adjusting school start imes · 2017-11-16 · school start times is an effective countermeasure to...

ADJUSTING SCHOOL START TIMES

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Boston School Committee

November 15th, 2017


2

Agenda

Why Change Start and End Times?

What We’ve Heard

Tradeoffs & Priorities

Proposed Policy

Appendix


3


We are changing bell times for five reasons

Sleep research has found that high school students benefitfrom a later school start time

1

The final rollout of Schedule A ELT has pushed back some school dismissal times to 4:10pm

2

Our bell time system today is inefficient, resulting in high costs

3

The complexity of our system has made us unable to comply with existing School Committee policy

4

Our transportation system is interconnected, making it difficult to make incremental changes without system-wide change

5


4


As a selection of Boston Globe articles show, this is not a new problem

“Many of Boston’s

approximately three dozen high

schools have among the earliest

start times in the state”

– March 10th, 2016

“Let Boston high

schoolers start

school later”

– February 23,

2017

“Sleepy teens

may need later

start time”

– January 5th,

2003

“No later start times are in the works for September, but

English and Brighton high school officials are considering

pilot programs that could stagger start times for some teens

and have them make up the lost morning time elsewhere…

Start times promise to be a prominent topic at staff and

student meetings, officials say” – September 27, 1998

Source: Boston Globe historical archives


5


Solving this problem has been the work of an internal

taskforce over the last year

“Boston school officials have decided against changing the start times…

for next fall, saying they need more time to conduct an analysis and

consult with the community” – Boston Globe, December 2, 2016

Consult with the community Conduct an analysis

Through our survey last spring we

heard from parents of ~7,500

students and ~2,100 school staff,

and we heard from people in person

at 17 stakeholder meetings

Through the Transportation

Challenge we developed – for the

first time – a tool that can

demonstrate what start time

combinations are possible

A coherent, efficient, and pedagogically sound bell time policy


6

Agenda


What We’ve Heard


Proposed Policy

Appendix


7

What We’ve Heard

Over the fall, we’ve held a number of additional

engagement activities

Robust Meeting Schedule

Event Date

Sociedad Latina (Mission Hill) 10/17

Principal Cabinet (Citywide / Roxbury) 10/23

St. Stephens Parent Group (Downtown) 10/24

BCYF / Curtis Hall (Jamaica Plain) 10/26

BPS Open House (Citywide / Roxbury) 10/28

BSAC (Citywide / Roxbury) 10/30

BTU Membership Meeting (Citywide /

Dorchester)10/30

St. Peter’s Teen Center (Dorchester) 11/1

Salesian Boys and Girls Club (East

Boston)11/2

BCYF / Mildred Ave (Mattapan) 11/2

Hyde Park Community Center (Hyde

Park)11/2

DELAC Election (Roxbury) 11/3

Harvard-Kent (Charlestown) 11/6

Citywide Conversation at Lilla

Frederick (Dorchester)11/8

Yawkey B&G Club (Roxbury) 11/9

SPED PAC (Roxbury) 11/13

School Committee (Roxbury) 11/15

Detailed Website and Robocalls

Working Group

Bostonpublicschools.org/

starttimes

• Ammal Jama, Junior at Boston Latin School

• Ashley Figueroa, Junior at Boston Latin Academy

• Avery Esdaile, Director of Athletics

• Dena Guthrie, Parent and Library

Paraprofessional

• Ed Lee, Operational Superintendent

• Freda Johnson, Headmaster at the English High

School

• Gloria West, Grove Hall and BPS Parent

• Hammad Ahmed, Director of Operations at

Neighborhood House Charter School

• Jessica Tang, President of the Boston Teachers

Union

• Jennie Chang, Junior at Bostin Latin Academy

• John Hanlon, Chief of Operations

• Kim Crowley, Principal of the Lee School

• Mary Ann Crayton, Senior Director of Community

Engagement

• Michael Loconto, School Committee

• Mona Ford, Principal of the Winship School

• Monica Roberts, Assistant Superintendent, Office

of Engagement

• Nnenna Ude, Chief Operating Officer, Match

Charter School

• Rahn Dorsey, Chief of Education

• Regina Robinson, School Committee

• Rob Consalvo, Chief of Staff

• Steven Chen, Office of Equity

• Traci Walker Griffith, Principal of Eliot K-8


8

What We’ve Heard

We have engaged ~20K parents, teachers, students and

community members

Who We Heard From and How

Note: Engagement data as of 11/15/2017, subject to change. Parent survey represents responses for ~7,500 students

Met with 100+

Students

Heard from 6,365

parents and 2,102

school staff on our

survey last fall

Met with 300+

community members

at 17 events

Heard from 1,660 community

members through our online

feedback form

Over 10K+

website views And many other

groups…


9

What We’ve Heard

In our community conversations, several themes

emerged

Post 4pm dismissals are a challenge for many elementary school families, students, and teachers

• “A 9:30 start is very late given children's sleep cycles and inconvenient for working parents. Plus, with

the late dismissal, she can’t participate in swimming lessons, playdates, etc.” – Parent

BPS should follow the abundance of research on the value of high school students starting later and

push high school start times past 8am

• “All of the research says early start times are bad for learning and growing for high school students. We

need start times that align with their developmental needs” – Teacher

There is a need for increased before- and/or after- school support at late and early start schools

• “I think every school should have surround care – the day needs to be extended for working parents and

to give students more time to learn ” – Parent

If changing times generates cost savings, then many wish to see those funds reinvested in schools

• “Please stop spending on buses and reinvest the money into our classrooms” – Student

We need a process that doesn’t advantage some schools over others

• “Please don’t give preference to certain schools - that is unfair, not transparent, and too common”

– Principal

Where possible, we should prioritize students with specific needs

• “Ensuring high needs students get home on time should be the first thing that you do” – Parent


10

What We’ve Heard

Our survey revealed that 8-8:30 was the most popular

start time range, but there is no consensus…

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

7:0

0 A

M

7:1

5 A

M

7:3

0 A

M

7:4

5 A

M

8:0

0 A

M

8:1

5 A

M

8:3

0 A

M

8:4

5 A

M

9:0

0 A

M

9:1

5 A

M

9:3

0 A

M

Family and School Staff Preferences

Parents of K-6StudentsParents of 7-12StudentsTeachers

Other School Staff

Note: Question read “How do you feel about the following start times {for you or your student}? 1 is “strongly dislike”

and 7 is “strongly like”

Source: 2017 BPS Transportation Survey


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What We’ve Heard

… and variation within schools shows that it is impossible

to make everyone happy

Less

Po

pu

lar

M

ore

Po

pu

lar

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

7:0

0 A

M

7:1

5 A

M

7:3

0 A

M

7:4

5 A

M

8:0

0 A

M

8:1

5 A

M

8:3

0 A

M

8:4

5 A

M

9:0

0 A

M

9:1

5 A

M

9:3

0 A

M

Parent Preference Data at a Large Elementary School, (n=76 at this Particular School)

At least one parent likes every bell time…

… and at least one

parent dislikes

every bell time

“What that data tells me here is that there is no consensus even within schools – so no matter what bell time we

pick, we’re going to be an equal opportunity offender. So let’s take the parental preference piece largely off the

table and just try to make the system account for the biological needs of students and more efficient” – Parent



12

What We’ve Heard

While many individuals dislike a late start and end, a

considerable minority prefer these times

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

Parents Teachers

% of Parents and Teachers Listing 9:30 as Their Favorite Time

AllRespondents

Currently at9:30am School

Voices For Post-9am Starts

• “The after school options at my school are not

good. I would prefer that the day end late

so I can work until 5” – Parent

• “I do not like the idea of forcing my son to

wake very early in the morning. I think 9am

is an appropriate start time for all schools”

– Parent

• “We are a late school and it helps me greatly

starting later than my own children –

please don’t change us!” – Teacher

• “I like the 9:30am start time, the kids don't

have to wake up super early (they are not

morning kids) giving them time to eat

breakfast, wake up, and prepare for a full

day. The late dismissal time works well for

when most people I feel get out of work”

– Parent



13

What We’ve Heard

Research has continually found that later school start

times are beneficial to secondary student’s success

“A substantial body of research has now demonstrated that delaying

school start times is an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep

loss and has a wide range of potential benefits to students with

regard to physical and mental health, safety, and academic

achievement” – The American Academy of Pediatrics

“[The AMA calls on] school districts across the United

States to implement middle and high school start times no

earlier than 8:30 a.m.” – American Medical Association

“Natural sleep rhythms change as children grow into adolescence,

such that adolescents require an increased amount of sleep, have

difficulty falling asleep before 11:00 PM, and function optimally if

permitted to remain asleep until 8:00 AM or later” – National PTA


14

What We’ve Heard

The Budget Equity Working Group has been working on a

set of equity-driven principles and investment priorities

Members of the Budget Equity Working Group Include

• Adrianne Level, Vice-President of Black Educators Alliance of Massachusetts (BEAM)

• Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, Executive Director of Sociedad Latina

• Ayele Shakur, Regional Executive Director of BUILD Greater Boston and Chair of the NAACP

Education Committee

• Carline Pignato, Principal of the Channing Elementary School

• Colin Rose, Assistant Superintendent for Opportunity and Achievement Gaps (BPS)

• Eleanor Laurans, Chief Financial Officer (BPS)

• Erika Giampietro, Managing Director of Long Term Planning (BPS)

• Jennifer Aponte, K1 Teacher at the Mildred Avenue K-8 School

• Maria Dominguez Gray, BPS Parent and Executive Director of the Phillips Brooks House Association

• Samuel Acevedo, Executive Director of the Boston Higher Education Resource Center

• Sam Tyler, President of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau

• Sherman Zemler Wu, BPS Parent and School Site Council member at the Mather Elementary School

• Will Thomas, Headmaster of Charlestown High School


15

Agenda


What We’ve Heard


Proposed Policy

Appendix


16


We have built the tools and collected the data to adjust

our priorities like a sound mixer…

… we’ve been working on finding the combination that produces the

best sound


17

Reinvesting in schoolsMaking high schools

start times laterMinimizing overall

change in the system

Giving parents their preferred times

Making elementary schools start times

earlier

Giving teachers and school staff their preferred times

Ensuring all schools end before 4pm

Giving higher need schools, or students,

preference

Generating less traffic and fewer carbon

emissions


We have explored a number of possible priorities

“The main priority should be doing what is best for children” – Teacher, Mozart Elementary


18

Reinvesting in schoolsMaking high schools

start times later

Minimizing overall change in the

system

Giving parents their preferred times

Making elementary schools start times

earlier

Giving teachers and school staff their preferred times

Ensuring all schools end before 4pm

Generating less traffic and fewer carbon emissions


Five emerged as major priorities

“The main priority should be doing what is best for children” – Teacher, Mozart Elementary

Giving higher need schools, or students,

preference


19


Realigning bell times presents a significant opportunity to

reinvest in classrooms

Ridership Policy (e.g. special education

transportation, home-based assignment,

charter transportation)

Bell Times

Possible Efficiencies

BPS

Charter

Other

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Transportation Budget bySpending Category

Possible Bell Time SavingsAcross Categories

Transportation Budget by Category

“Boston still spends too

much on avoidable,

nonclassroom

expenses like

unnecessary busing…

which could be solved

by harmonizing school

start times”

– Boston Globe

Endorsement of Mayor

Walsh, October 23, 2017

Note: Internal estimates for illustrative purposes only


20


While we can increase the number of students at more

desirable bell times, there are limitations

Given our current policies for rider eligibility and our

desire to maintain or reduce transportation costs…

1) It is possible to ensure that all BPS high school

students start after 8am

2) It is not possible to ensure that all BPS elementary

school students start before 9am

3) It is not possible to ensure that all students end

before 4pm


21

Agenda


What We’ve Heard


Proposed Policy

Appendix


22

We are asking the Boston School Committee to vote in favor of a system-wide

change that achieves the following goals:

• In line with research about start times that maximize learning, increase the

number of secondary school students starting after 8am;

• Where possible, increase the number of elementary school students

dismissing before 4pm;

• Where possible, assign schools with higher concentrations of medically

fragile students or students with autism or emotional impairment to bell

times reflective of the needs of their student body;

• Where possible, do all of the above while maximizing reinvestment in schools.

We would review this policy every five years, potentially including realigning bell

times at those points.

This policy would replace all prior Boston School Committee policy on school

bell times.


We propose the following policy:


23

Agenda


What We’ve Heard


Proposed Policy

Appendix


Which school should we bring students to first –

Red or Blue?

Appendix

Bell time changes can make transportation more efficient

Each house represents a stop




24


Appendix


If we pick up the blue students first, we increase

the amount of deadhead in the system

Total Drive Time: 90 minutesTotal Mileage: 15 miles

This stretch with an empty bus is considered “deadhead”

25


Appendix


Total Drive Time: 45 minutes

Total Mileage: 8 miles

Whereas if we pick up the red students first, we

have significantly less deadhead time

This ordering minimizes the distance between the

school and the first stop26


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Appendix: What We’ve Heard

Some felt that bell times should not change, but many

other voices demanded change

Some felt that we should minimize changes

• “Families need consistency! Please stop changing year after year. Now I am wondering if I need to make work

adjustments yet again” – Parent

• “I'm concerned about high schools drastically changing start times in a way that would affect students ability to participate

in after school jobs, internships, child care for siblings, sports, and other activities”

– Parent

• “Too many changes in a few years. As a family, we are adjusting to the 4:10 dismissal. As a BPS teacher, my hours

changed as well. So if they change again, for all of us it’s 3 years with 3 different sets of hours. Too much” – Parent and

Teacher

In general, more wished for a system-wide start time revision

• “Doing things the way they've always been done just because change is hard will hurt kids who are relying on the city to

give them the best education we can. We can support parents and others through the transition with proper transportation

and before- and after-school options”

– Community Member

• “BPS should have made the teens go later and the little kids go earlier. I think you are listening to your teachers more than

parents and students. The science and fact is there for teens to start school at a later time. The after school sports

argument is also not valid” – Parent

• “I hope that BPS doesn’t give special preferences to some schools over others and considers all schools equally across

the district” – Parent


28


We heard primarily from parents who wanted high

schools to start later…

Many respondents highlighted the research body highlighting the impact a lack of

sleep has on teenagers academically and otherwise

• “Teens need to get enough sleep in order to learn well. The current system makes this nearly impossible -- tons of

research published to support later start times for high schools. This should not be a decision based on convenience of

teachers OR convenience of parents OR even the results of a survey. It should be about the well being of the young

people” – Parents

• “The most important the fact that extensive studies have shown that teen-agers are not getting enough sleep in America,

and that their education consequently suffers greatly” – Teacher

• “7:20 am is torture for teens and diminishes their academic achievement. Look at the data. Use science” – Parent

• “Teens and pre-teens need more sleep than they tend to get. Their circadian rhythms tend to keep them up later, and their

alert states start later than either younger children or adults. With the current start times, students must wake up very early

in order to make it school on time. This not only affects their ability to learn and retain information in their earliest classes,

but has longer term health effects as well” – Parent

• “This discussion should ONLY be about medical research not about parents or student preferences and not about teacher

and staff satisfaction. Introducing other reasoning just a distraction” – Parent

• “Imagine getting 3.3 hours less sleep than you need every night. Not once in a while. EVERY. SCHOOL. NIGHT. You

would be far from your best too” – Parent

• “I’m concerned about middle and high school students that get out of school at 1:30 and are then unsupervised for the rest

of the afternoon” – Parent


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… but there were some who felt that later start times

would be worse for students

Some argued that a later start time wouldn’t help students sleep more or that early

starts teach responsibility

• “Starting one hour later will push back the dismissal time/sports/extra curricular activities. Therefore homework starts later

and kids go to bed later. So starting later WON'T give students an extra hour of sleep” – Student

• “High school students need responsibility to get to school early. It prepares them for early classes in college and jobs”

– Parent

• “I like the early time -- it allows me to drop the kids and go to work. If they started later they would just be going to bed at

12 versus 11” – Parent

• “The early start times also introduce her to the rigors of the real world” – Parent

Others pointed to lost flexibility in terms of extracurricular options

• “If school ends later, it will be difficult to fit any outside athletic activities, music lessons, tutoring or other activities into the

schedule in addition to the minimum of 3 hours of homework (plus review of material and studying for tests, quizzes etc.). I

talked to my daughter about this and she was very clear that she rather get up earlier and start school by 8am and go

home/start activities by 2.30pm, than have a delayed start and come home late” – Parent

• “Kids are exhausted when come home from school and top of that they have homework and other things to do”

– Parent

• “Late dismissal means that my children are unable to attend any after-school programs and sports. Which is very

inconvenient for them to be socially active outside of school”– Parent


30


There were a number of voices in support of

reinvestment…

This was especially true of school leaders – nearly all of whom asked for

reinvestment back into schools as a top priority

• “School start times need to be adjusted to align with the cheapest transportation model possible in order to maximize

funding at the school level to support students. With this, we could make all schools high quality schools” – School

Leader

• “Most important: reinvest in classrooms. Least important: high school before 8:00am” – School Leader

• “One: Research shows that elementary students should begin school earlier and high schools should begin school later.

Two: Reinvesting in Classrooms : Structuring the times I would hope would allow money to be redirected to classrooms”

– School Leader

Many are excited at the idea of investing in schools instead of buses

• “My top priority is putting money back in the classrooms – that will have the biggest and realest impact” – Student

• “I believe BPS wastes millions in transportation. I would love to see improvements there and believe this would benefit

parents and students more than anything” – Parent

• “We spend an obscene amount of money on buses, coming from around the city.... if we could save money on this, I

think it would also allow us to reinvest into the city” – Teacher

• “As long as the bells times for all of our three kids at different schools aren't at the same time, we can make the schedule

work. I think just reducing the exorbitant cost of transportation costs at BPS is a worthy cause itself” – Parent

• “I care about finding ways to decrease the 10% budget pit that is Boston's transportation expenses” – Parent


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… Especially if that investment was in before- or after-

school programming and/or higher need schools

Many parents called specifically for reinvestment in before- and / or after- school

programming

• “That said, I think what is often overlooked is how start and end times impact the individual family, including families'

economics. Before care and after care add to each family's expenses and that isn't often discussed when talking about

school budgets. When a child is in school starting at 7:15 and their parent works a 9-5 job, they can be in care for 11+

hours. The school day needs to work for working families--which most of us are” -- Parent

• “With the early start, we have to pay for after school care” – Parent

• “Providing surround care (before and after school) to accommodate working parents is one of the best ways to keep

families in Boston (and in BPS), and it can negate the differences between start and end times because care would be

available at every school from 8 am - 6 pm” – Parent

• “We need to increase the availability of extended day programs (before and after school) to bridge the gap so that

families where both parents (or the sole parent) work 9-5 or longer can make it work” – Parent

• “If BPS is going to insist on lengthening the day and forcing children to ride home in the dark, they should also invest

money in worthwhile enrichment programs for the extra time. It is important to me that my 6 year old enjoys school and

still has time and energy for other activities when school is out” – Parent

• “The Quincy has an extremely robust before-school orchestra program, meeting from 8:00-9:30 every day. I would not

want that program cut into--that is, I would not want the school start time made earlier” – Parent


32


We heard from parents and especially teachers against

starting school after 9am (part 1 of 2)

A longer school day from ELT makes a late start and a late end more difficult

• “I'd rather have a high quality after school program that I can opt in and out of on different days of the week than a

looooong school day every day” – Parent

• “What matters to me is the length of the day. These extra 40 minutes have drastically decreased student and teacher

morale, and made school feel unbearable at times, which it hadn't in the past. It also results in students going from 8am to

1:40pm with no food, which is completely unreasonable!” – Teacher

• “Personally this extended time has taken a toll on my personal life, my time with my family. I am unhappy, stressed, in

traffic much longer and not leading a life that is filled with quality” – Teacher

Longer school days are taking away learning time from children both inside and

outside of the classroom

• “I can't emphasize enough how challenging it is to education 3-8 year olds with high needs at 4:00 in the afternoon.

Nothing about that model is good for kids” – Principal

• “Start times should be practical for working parents. A 9:30 start time is impractical if a parent has to be at work at 9am and

the child is too young to get to school alone” – Parent

• “As a late start school we are constantly interrupted by families who are picking up their children earlier in the day to make

it to extracurricular activities” – Principal

• “We are missing out on valuable learning time by starting school at 9:30. Our students are not able to stay focused until

4:10. Also-so many students are missing out on extracurricular activities including time spent with family and at home

because of getting out of school so late. Earlier start times would allow for many of these problems to be alleviated” –

Teacher

• “The late dismissal leaves no after school ‘play time’ for her and rather its all business when she gets home for homework,

dinner and bed. There is no time for her to just be a kid outside of school” – Parent


33


We heard from parents and especially teachers against

starting school after 9am (part 2 of 2)

A late dismissal inconveniences many teachers and may result in them transferring

schools or leaving the district

• “9:30-4:30 prevents teachers from being able to pick up their own children from other schools in other districts” – Teacher

• “Most teachers have families that they need to go home to. If we were to start later and get out later, that would be

additional funds teachers would have to spend on child care. Additional, teachers who are currently taking night classes at

universities, would no longer be able to attend the night classes” – Teacher

• “For me, traffic is the most important issue around school start times. The later the school day, the worse the traffic driving

home (my commute home has doubled this year with the 3:20 end time)” – Teacher

• “Because appointments are typically only available until 4 or 4:30, teachers have been taking sick/personal time during the

school day” – Teacher

• “We've had one staff member relocate to a different building because of the late start and others have expressed that they

may also do this” – Teacher

• “Early start times allow us to work more productively. It also allows for early starts for professional development” – Teacher

• “From the result of an unofficial poll among staff in our building, around half the staff is seriously considering leaving the

building and/or school system, strictly due to scheduling issues” – Teacher


34


Survey data shows that start and end times are important

to parents – but a comparatively low priority

Bell times are certainly important– but are not at the top (or close to the top) of what parents say they care about

89%82% 81%

74% 74% 73%68% 65% 65% 65% 61%

56% 55% 55% 53% 52% 52% 52% 49% 46%40% 37%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

How important are each of the following attributes when picking a school?

Veryimportant

Source: Preliminary survey data from Boston Schools Fund / Mass Inc Poll of 431 Boston Parents

adjusting school start imes · 2017-11-16 · school start times is an effective countermeasure to...

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