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Research ArticleArticle

Rise and Shine: The Effect of School Start Times on Academic Performance from Childhood through Puberty

Jennifer Heissel and Samuel Norris
Published online before print April 19, 2017, 0815-7346R1; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.53.4.0815-7346R1
Jennifer Heissel
†School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University.
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Samuel Norris
‡Department of Economics, Northwestern University.
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Abstract

We analyze the effect of school start time on academic performance. Sleep patterns are determined in part by sunrise times, which vary across time zones. Because school start times do not fully reflect this difference, we instrument for the hours of sunlight before school with the time zone boundary in Florida. We find that moving start times one hour later relative to sunrise increases test scores by 0.08 and 0.06 standard deviations for adolescents in math and reading, respectively. In math, the effect is larger for older children and co-varies with entry into an important pubertal stage. School districts can improve performance while maintaining the current distribution of start times by moving classes earlier for younger children and later for older children. (JEL I21, I28)

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Journal of Human Resources: 58 (5)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 58, Issue 5
1 Sep 2023
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Rise and Shine: The Effect of School Start Times on Academic Performance from Childhood through Puberty
Jennifer Heissel, Samuel Norris
Journal of Human Resources Apr 2017, 0815-7346R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.53.4.0815-7346R1

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Rise and Shine: The Effect of School Start Times on Academic Performance from Childhood through Puberty
Jennifer Heissel, Samuel Norris
Journal of Human Resources Apr 2017, 0815-7346R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.53.4.0815-7346R1
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