A law in Pennsylvania recommends secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., aligning schedules with teenagers' natural biological clocks. The state budget sets aside funds to assist districts with the logistics and costs of making the transition.
According to Dr. Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, a sleep neurologist at the University of Pittsburgh, four out of five teenagers currently do not get adequate sleep. Early wake-up times force students to operate on five or six hours of sleep per night, which can lower academic performance, increase anxiety and depression, lead to higher tardiness and drop-out rates, and raise the risk of car crashes involving tired driver students.
Nearly 50 Pennsylvania school districts have already made the switch to later start times, with early data demonstrating improvements in student learning, mood, and overall achievement.
