NOVEMBER UPDATE The Advisory Committee acknowledges the medical - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

NOVEMBER UPDATE

• “The Advisory Committee acknowledges the medical

community consensus that a public health crisis in the form of an epidemic of chronic sleep loss and daytime sleepiness in U.S. adolescent exists.”

• “The Advisory Committee agrees that the benefits of

later school start times for secondary students are supported by robust research.”

• “The Advisory Committee realizes that biologically-

driven changes in adolescent sleep patterns are beyond the control of adolescents, their parents, or their teachers.”

• “The Advisory Committee acknowledges that there is

inconsistent awareness regarding the benefits of later school start times across the Commonwealth and entrenched routines can be a formidable obstacle.”

• American Academy of Pediatrics encourages districts give

“concomitant attention to other contributing and potentially remediable factors such as excessive demands on students’ time because of homework, extra-curricular activities, afterschool employment, social networking and electronic media use.”

• “While a number of other approaches to address adolescent

sleep needs exist, the CDC has declared that “[A]mong the possible public health interventions for increasing sufficient sleep among adolescents, delaying school start times has the potential for the greatest population impact by changing the environmental context for students in entire school districts.”

The 15 member group met for a full day on October 3rd.

• Explored schedule types (Block, Traditional, Hybrid)
• Explored Faculty Survey data: Most important considerations
• Maintain Block Schedule
• Maintain Instructional Minutes, especially for away game athletes
• Explored Lunch configurations
• Explored 8:00 am – 8:30 am start times
• Explored Music program implications
• Explored Vo-Tech & Other dual-enrollment programs

13 Schedule IDEAS emerged

• Faculty met in small groups to generate feedback about the “most viable/favorable schedules”
• Dr. Brown analyzed the feedback data
• Sent the most viable/favorable schedule ideas to Transportation Department
• Began studying variables further

Overarching Inquiry Question #1:To what extent can a later school start time impact the health, well- being and academic performance of Strath Haven High School students?

Sub-Questions:

• A. What are the current sleep habits of the rising 9th - 12th grade students in WSSD?
• B. How do the WSSD students' sleep habits compare with the local/national data and research on sleep

and school start times?

Overarching Inquiry Question #2: To what extent would a change in school start times affect the district families and community?

Sub-Question:

• A. What are the unique characteristics of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District?

First Meeting Agenda: Impact on Students: Reviewed a research-validated survey to gather additional data on WSSD student sleep habits. Impact on Teachers: Developed a survey of questions related to scheduling preferences for use by the Scheduling Think Tank Impact on Parents/Families: Developed a survey to gather data on parent perception of student sleep habits and later school start time.

** NOTE: Minutes available on the Sleep & School Start Times webpage.

Second Task Force Meeting Outcomes:

• The average number of hours of sleep = 7.5 during the

week.

• Majority believe they do not get enough sleep.
• Sadness/nervousness/worrying correlates w/less sleep
• Homework: average = 2.5 hours per night
• 49% of respondents said they wake up 2-3 times each night.
• Fitting in homework, after-school activities, dinner &

downtime with a shorter window; student stress; “curfews”

• n practice/rehearsal and scaling back on homework could

help.

** NOTE: Minutes available on the Sleep & School Start Times webpage.

MEMBERS: Zavier Alvarez-Burock Cael Milbourne Hannah Spielman Aleksandar Ivanovic Lisa Palmer (Superintendent) Gabe Savage (WES Principal) Andrea LaPira (SHHS Assist. Principal) Beth Benzing (Math teacher) Tim Styer (Science teacher) Kimberly Lin (SHMS/SRS) Daphne Bogert (SHHS) Nichole Muther (SHHS/SHMS) LEAD:Henry Pearlberg (Music Teacher/Dept. Chair)

Overarching Inquiry Question #1:

Second Task Force Meeting Outcomes:

• Based on the most recent survey, the group felt the survey

results were a good representation of the parent population.

• 65% of parents felt that their kids got too little sleep which

lines up with what they reported with regards to bedtime and wake up times.

• 60% of the parents think the school district should consider

starting later for SHHS Students.

• Concerns for parent work schedules, the timing of extra

curricular activities, and volume of homework were dominant responses in the open-ended section.

** NOTE: Minutes available on the Sleep & School Start Times webpage.

MEMBERS: Claire Wolgast Jazz Harper Sylvan Prey Harbaugh George King (SHMS Principal) Amanda Lawson (Social Studies teacher) Kelly Kane (Elementary Teacher) Martin Molloy (SHHS/NPE Parent) Jeffrey Boris (SHHS Parent) Miriam Wright (SHHS Parent) Paula Koziol (SHHS Parent) LEAD: Bridget Welsh (Reading Specialist)

Overarching Inquiry Question #2:

Second Task Force Meeting Outcomes:

• Reviewed the various aspects of scheduling that

will be considered by the Scheduling Think Tank

• Advisory Period
• 5th Block uses
• Music program
• Athletics/Away games
• Rotating Schedules
• Block vs. Traditional Schedule
• Teacher Contract Day

** NOTE: Minutes available on the Sleep & School Start Times webpage.

MEMBERS:

Yash Rastogi Ben Kedson Nathaniel Ransom Sarah Myers-Maloney Kris Brown (SHHS Principal) TJ Adams (Social Studies teacher) Lorie Sollenberger (Special Education teacher) Tanya Braithwaite (School Psychologist) Patrick McGuffin (SHMS/WES) Suzanne Wieland (SHMS) Brad Wolgast (SHHS)

Overarching Inquiry Question #2:

• November
• November 12: Panel Discussion from representatives from Radnor, UCF & Phoenixville
• November TBD: SHHS Staff visit Lower Merion and Harriton to understand their schedules.
• November TBD: Core Council Meeting to discuss all variables (transportation, teacher

contracts, athletics, music, teacher feedback, etc.)

• Transportation Analysis: Ongoing
• December
• December 16: Task Force Meeting – Scheduling Think Tank presentation to Task Force

members with most viable options for a high school start/end times

• Possible subsequent surveys from Impact groups.
• Ongoing Cost Analysis: Business Office & Core Council Members

• January
• January 6: Final Task Force Meeting
• Evaluation of family impact: after school care, after school jobs, bus ridership
• Evaluation of student impact: extra-curricular activities, after school help, after school jobs, homework,

etc.

• Evaluation of teacher impact: possible curricular changes, staffing, personal work/life impact, coach

availability, etc.

• Evaluation of external stakeholders: after school jobs, Vo-tech programs, Life Skills programs, dual-

enrollment, community partners, etc.

• January 13: School Board Presentation (Updates)
• January 27: Core Council Meeting Finalize Board Report Out
• February 10: School Board Final Presentation by Sleep & School Start Times Task

Force

REMINDERS

 No decision has been made in regards to later start times at Strath Haven High School.  There are many variations of later school start times, and we intend to do our due diligence to consider a variety of possibilities.  We are gathering information and input from stakeholders through the end of January to inform our report to the school board in early February.