The Latest Statistics on Teen Sleep Needs

“Starting school later in the day for middle and high school students would likely increase student achievement, especially for disadvantaged teens, according to a 2011 study by the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution,” writes The Wall Street Journal’s Sue Shellenbarger in a recent Q&A for in the paper. Shellenbarger highlights The Hamilton Project discussion paper, “Organizing Schools to Improve Student Achievement: Start Times, Grade Configurations, and Teacher Assignments” in which, Brian A. Jacob and Jonah E. Rockoff suggest that implementing managerial reforms and making sure the “trains run on time” can substantially increase student learning at modest cost. Jacob and Rockoff propose three organizational reforms to improve student performance at moderate cost: 1) Starting school later in the day for middle and high school students; 2) Shifting from separate to elementary and middle schools to K-8; 3) allow teachers to teach the same grade level for multiple years or having teachers specializing in the subject where they appear most effective. To read the full paper, click here.