Are there any studies showing a link between high schools opening later and better student performance?
Just about every school district that has done a study and changed its start time has shown a trend toward improvement in grades. But the dramatic change has been an improvement in the graduation rate. These schools are retaining and graduating more students. In one study, in the Edina school district in Minnesota, it’s very impressive how many more students graduated after the school start time changed. A study in the Arlington, Va., school district also reported a dramatic improvement in the feeling of well-being among students and teachers. The upshot is that kids actually sleep during the extra time, they’re not wasting it. I have a college son in his last semester of his senior year. His body clock is reversed, up until 4 or 5 in the morning, sleeping until noon. He is unsuccessfully trying to straighten out his routine. What is your best advise to help him fall asleep while he is in this transition phase? — Kathy Taylor, Duncanville, Texas It’s important to remember that it is th
