Letter: School start time data is already available

Posted 2/16/17

To the editor:

The Barrington School Committee and administration have committed to implementation of later school start times in 2017 and are dedicated to identifying cost-effective strategies. …

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Letter: School start time data is already available

Posted

To the editor:

The Barrington School Committee and administration have committed to implementation of later school start times in 2017 and are dedicated to identifying cost-effective strategies. Consideration of budgetary implications is on-going and there are data-points that speak to the communities’ interest and support of these efforts, which ought to be highlighted. Looking at actual data can be refreshing, and helps put things into perspective.

Fortunately, we already have some of our own high fidelity survey data to examine. Part of the ad hoc committee’s final report (posted to the BPS website in November) focused on surveys conducted with multiple constituents within our school community. The samples included 842 high school/middle school (HS/MS) parents, 278 Hampden Meadows (HMS) parents, 326 Pre K - 3rd grade parents, 246 teachers from all levels, and 416 students from the high school. These surveys were anonymous and provide us with local data regarding the feelings/thoughts these important groups have about the upcoming later school start times.  

The survey indicates that more than half of parents at all grade levels and almost half of high school student respondents, indicated that they felt neutral to “not at all concerned” about the upcoming changes to start times.  Additionally, a common argument put forth by those opposed to the change is that older children will simply shift their bedtimes later to account for the additional time in the morning and that younger children will be forced to wake up earlier. The survey actually indicates that 55.3 percent of HS/MS parents, 58.4 percent of Pre-K to 3rd grade parents, and 69.8 percent of HMS parents feel that the shift would not result in any change to bedtimes for their children (or wake-up times for elementary school-aged students).  

Furthermore, when asked about how they felt the extra time in the morning would be used, 58.1 percent of HS/MS parents and 57.7 percent of HS students indicated that it would be used for sleeping later and 44.6 percent of HS/MS parents and 43 percent of HS students said that they anticipated greater alertness for learning at the start of the day due to later school start times.  

Finally, though much has been made of teachers being less available for extra help sessions, more than half of the teachers who responded to the survey indicated that they would shift extra help sessions to before school — making themselves available to students who need that intervention. 

For a closer look at the report, please check out: http://www3.barringtonschools.org/Documents/FinalVersionBarringtonSchoolStartTimeFinalReport.pdf 

It is clear from these data that many in our community — parents, students, and teachers, are prepared for the change and looking forward to positive health and wellness benefits that are anticipated to accompany the change. I trust that the school committee and district will continue with the hard professional work of making this vital change a reality.

Cynthia Rosengard, Ph.D., MPH

Barrington

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