Douglas County School District Explores Stakeholder Perceptions of School Start Times

The Solution: Stakeholder Survey and Response Analysis

Hanover designed, administered, and analyzed a survey that assessed key stakeholders’ perceptions of potential changes to school start times and measured the effects of potential alternative start times. Matt Reynolds, Chief Assessment and Data Officer for the district explains, “DCSD wanted to assess how our current school start times are impacting our students’ sleep, readiness, mood, and emotional health. The insights from Hanover’s school start time study really impressed the Board. We have started to develop a strategic plan and the information provided from a global perspective is really helpful in the development of our strategic plan.”

Research Questions

• What are stakeholders’ opinions on the current and proposed school start times?
• What are parents’ perceptions of the potential impact on their/their child’s school experience if school start times shift?
• How would various proposed changes affect transportation, extracurricular activities, academics, work hours, and family obligations?

Methodology

Hanover designed, administered, and analyzed a survey distributed to students, parents, and staff members to collect information on their perceptions of potential school start time changes. The survey assessed areas such as stakeholder knowledge of how much sleep students should be getting each night per sleep expert recommendations; the impact of current start times on students’ after-school activities, academic performance, and health; and how parents and guardians feel later school start times would affect transportation and child care.

Hanover’s survey found that the majority of respondents (55%) support changing school start times, with 75% of students believing later start times would positively impact their physical and emotional well-being. While students are more likely to support changing school start times, parents and staff are more likely to think the current school start times work more advantageously for students. However, all stakeholders feel the current schedule is more convenient for students to participate in after-school activities and for parents and staff to coordinate after-work duties and transportation.

Because student and parent/staff opinions differed on which start time is most beneficial, Hanover recommends that DCSD continue to explore which school start times would best support both students’ well-being and their after-school duties and activities.