Terra Ziporyn

EXTENSION NEWS: ZZZs and teens: A study of adolescent sleep I see firsthand the incredible pressures and packed schedules our teenagers manage daily, and there is a quiet crisis affecting almost every teen: chronic sleep deprivation.

🕰️ Teens aren’t lazy—they’re sleep-deprived. A youth-led NC study shows early school start times clash with adolescent biology, harming health & focus. Science backs later starts. So do students. #StartSchoolLater #TeenSleepMatters www.sanfordherald.com/archives/ext...

School Board mulls later start times after survey nets 48K responses After receiving over 48,000 responses to a survey on the topic, Deputy Superintendent Jesse Welsh said most were supportive of making school start later in the day.

Clark County school officials agree: If you want to base decisions on kids and research, moving 7am school bells later is the way to go
#startschoollater #sleepmatters #sleeppeeps www.reviewjournal.com/local/educat...

We legislate safe (or unsafe) work hours for kids but feel we can't do the same for school hours. Sad.
#startschoollater #sleepmatters
www.nbc4i.com/news/politic...

When One Door Closes: Florida's School Start Time Reform Isn't Over Yet Despite a watered-down school start time law, some Florida districts may still end up complying.

Buses at 4:52am???
Florida’s school start time law was weakened—but it still has teeth
Some districts are stepping up. Others may just file reports and opt out
What’s really happening—and what’s at stake for teen sleep
#StartSchoolLater #FLedu #sleeppeeps

open.substack.com/pub/terrazip...

Start School Later is reaching out to education in leaders in Massachusetts today, showing not only that schools must - and CAN - start at sleep-friendly times
#startschoollater #schoolhealth #MASS #MASC

Two Hundred Years to Flatten the Curve How generations of meddlesome public health campaigns changed everyday life — and made life twice as long as it used to be

"Opposition to public health measures is most intense when large numbers of individuals are asked to accept a personal risk to benefit the community, especially when the risk is imposed by “experts” whom those individuals don’t trust." #startschoollater www.thenewatlantis.com/publications...

Orange County Public Schools seeking public feedback on changing school start times Orange County Public Schools is seeking public feedback on possible school start time changes.

Despite the watering down of Florida's school start time law, some districts are looking to start school later anyway! When one door closes... #startschoollater #sleeppeeps #ItCanBeDone
www.wftv.com/news/local/o...

Scotland's school days could start later School days could start later because pupils 'struggle to get up in the mornings' under reforms planned by Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth.

Scotland's school days could start later to reflect teen sleep needs and help tackle the rise in challenging behavior and violence in secondary school #startschoollater #sleeppeeps www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Public health is easily the "biggest bang for the buck" we have in healthcare. Yet we've created a system where we have to prove its cost savings, notes Aaron Carroll at #APHA2015

The most important part of trust is listening. It's making people feel heard. Social media has none of that. - Aaron Carroll of #AcademyHealth at #APHA1925 on building public trust in science
#scicomm

YouTube video by Mayo Clinic Advocating for school start times: S7-Ep2

How can sleep professionals help advocate for later school start times for adolescents? In this podcast the Mayo Clinic features a sleep specialist who was successful in his efforts. #startschoollater #sleeppeeps youtu.be/AtFHEwgogrM?...

Excited that Start School Later will be attending APHA’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo (Nov 2-5 in Washington DC) for the first time & connecting w/others interested in adolescent health, sleep & #schoolhealth! #APHA2025 #PublicHealth #startschoollater #sleeppeeps #teensleep www.startschoollater.net

FCPS leaders vote to delay changes to middle school start times | FFXnow The Fairfax County School Board voted last week to delay consideration of new middle school start times in order to focus on ongoing school boundary adjustments and identify an option that won’t affec...

It's been over a decade since this school system "fixed" high school start times and promised to do the same for middle schools. Shameful.
#startschoollater #sleepmatters www.ffxnow.com/2025/10/29/f...

Lack of Sleep in Teens Linked to Higher Suicide Risk - Neuroscience News Teenagers who sleep less or experience frequent night awakenings are significantly more likely to attempt suicide later in adolescence, according to a major longitudinal study.

Teenagers who don't get enough sleep or get interrupted sleep on school nights are at greater risk pf suicide, new study of 8500+ adolescents finds
#startschoollater #sleeppeeps
neurosciencenews.com/sleep-teen-s...

Braver Angels + Start School Later: A Case Study in Delaying School Start Times How one Tennessee community used civil discourse and sleep science to overcome fear and division—and make mornings more humane

I’m proud to have been part of this change alongside Beth Malow, and to have this opportunity, thanks to Braver Angels’ Citizen-Led Solutions initiative, to help tell this story. #startschoollater #sleeppeeps open.substack.com/pub/terrazip...

Biology vs the bell: rethinking school start times As young people's tendency to sleep late is actually influenced by biological factors, Malaysia's early schooling hours might be detrimental to their well-being.

In Malaysia, young people often have to wake up at 6am or earlier to prepare for school, putting them at risk for sleep and mental health disorders. It is time to reimagine school schedules in ways that reflect both science and compassion.
#startschoollater www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/lei...

Denmark's Princess Josephine, 14, very surprising daily routine at prestigious boarding school revealed Princess Josephine's new school have a rather surprising daily routine - find out all the details about the royal's new lifestyle

Spir Efterskole has recently updated the day's start times to "accommodate teenagers' sleep patterns." The school website explains that students won't be woken up until 8:45 am, with lessons not starting until 10:20 am
#startschoollater
www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/8610...

Fairport CSD releases details of plan to shift school start times The district says the updated schedule will go into effect for all students starting in the 2026 school year.

This NY district found a way to follow the research on what's best for students by combining community feedback w/creative thinking, flexibility & will to change #startschoollater #ItCANbedone #sleeppeeps spectrumlocalnews.com/section/acro...

Report On How Stockholm Schools View Later Start Times For School Day Many young people in Sweden do not get enough sleep – a factor that can affect both health and academic performance. A study conducted by the National

Report On How Stockholm Schools View Later Start Times For School Day | The National Tribune www.nationaltribune.com.au/report-on-ho... #startschoollater

SAT start times: A simple systems change While adolescents are naturally inclined to sleep later than their young peers, the systems they engage in have decided that things should start earlier.

This is just one of MANY examples adult convenience trumping kids' interests (and common sense)
#startschoollater #collegeboard
youthtoday.org/2025/09/sat-...

Later Isn’t Everything. But Earlier is Harmful The evidence is clear: delaying the bell may not solve every problem, but ringing it too early creates them

My newest Substack post tackles the topic of cherry-picked evidence. The conversation often goes astray when critics citing isolated studies as proof that later start times “don’t work” ignore the overwhelming body of research showing otherwise.
#startschoollater open.substack.com/pub/terrazip...

Letters: Keep moving forward in EBR schools One year ago, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board ended a grueling superintendent search that left the board and community divided. In the end, they chose Superintendent LaMont Cole

Superintendent Cole's "pilot program adjusting start times — moving elementary schools to 8 a.m. and high schools to 8:50 a.m. — reflects his willingness to prioritize student well-being and academic success." #LeadersWhoLead #startschoollater www.nola.com/opinions/let...

The Surprising Reasons Why School in the U.S. Starts So Early The data is clear: Students need more sleep before hitting the books. So why can’t they get it?

The science is settled; the logistics are not. As this piece rightly notes, "the real test now is whether states and districts can solve the bus math and the calendar politics well enough to let teenagers sleep like, well, teenagers." #startschoollater www.mentalfloss.com/culture/educ...

Early Teen Sleep Issues Linked to Increased Risk of Future Self-Harm Adolescence represents a delicate period marked by profound biological, cognitive, and psychosocial transformations, making it a critical window for mental health interventions. Among the most

Key findings from this large-scale analysis revealed that shorter sleep duration on school days independently predicted self-harm both at the time of assessment and three years later.
#startschoollater
bioengineer.org/early-teen-s...

A Matter of Interest Creating Win-Wins for Decisionmakers and Student Sleep

It took me a long time to realize our goal as advocates was not to show we were right. Our goal was to create conditions where it was in the interests of decisionmakers to do what was right.
#startschoollater #sleep open.substack.com/pub/terrazip...

New Jersey school district considers later start for some students One New Jersey school district is considering later start times that would allow some students to start classes at 9 a.m.

The United Federation of Teachers, the largest local union in the USA, calls for the school day to start no earlier than 8 a.m. in New York City
#startschoollater www.nydailynews.com/2025/08/18/n...

A later start for high school? Elmbrook Schools considers starting the day earlier for elementary, later for middle and high schools The Elmbrook School District is considering changes to school times. Tell us what you think in our poll.

The changes aim to align with research on teen sleep patterns and reduce before-school childcare needs for some elementary families. #startschoollater www.jsonline.com/story/commun...

Why Is Your Sleep Schedule So Messed Up? Math Has The Answer! a + b + c = zzz

Why Do You Sleep Late As A Teen But Wake Early As You Get Older? Math Has The Answer! | IFLScience #startschoollater www.iflscience.com/why-is-your-...

For young adults, improving sleep is incentive to drink less In an innovative study, Yale researchers found a new way to help young adults understand the impacts of alcohol.

Another reason to get your Zzzs! news.yale.edu/2025/07/17/y... #startschoollater

Helping Changemakers Make Change Why We Need a National Nonprofit to Start School Later

My newest Substack post ponders the lack of support for organizations that fill a critical gap in social change but whose impact may not be obvious or easy to measure
#startschoollater
terraziporyn.substack.com/p/helping-ch...