights. COVID-19 illness risk was the most prominent uncertainty theme, and mothers attempted to adapt to it when they could via strategies of strategic decision making, engaging in protective behaviors, and seeking information to guide decisions about their children’s safety. The start of school presented uncertainties about young children’s COVID-19 risk they deemed out of their control, and thus mothers reframed illness uncertainty as the responsibility of others to protect their children. The findings offer theoretical implications for uncertainty management theory and practical implications for family health.

Academic achievement gaps by migration background at school starting age in Ireland

ABSTRACT In today’s increasingly diverse societies, a key question is how to foster the structural integration of immigrants and their descendants. While research indicates that migrant educational underachievement is a serious issue, relatively little is known about achievement gaps at younger ages and in relatively new immigration countries. The current study sets out to estimate the size of disparities by migration background at age five (i.e. when they start school) and explores the causes of these gaps. It does so in a context that offers a compelling but under-researched case: the Republic of Ireland. It draws on the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) data, a national longitudinal study of children in Ireland. The results suggest that some disparities by migration background already existed at the start of primary school, but also that gaps were limited to verbal skills and differed widely across groups. Moreover, social background only played a relatively minor role in explaining the differences, whereas the child’s first language was a powerful predictor of disadvantages by migration background in verbal skills.

Weekend sleep after early and later school start times confirmed a model-predicted failure to catch up sleep missed on weekdays.

BackgroundMany people believe they sleep for longer time on weekend nights to make up for sleep lost on weekdays. However, results of simulations of risetimes and bedtimes on weekdays and weekends with a sleep–wake regulating model revealed their inability to prolong weekend sleep. In particular, they predicted identical durations of weekend sleep after weeks with relatively earlier and relatively later risetime on weekdays. In the present study, this paradoxical prediction was empirically confirmed.MethodsTimes in bed were calculated from weekday and weekend risetimes and bedtimes in pairs of samples of students with early and later school start time and in subsets of samples from 7 age groups with weekday risetime earlier and later than 7:00 a.m.ResultsAmong 35 pairs of students, mean age ± standard deviation was 14.5 ± 2.9 years and among the age group samples, 21.6 ± 14.6 years. As predicted by the simulations, times in bed on weekends were practically identical in the samples with early and later school start time and in two subsets with earlier and later weekday risetime.ConclusionsThe model-based simulations of sleep times can inform an individual about an amount of irrecoverable loss of sleep caused by an advance shift of wakeups on weekdays.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11325-022-02648-5.

Drowsy driving and teen motor vehicle crashes: Impact of changing school start times.

Motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are the second leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States, with drowsy driving a major contributing factor. Early school start times have been identified as a significant factor that reduces adolescent sleep duration, which in turn contributes to drowsy driving and MVC. This paper examined the longitudinal impact of delaying secondary school start times on self-reported student drowsy driving and teen MVC. Secondary school students (10thand 11thgrade, 51.7% female, 67.8% White) in the United Statescompleted annual surveys 1 year before and 2 years after implementation of later school start times (70-mindelay, n range 1642-2452 per year), reporting frequency of drowsy driving (less than once/week vs. at least once/week). Teen (16-18 years) MVC data from the Colorado Department of Transportation for the 2 yearsbefore and 2 yearsafter later start time implementation were compared for Arapahoe County (where start times changed) and neighboring Adams County and Douglas County (where start times did not change). With later start times, there was a significant drop in the percent of students who reported frequent drowsy driving (pre-change: 32.6%, post-change: 21.9%, follow-up: 22.8%). Weekday teen MVC rates went down in Arapahoe County (p = .04) during the school year, while no change or increases in MVC rates were seen in neighboring counties. Healthy school start times are important for adolescent health and safety, with study findings highlighting the downstream effects of increased sleep duration following a 70-min delay in secondary school start times on adolescent drowsy driving and teen MVC rates.

A relação entre o desenvolvimento cognitivo e indicadores de comportamento e desenvolvimento pessoal, social e emocional na pré-escola

Abstract The paper investigates the potential of a questionnaire answered by teachers about the behavior and socio-emotional skills of children enrolled in preschool – start of compulsory schooling in Brazil. Based on this instrument, it describes the development of indicators of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity and personal, social and emotional development. It uses multivariate linear regression models to identify factors associated with the cognitive development of children enrolled in preschool. The results suggest that more inattentive children tend to have lower cognitive attainment, especially in language. The estimated coefficients in the multivariate model suggest that the Personal, Social and Emotional Development has a moderate to high effect size for language and mathematics. Implications of the results for educational policies are presented.

Youth, mental health, and sleep.

Youth, mental health, and sleep.