The Relationship Between School Start Times and Educational Outcomes

Fuller, Sarah C.; Bastian, Kevin C.

doi:10.1007/s40675-020-00198-4

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…This means that SSTs could be delayed, while academic achievement is maintained at the same level (or improved in sub-groups or individuals) and possibly achieved with less cognitive effort or time spent on studying and homework (students are likely better rested and therefore cognitively more capable and efficient). In combination with other reported positive outcomes on sleep, daytime sleepiness, mood and motivation, computer gaming, attendance rates, or tardies and suspensions e.g 14,15,24,25,33 ,. this remains a valid argument in favour of delaying SSTs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Previous reviews have mostly summarized the effects of delaying SSTs on several different variables (e.g., sleep, tardiness rates, absences, motor vehicle accidents and health 14,16,25 ). We identified a total of 12 peer-reviewed reviews 15,16,37,38,24,25,[31][32][33][34][35][36] -only 3 of them systematic reviews 15,16,34 -that discuss SSTs in relation to academic achievement. However, all of them cover the topic only broadly or on the side, so that no unifying conclusion can be drawn from the existing reviews to date.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, early findings from field studies on this topic are very heterogenous, likely due to methodological differences in outcome variables and study designs 24,25 . For instance, academic achievement has been operationalised in different ways (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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School start times and academic achievement - a systematic review on grades and test scores

Biller

Meißner

et al. 2021

Preprint

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School start times have been at the centre of many scientific and political debates given the accumulating evidence that bell times are generally too early, and thus lead to an epidemic of sleep restriction in the student population. Recent media attention has conveyed the message that later school starts not only improve sleep but also result in better academic achievement. Several studies have been recently published on this topic requiring a comprehensive review of the results to clarify the relationship between later school start times and academic achievement to inform the general public and policy makers. To this end, we conducted a systematic review of the current literature on school starting times and academic achievement in middle and high school students, considering grades and standardised test scores as achievement measures. We followed the PRISMA guidelines for searching, including, and reporting relevant literature and identified 21 studies for detailed analysis. Evidence quality of included studies was assessed with a pre-defined risk of bias assessment using modified items from the GRADE scheme and ROBINS-I tool. About half of the reviewed studies reported no (positive or negative) effect of delaying school times on grades and test scores, while the other half reported either mixed or positive results. Given the strong heterogeneity of included studies, we grouped them according to various characteristics, such as academic outcomes, dose of delay, evidence quality, or study design to identify potential hidden effects. Despite this, we could not identify any generalisable effect beyond single studies as to whether delaying school times has clear beneficial effects on academic performance. Given that grades and scores determine future career trajectories and predict future success, the question whether school start times contribute to academic achievement is of great interest for the general public and needs to be further clarified. Mechanistically, it is very likely that improved sleep leads to or mediates improved cognitive performance and learning, but definitive conclusions on whether this also translates into better grades and scores across all students requires better evidence at this stage. Importantly, this does not preclude other positive outcomes of later start times such as improved sleep (quality), motivation or learning but draws attention on current gaps and shortcomings. To this end, we also highlight critical methodological aspects and provide suggestions to increase the evidence-level and to guide the direction of research in future studies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

School start times and academic achievement - a systematic review on grades and test scores

Biller

Meißner

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…as measured in grades or scores) mediated by longer sleep duration, improved sleep quality or better circadian alignment. However, early findings from field studies on this topic are very heterogenous, likely due to methodological differences in outcome variables and study designs 24,25 . For instance, academic achievement has been operationalised in different ways (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School start times and academic achievement - A systematic review on grades and test scores

Biller

Meißner

Winnebeck

et al. 2022

Sleep Medicine Reviews

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Later School Start Times as a Public Health Intervention to Promote Sleep Health in Adolescents

Mousavi

Troxel

2023

Curr Sleep Medicine Rep

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Purpose of Review Poor sleep health in adolescence has long-lasting, and adverse effects on many aspects of health and functioning. Multiple factors impact sleep in adolescence including individual and family-level factors. However, early school start times are the one policy-level, and possibly the most salient environmental factor that constrains adolescent sleep at a population level. Recent Findings Delaying school start times could be an effective strategy to promote sleep health and consequently, functioning, and physical and mental health among adolescents. Growing evidence suggests that adolescents at later-starting schools sleep longer on weekdays, have higher attendance and graduation rates, and fewer mental health symptoms compared to their peers at earlier-starting schools. Summary This paper reviews a summary of recent key findings and discusses future steps in translating the school start time research into policy.

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The Relationship Between School Start Times and Educational Outcomes

Cited by 5 publications

References 31 publications

School start times and academic achievement - a systematic review on grades and test scores

School start times and academic achievement - a systematic review on grades and test scores

School start times and academic achievement - A systematic review on grades and test scores

Later School Start Times as a Public Health Intervention to Promote Sleep Health in Adolescents

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