Dive Brief:

• Barrington Public Schools, southeast of Providence, RI, is considering pushing back the start of school for middle and high schoolers in light of research indicating students could be healthier and have better academic performance with later start times.
• The Providence Journal reports the Barrington School Committee initially voted to push back the start of school by 50 minutes for this school year, but it delayed implementation to further research the change.
• Last week, a group of about 50 students protested the plan, saying starting almost an hour later would create problems for scheduling extracurricular activities and sports.

Dive Insight:

Barrington High School has about 1,000 students. While 50 showed up to protest the proposal to start school later, administrators must consider the needs of the broader school community. Other schools around the country have investigated similar changes, finding a majority of people responding to surveys have supported later starts — but a vocal minority has been able to torpedo plans.

Research shows teenage brains are often wired to go to sleep later and need more sleep in the morning, which clashes with traditional school schedules. The resulting sleep deprivation can lead to minor irritability, but it can also severely limit student performance in certain classes. Some schools have given eligible upperclassmen the flexibility to take their first-period classes remotely and asynchronously, meaning they can do the work at night and sleep in each morning. This option avoids interrupting after-school schedules, but it is severely limited as only high-performing students are eligible.