Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.)
Despite what Jay Haugen, superintendent of West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan schools, calls a “preponderous amount of evidence and research” that more sleep and later school starting times boost the academic achievement, health and well-being of teens, few high schools have heeded the advice. Sleep researchers say most teens don’t get nearly the 9.5 hours of sleep they need each night. But while studies indicate that most students aren’t alert enough to learn well early in the morning, obstacles to change remain. Parents balk at the idea of younger kids taking the early shift to accommodate the busing schedules of school districts, and at a reduction in the time available for after-school activities. Funny how “none of the excuses has the word ‘education’ in it,” said the director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorder Center. May 6, www.twincities.com.
