Wake up Call!
Decreased sleep equals decreased learning
Sleeping students are good?
Kids get about an hour less sleep each night than they did 30 years ago. Researchers have now figured out how much sleep deprivation slows the learning process. An Israeli study found that fourth graders deprived of an hour’s sleep performed two grade levels worse than their counterparts. A Virginia study found that less sleep lowered elementary students’ scores on a vocabulary test by seven points. Other studies have shown that small decreases in sleep can affect grades for high school students. That’s why several districts have attempted to give children more sleep time.
In Edina, Minnesota, the start of high school was pushed back almost an hour, to 8:30, and top SAT scores went from under 1300 to 1500
in one year. In Lexington, Kentucky, the delayed start of high school has been connected to a decrease in teenage car-related deaths. While the sleep issue has long been a subject of debate, this new research gives the argument for more student Zs new weight.
