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The non-academic factors that affect student learning and behavior can be maddening for teachers. Many of them are largely out of our control. Things like whether or not children are read to or are provided proper nutrition at home profoundly impact what goes on at school. Fortunately, through programs like these, many schools are working to get books into the hands of young children, and school lunch and breakfast programs attempt to provide students with free or affordable balanced meal options. But what are schools doing to promote adequate sleep for children and teens?
This is a question worth asking. Kids who do not get enough sleep are more likely to suffer from the following issues:
- Poor academic performance
- Behavioral issues
- Health problems
- Anxiety
- Obesity
- Nightmares and sleepwalking
- A tendency to engage in high-risk behaviors
- Impaired cognitive function
It might seem like ensuring adequate sleep is a responsibility that falls solely on the shoulders of parents and caregivers. But when we consider that sleep deprivation is nothing less than a public health crisis, and nearly half of all U.S. kids aren’t getting enough sleep, it becomes clear that we can’t afford not to examine education’s role in promoting (and sometimes hindering) healthy sleep habits.
What can schools do to help kids sleep?
Let’s take a look at what schools can do to help kids get the sleep they desperately need.
1. Bring naps back to pre-k and kindergarten.
For years, nap time was considered a routine part of the school day for America’s youngest students. However, nap time has been eliminated in most schools to allow more time for academics. Yet research shows that naps can still benefit children in kindergarten by helping them get the necessary 10-13 hours of sleep recommended by the American Pediatric Association. In other words, if we want young children to learn, we can’t just give them more work. We have to create an environment that is conducive to learning. And for many young children, that includes a nap.
2. Minimize homework.
The homework controversy in America dates back over a century, and the research concerning its validity is mixed at best. Today, many teachers fall back on the “10 Minute Rule” that states a child should have 10 minutes of homework per grade level. This means a 6th grader, for example, would have up to sixty minutes of homework.
But the 10 Minute Rule only works if teachers are working together to ensure their combined homework assignments don’t go over the recommended number of minutes. If three teachers assign even half the recommended amount of homework, an 11-year-old child could end up with as much as an hour and a half of homework a night.
Add this to a family’s already busy schedule, and homework is likely to keep kids up past a healthy bedtime. The question for educators isn’t only whether or not homework is an effective learning tool (which is debatable). We also have to ask ourselves if homework is keeping kids from getting the sleep they need to be their best during the school day.
3. Re-think what it means to be a high-achieving student.
For high schoolers hoping to get a scholarship or admittance into an elite university, AP courses are a must. Considering these classes can boost a student’s GPA, offer college credit, and look impressive on a resume, some families (and schools) reason that when it comes to AP courses, the more the better. However, according to this guide, students should not sacrifice sleep for AP credits. And since AP courses require as much as 30% more work than regular classes, it’s unlikely that a teen who participates in extracurricular activities or who has an active social life can swing more than one or two AP courses a year. To ensure our students’ long-term success, we should encourage them to focus more on their well-being than their college resume.
4. Reduce evening activities.
Obviously, it isn’t just school-sponsored activities that keep kids out late, but if our education system took the lead in promoting students’ physical and emotional well-being over sports and extracurriculars, city and club organizations would likely follow suit. Admittedly, limiting school-night activities so that kids and teens aren’t out late would require radical change. It would mean rethinking what American childhood and adolescents look like. But combining an emphasis on overall well-being with a less intense approach to sports and activities could set the tone for a healthier, happier future for America’s kids.
5. Change school start times.
In 2016, freelance journalist Lisa Lewis wrote an op-ed for the LA Times arguing for later school start times for teenagers and middles schoolers. Lewis points out that schools with later start times (after 8:30) report improved attendance, better grades, and better standardized test scores. Her research lines up with the recommendation from the American Pediatric Association that …urges high schools and middle schools to aim for start times that allow students the opportunity to achieve optimal levels of sleep (8.5–9.5 hours) and to improve physical (eg, reduced obesity risk) and mental (eg, lower rates of depression) health, safety (eg, drowsy driving crashes), academic performance, and quality of life.
Fortunately, for students in California, Lewis’s piece got the attention of state lawmakers. In 2022 a new law will go into effect in that state ensuring that classes will start at 8:30 or later for high schoolers and 8:00 of middle school students.
6. Educate parents about sleep.
Obviously, getting kids the sleep they need can’t just be up to schools. It doesn’t matter how much we modify homework policies or schedules. If parents don’t set limits at home to ensure kids go to bed on time, our efforts will be wasted. So, it’s important that schools not only set an example, but also continually provide parents with information about the impact of sleep loss on children and how to promote healthy sleep habits.
It can be discouraging for teachers to think of adding yet one more thing to our ever-growing list of responsibilities. On top of everything else, now sleep?!? But the onus isn’t really on teachers. The school-related changes required to help kids build better sleep habits should come primarily from an administrative or legislative level. As teachers, we just need to advocate for these changes. For our part, we must also strive to get the sleep we need—to be our best for ourselves and for our students!
