POP QUIZ: Juice Interviews MoCo Teachers' New Political Head // MCEA's Barbara Hueter Raps About Post, Bell Times & More

MCEA Political Director Barbara Hueter (fourth from left)

In Montgomery County, MCEA (the union representing public school teachers) has long commanded one of the more influential endorsements in Democratic politics. But last August we reported that the long-time head of MCEA's political process Jon Gerson had stepped down to make room for a successor: Barbara Hueter.

Maryland Juice blogger David Moon decided to take the opportunity to give Ms. Hueter a pop quiz about what the change in personalities means for MCEA and to weigh in on a handful of the hot-button issues that have been debated in local education policy in recent years. In our exclusive interview below, you can read Barbara Hueter's response to a range of education and political issues, including her thoughts on the long-standing endorsement rivalry between The Washington Post & MCEA, life after Jon Gerson, the movement to start school later, and much more!  NOTE: I sent Hueter these questions on 8/31/2013, and she sent back responses on 10/11/2013.  :)

MARYLAND JUICE INTERVIEWS MCEA

MARYLAND JUICE: Your predecessor in running MCEA's political operation, Jon Gerson, spent many years managing one of Montgomery County's most high profile endorsement processes. What do you think the key differences (if any) will be between how he operated and how you might organize things? Will there be any notable changes that teachers, candidates and politicos might notice in the coming months?

BARBARA HUETER ON LIFE AFTER JON GERSON: It is a challenge to build on the record of success that we have accomplished with our political program. One of my priorities moving forward is to increase the engagement of MCEA members in the political process. We are known for putting hundreds of teachers at the polls handing out Apple Ballots. We will be working to increase that, to increase the number of our members participating in our PAC fund, and to increase the number of our members meeting regularly with elected officials. I’m focused on increasing teacher engagement in the political process.

MARYLAND JUICE: What do you think are the greatest political challenges facing MCEA in the coming electoral cycle?

BARBARA HUETER ON MCEA'S POLITICAL CHALLENGES: Our goal is to help elect the most pro-education candidates to office. During elections, virtually every candidate says they support public education: the challenge is who really has the core values so that when difficult choices need to be made, they will put the interests of our schools and our students first. We want elected officials who recognize that a strong school system is essential to the future prosperity of the entire county and the state.

MARYLAND JUICE: In the last few years, there seems to have been a bit of competition between the Washington Post and MCEA for prominence in endorsement power in Montgomery County politics. Do you have any reflections on this dynamic going forward? Does it even matter?

BARBARA HUETER ON THE WASHINGTON POST: I think that when it comes to what’s best for our schools, voters are a lot more interested in the opinions of their teachers than they are in the opinions of a handful of people sitting in an office building in downtown DC. 

MARYLAND JUICE: What are the top 3 issues that motivate you in politics (at the state/county level or nationally)?

BARBARA HUETER'S POLITICAL PRIORITIES: I am concerned with what is best for our schools and our students. Locally and nationally, our challenge is how to close the achievement gap and ensure that every child has access to a high quality education. Part of that is attracting and retaining the best and brightest teachers - which means valuing and not demeaning the profession. Part of it is investing in lower class sizes and other supports in our highest need schools. And part of it is providing the social services (health care, nutrition, etc.) that low-income families need so their students can be successful. Schools alone cannot erase the terrible disadvantages caused by poverty.

MARYLAND JUICE: Though MCEA obviously deals with school budget and labor issues, I've noticed a number of persistent grassroots education topics that continue to get attention from activists in the school arena. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on some of these:

MARYLAND JUICE: The achievement gap and standardized test disparities impacting students of color, lower income families, and immigrant/ESL students have been popping in and out of the news lately. Lots of politicians have been weighing in on this, but what do you think are some of the quickest and most direct ways of addressing this, given that parents with children in the schools now don't want to wait years to implement policy solutions? Can this problem really be dealt with without reducing class size?

BARBARA HUETER ON THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP: Lower class sizes in high needs schools are part of the solution. MCPS has proven it. We significantly lowered class sizes in early childhood grades in our high needs schools, and now more than 90% of our kindergarteners are consistently meeting or exceeding reading targets – closing the achievement gap. Universal pre-k would be a huge step. The Linkages to Learning program that provides wrap-around health care services is incredibly valuable and would make a big difference if it were expanded to more schools.

We can’t close the achievement gap on the cheap. It will take an increased investment in our highest need schools, and if politicians say otherwise, they are badly out of touch.

MARYLAND JUICE: At a few events, I've noticed parents and students mention a perceived disparity on how disciplinary actions are used against students from different demographic groups. Is this perception a reality? If so, what can be done to address this?

BARBARA HUETER ON DISPARITIES IN DISCIPLINE: Nobody should tolerate disparate disciplinary actions. We need better systems in place to support students who need additional attention. Teachers need time for more training and collaborative planning on how to teach in diverse classrooms. MCEA is proud of a new graduate certificate program we have designed (with McDaniel College) on Excellence and Education in Teaching, which addresses teaching strategies and cultural competency that are needed to succeed in racially and ethnically diverse classrooms. Smaller class sizes make it easier for teachers to reach all their students so they are engaged – and not alienated – from school.

MARYLAND JUICE: Over the years (including dating back to when I was a student in MCPS), there has been period discussion of starting high school later than the current super-early start to the school day. There is a great deal of research showing that adequate sleep is critical to students being "ready to learn," but it seems like this issue is continuously punted into the future so that it can never actually be reformed. Do you have any thoughts on whether this should be dealt with? If so, what is the best and quickest way forward, and if not, why not?

BARBARA HUETER ON STARTING SCHOOL LATER: The recommendation from the Superintendent deserves serious consideration.  We look forward to having MCEA members involved in the process of considering the pros and cons of the proposal. We’re especially concerned about the impact on low-income families whose students work after-school jobs, or who provide after school care of siblings. 

MARYLAND JUICE: When I was in MCPS, the vast majority of students did not have an opportunity to learn a foreign language until middle school or high school. Again, research persistently shows that it is much easier and efficient for young people to learn second languages earlier in life. What would it take to make this common-sense shift in our schools?

BARBARA HUETER ON OFFERING FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION EARLIER : No Child Left Behind has driven an obsession with standardized test scores in reading in math. The result has been a narrowing of the curriculum in lots of areas. It would cost money to provide world language instruction in all elementary schools – but as I understand it, Utah is doing that now. It would also require a recognition that a good education means more than reading and math scores on standardized tests.

MARYLAND JUICE: "Tracking" students (eg: separating pupils by academic ability into segregated groups) has been a much debated topic, with research showing both positive and negative effects. But as I can recall from my own days in MCPS, this process begins very early in grade school and impacts which students are put on AP and more rigorous academic tracks. Do you think this policy is working? If not, what reforms would you make?

BARBARA HUETER ON TRACKING: For a number of years, MCEA has supported elimination of the Global Screening process in second grade. MCPS has been piloting that in two schools and we believe it has been successful. Grouping practices need to be flexible over time. No one is well served by rigid tracking: neither on-level students nor above grade level students. Over the years, there has been powerful testimony in front of the Board of Education by students from the Blair magnet program about how they benefitted from flexible grouping practices. But again, the larger class sizes are, the more difficult it is to teach heterogeneous groups of students.

MARYLAND JUICE: Do you think MCPS is providing students with adequately nutritious meals?

BARBARA HUETER ON SCHOOL MEALS: Should the system strive to do better? Absolutely. But most kids aren’t going to eat brussels sprouts and kale. It’s a challenge to figure out how to provide healthier meals that students will eat. But I don’t doubt that the folks in food services are waking up every day trying to do that. Nutrition is their business.

CONCLUSION: There you have it, folks!  This conversation is obviously just the tip of the iceberg on some of the intriguing challenges facing Montgomery County Public Schools heading into the future, and a potential sign of some of the policy debates we may see in the near future. But in the meantime, it appears that MCEA is getting an early start on organizing for the 2014 election cycle. They've placed the following ad in The Gazette this week:

MCEA's October 2013 Ad in The Gazette

JUICE: MoCo Schools Chief Seeks Later School Start, MoCo Minimum Wage Hike, Pot Fail, New Laws & MD #1 for Women

Below Maryland Juice writers Dan Furmansky & David Moon present a round-up of recent political news:

JUICE #1: MONTGOMERY COUNTY SCHOOLS CHIEF RECOMMENDS STARTING SCHOOL ALMOST AN HOUR LATER - DAVID MOON: Today Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Josh Starr announced a recommendation to change the start of the school day in MoCo from 7:20 to 8:15 am. Below you can see some background on the issue, along with press releases from MCPS and the Maryland-based advocacy group Start School Later.

BACKGROUND: This time last year, Maryland Juice reported on a viral movement in MoCo to push back the start of the school day by about an hour. I first heard about this effort through my neighborhood listserv in Takoma Park and was encouraged to see that 4,000 people signed a petition to Josh Starr urging a start time of 8:15 am or later. Public schools in MoCo currently start at 7:20 am, and a body of research suggests that this early start hampers the readiness to learn for young minds. Numerous petition signers noted various negative effects and pointed to studies backing up their concerns. I myself came up through MoCo public schools, so I can attest to the straining impacts of our early start times. In any case, in the year that has now passed, the number of petition signers has grown to over 11,000, and the movement is advancing in Howard and Anne Arundel counties. In response, MCPS launched a committee to study school start times, and I must admit I feared that the study effort might end up being a black hole. Josh Starr's press release today proves me wrong (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

Superintendent Recommends Later High School Start Times,
Longer Elementary School Day 

Broad Public Input Will Be Sought on Recommendation

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Joshua P. Starr is recommending that the district consider pushing back high school start times by 50 minutes and extending the elementary school day by 30 minutes. The recommendation is based on the report by the 2013 Bell Times Work Group, which has been studying the issue of school starting and ending times in MCPS for the past 10 months.... There will be extensive outreach to gather input from students, staff, parents, and community members about Dr. Starr’s recommendation. Staff will also determine the cost and operational impact of making changes to the school schedule. The earliest any changes would occur is the 2015-2016 school year....

“I am making this recommendation because I believe it is in the best interests of our students. There is extensive research that demonstrates that adolescents are simply not getting enough sleep. This is a public health and safety issue,” Dr. Starr said....

Dr. Starr is recommending the following changes be studied:

• Move high school start times 50 minutes later, from 7:25 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. (school ending at 3 p.m.)
• Move middle school start times 10 minutes earlier, from 7:55 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. (school ending at 2:30 p.m.)
• Keep elementary school start times as they currently are (8:50 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.), but extend the school day by 30 minutes (school ending at 3:35 p.m. and 4 p.m.)

The Start School Later advocates responded to the positive news with the following press release (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

Montgomery County Public School System Recommends Later Bell Times
School Board should move quickly to approve the changes

I applaud Dr. Starr for his bold stance and I urge the board to support him.

This announcement would not have been possible without the enormous outpouring of support from the community. In December 2012, advocates presented the board with a petition of more than 10,000 signatures calling for later start times. An analysis of the survey found that signers were overwhelmingly local, came from every part of the county, and represented everyone involved in this issue, including parents, teachers, students, sleep experts, and health care providers. Local activists continued to make their voices heard over the past year, and the petition is still collecting signatures to this day....

The MCPS Board should move quickly to approve Dr. Starr's recommendations. Every day parents struggle to drag their sleep-deprived teens out of bed and off to early buses. The sooner these changes are made, the sooner everyone will benefit.

# # #

In tandem with the effort in Montgomery County, Delegate Aruna Miller introduced legislation to set up a statewide task force to research the issue. The Capital Gazette reported on Miller's effort last March (excerpt below):

CAPITAL GAZETTE: The House Ways and Means Committee’s Education Subcommittee moved House Bill 1462 forward last week, said Del. Aruna Miller, D-Montgomery, its sponsor.... The bill would establish a task force including politicians, education leaders, and health and sleep experts to look at the ramifications of starting school later in the morning....

“While we’re talking about school start times, what we’re really talking about is the health and safety of our children,” said Merry Eisner, policy chairwoman of the Montgomery County chapter of the grass-roots organization Start School Later.

Sleep loss causes problems with complex thought, motor responses, memory and attention, control of emotions, and performance in school or on the job, according to the National Institutes of Health. The NIH also reports the amount of sleep that an individual will need each day changes considerably over the course of a lifetime, with school-aged children needing at least 10 hours a day and teenagers needing at least nine hours a day....

Indeed, the Start School Later movement has been building support among public officials in recent months, and I noted the following Tweet in response to today's news:

JUICE #2: COUNCILMEMBER MARC ELRICH INTRODUCES BILL TO RAISE MOCO MINIMUM WAGE, IN TANDEM WITH PRINCE GEORGE'S & DC - DAVID MOON: Bethesda Now reported today that Montgomery County Councilmember Marc Elrich introduced a bill to raise the county's minimum wage from $7.25 to $11.50 an hour. The effort is part of a regional initiative involving Prince George's County and the District of Columbia (excerpt below):

BETHESDA NOW: County Councilmember Marc Elrich on Tuesday introduced a bill that would increase the county’s minimum wage to $11.50 per hour in a unique regional effort that would join Montgomery County with Prince George’s and D.C.

In August, Elrich announced he would propose a $12 an hour minimum wage for the county. On Tuesday, Elrich said after consulting with Prince George’s County Council Chair Andrea Harrison and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, he moved his number down to $11.50 per hour to match proposals in those jurisdictions and establish a regional minimum wage....

Councilmembers Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring) and Nancy Navarro (D-East County, Mid-County) joined Elrich to co-sponsor the bill.... Councilmember Roger Berliner (D-Bethesda-Potomac) on Tuesday said he will not co-sponsor the measure, saying the state minimum wage measure will make the biggest impact.... Councilmember Phil Andrews (D-Gaithersburg) also went on the record as against the bill, saying the county can help poorer families by phasing out certain taxes. Councilmember George Leventhal (D-At large), chair of the Health and Human Services Committee that will work on the measure, said he will not support the bill now....

JUICE #3: ADVOCATES SAY MARYLAND IS NOT A MEDICAL MARIJUANA STATE - DAN FURMANSKY: 18 states have legalized medical marijuana, but many advocates don’t consider Maryland to count as number 19. That’s because Maryland passed by far the weakest law in the country. Patients in need of medical marijuana have no way of obtaining it — and it’s entirely unclear when that might change. Gov. O’Malley established an 11-member commission to help set up a system to help design and implement a program, but so far, no one has stated a program might even be up and running until 2016.  Here’s more from a press release issued when the law was passed by the advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (aka ASA) (excerpt below):

AMERICANS FOR SAFE ACCESS: The Maryland Senate voted 42-4 today to pass what legislators are calling a new statewide medical marijuana bill, but patient advocates say that HB1101 is more symbolic than practical and will fail to make much "real-world" difference in the lives of patients. Specifically, HB1101, which has already been passed by the House of Delegates, would extend the current affirmative defense for patients who are arrested and prosecuted under state law, but would provide no way for patients to obtain their medication. Agreeing with the sentiment of advocates, the nonpartisan Maryland Department of Legislative Services issued a fiscal note last month that questioned the bill's effectiveness, casting doubt on whether it will ever meet legislators' expectations....

Complaints about the program focus on the fact that—thanks to Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary Joshua Sharfstein—medical marijuana may only be obtained from a licensed "Academic Medical Center" (AMC).  The new law, according to ASA, fails to establish a well-regulated system for qualified patients to cultivate their own medical marijuana, a right that has been the cornerstone of most state laws since the passage of California's Compassionate Use Act in 1996.

Maryland has a long way to go with regard to compassionate care, not to mention drug policy overall. You might recall that I called out our state for falling behind Mississippi and Nebraska on marijuana reform. Those two red states are among fifteen states have already decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana (not including Colorado and Washington).

It would help if we had real leadership from Gov. Martin O’Malley on the issue. Unfortunately, as late as 2012, he was threatening to veto medical marijuana legislation, so it’s little surprise that we now have a medical marijuana law in name only for the foreseeable future. The Governor also failed to take a position on a decriminalization bill that overwhelmingly passed the Senate this year and as a result, it died in the House. 2014 will be a crucial year for Gov. O’Malley to exhibit real leadership in the area of marijuana policy reform.


JUICE #4: NEW LAWS ON CELL PHONES, SEAT BELTS, AND PREGNANT WORKERS TO TAKE EFFECT - DAN FURMANSKY: Besides our toothless medical marijuana program and our new laws regarding firearms, there are a host of other new laws going into effect this week that are noteworthy. Here’s a quick summary from The Washington Times, free of any conservative commentary from our ideological counterparts (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON TIMES: Hand held phone calls: Driving in Maryland is going to also change next week. Starting on October 1, holding a cell phone in your hand to talk will become a primary offense....

Seatbelt and child seats: In an attempt to make driving in Maryland safer, the start of the new fiscal year will bring two additional car safety laws. Seatbelts will need to be worn by everyone in the car, including adults in the backseat and all children under the age of eight, regardless of weight, who are less than 4ft 9 in. will need to be secured into a child safety seat....

Pregnancy on the job: Lawmakers in Maryland have declared pregnancy a disability. According to HB0804, Maryland employers who employ 15 workers or more must make reasonable accommodations to a woman who experiences limitations due to her pregnancy....

JUICE #5: PROGRESSIVE MOTHER SHIP CALLS MARYLAND #1 IN NATION FOR WOMEN - DAN FURMANSKY: Politicians continue to crow about how Virginia is stealing all of our business because of its lower corporate tax rate. Whatever. Here is another great example of why the “creative class” of young workers will find Maryland a far more attractive place to live than Virginia, which already has a reputation for being about 800% less gay-friendly than us. In turns out that Virginia is also significantly less women-friendly. (Perhaps that’s why female voters are defecting in droves from the establishment gubernatorial candidate Ken “I saw Goody Proctor with the devil!” Cuccinnelli.)

According to a new report by the Center for American Progress (of which I am clearly a fan, since I titled them the progressive Mother Ship), Maryland ranks No. 1 in the United States for the state of its women. Here’s a report from The Baltimore Sun (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Maryland received a new No. 1 title for Gov. Martin O'Malley to crow about Wednesday as the Center for American Progress ranked its the best of the 50 states for women. And crow the governor did, releasing a statement saying he and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown were "thrilled" by the distinction. “Working together, we have made great strides in making Maryland a great place for women to live, lead, and learn," O'Malley said.

The ranking is unlikely to impress conservatives because the Center for American Progress is a liberal group that counted such things as unimpeded access to abortion services and contraception among its criteria for a positive rating. But the title could give Maryland bragging rights among the blue states and could be a plus for O'Malley as a possible presidential candidate making a pitch to women who vote in Democratic primaries. The center ranked Maryland No. 1 in terms of women's economic standing and leadership opportunities. It was rated 17th in terms of women's health.

Among the 36 factors taken into account were women's income levels, poverty rates and representation in the state legislature and Congress. Also considered were levels of infant and maternal mortality, as well as the availability of paid sick leave and family and access to early childhood education. States were downgraded for such things as requiring ultrasounds before a woman can have an abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood.

And here’s some healthy Virginia-bashing, c/o WAMU’s analysis of the report (excerpt below):

WAMU: On economic factors, Maryland likely benefits from its proximity to the boom economy of D.C., but that doesn't tell the whole story. Maryland is tied with Nevada for the lowest wage gap for women in the country at 85 cents to the dollar, and it has the third-lowest poverty rate for women in the nation at 11.4 percent.

Virginia did not fare as well as Maryland, with a C+ overall grade and a No. 23 ranking. Like Maryland, Virginia offers women relatively robust economic opportunities, with low levels of women in poverty (12.7 percent).

It was Virginia's D+ grade in health, however, that really sank the commonwealth to the middle of the pack, largely driven by legislation on women's reproductive health.

Anna Chu, one of the authors of the study, suggests that the lack of women in positions of leadership in the Commonwealth may in part be responsible for the nature of the laws passed affecting women's health. "Would women be better served if there were more women in leadership positions? It deserves a deeper look and analysis," says Chu. "This is especially true right now in Virginia, when the state is trying to find out what they want their leadership to look like."

There are no women currently representing the Commonwealth of Virginia in Congress or in statewide elected executive seats. Of elected state legislators, just 17.9 percent are women. Last year, controversial legislation was passed requiring women seeking abortions to first have an ultrasound exam. The Virginia Board of Health also signed off on new regulations that effectively put most of the state's abortion clinics out of business.

Take that, Virginia!

4,000 Supporters for Later Start Time at Montgomery County Schools // PLUS: School Board Candidates & Experts Weigh In

Earlier this week, Maryland Juice reported on a fascinating movement for a later start to high school times in Montgomery County. School currently starts at 7:20 am (and did going back to when I was an MCPS student in the 90's), but parents, scientists and students want the time pushed back to 8:15 am or later. They cite numerous studies indicating positive health effects and a better learning environment from a later start time, given the natural biological clocks and rhythms of adolescents. The viral petition effort is now nearing 4,000 supporters, and politicians are beginning to weigh in. In fact, this article was easily the most-read blog post at Maryland Juice this week, garnering several hundred pageviews. See what the fuss is all about below.

BOARD OF EDUCATION CANDIDATES WEIGH IN ON LATER START TO SCHOOL: We asked all six candidates for the Montgomery County Board of Education to respond with their thoughts on the issue, and so far we have only received two comments:

• At-large school board candidate Morris Panner says, "As a parent, it certainly makes a great deal of sense.  I am reading the studies about the benefits and am impressed."
• District 2 school board candidate Fred Evans responded, "I believe it is worth studying."

Even more interesting, is that Maryland Juice found District 4 school board candidate Annita Seckinger's name on the petition. She was signer number 3598. You can ask the Board of Education candidates about this issue at two upcoming debates (see below). The candidates' email addresses are also available online.

Wednesday October 24, 2012 6:45pm to 9pm	Board of Education Candidates Forum Phil Kauffman Morris Panner Fred Evans Rebecca Smondrowski Chris Barclay Annita Seckinger	Progressive Neighbors State Delegate Bonnie Cullison Sharon Dooley Marva Deskins	Takoma Park Presbyterian Church Assembly Hall 310 Tulip Ave (at Maple St) Takoma Park
Monday October 29, 2012 6:15pm to 7:45pm	Board of Education Candidates Forum Phil Kauffman Morris Panner Fred Evans Rebecca Smondrowski Chris Barclay Annita Seckinger	League of Women Voters of Montgomery County and American Association of University Women	Wheaton Library 11701 Georgia Avenue

GOOD JOB, MOCO: In fact, Maryland Juice has had great fun reading through the dozens of comments from supporters of a later start time for high school. Poring through the numerous intelligent and insightful petition responses has reminded me of the unique blend of wonkiness and civic activism we often see in MoCo. In fact, by my estimation, the last time we've seen this much policy interest from ordinary residents was when County Executive Ike Leggett proposed a comically superstitious youth curfew in the midst of a historic crime decline.

Perhaps Montgomery County residents, who have one of the nation's highest concentrations of post-graduate degrees, have a greater expectation of policy grounded in evidence than in other jurisdictions? Below I highlight a sampling of noteworthy comments from petition signers:

[  SIGN THE PETITION TO START HIGH SCHOOL AFTER 8:15 AM  ]

COMMENTS FROM INSIDERS:

• Patrick Leanza, Silver Spring, MD: As an ex-school board member I know how difficult this is but it really is worth the effort. The problem of extra-curricular activities and sports is real so at least consider the winter and spring seasons.
• Oren, Silver Spring, MD: As a former PTA president I strongly support a later start to the school day.

COMMENTS FROM RATIONALISTS & WONKS:

• Laurie, Silver Spring, MD: This is a data driven school system: ACT on the DATA! 
• Michael, Wheaton, MD: I don't understand why MCPS would do something that clearly goes against what the research says. The research clearly says that teenagers' body clocks are on a later time cycle and need more sleep. If you had cancer and the research showed that a particular treatment didn't work would you use it anyway? It is ridiculous to start high school at 7:20.
• Lisa, Potomac, MD: This idea has been around for years and is repeatedly rejected by the school system but it is time to listen to the scientific evidence and get our priorities straight. More sleep equals more academic success. If the bus schedules are the issue have the elementary schools start earlier. 
• Terri, Chevy Chase, MD: This fight never ends: I worked for later MCPS bell times between 1998 and 2002 while my kids were in high school with no result. Parents need to get behind this.
• Susan, Takoma Pk, MD: This seriously needed change should have been enacted years ago. I realize the transportation costs increase greatly with the scheduling changes that accompanyh transporting high school students later in the day. BUT what is the point in saving money if we are properly educating students while they are on school campuses? And please do not let the arguments around conflicting priorities derail this effort - alert students able to perform at their bests in the classroom ARE the top priority!
• Kathy, Garrett Park, MD: This is just common sense. There is no good reason this can't be done if enough parents will it.
• Stephan, Bethesda, MD: Let get over the bureaucratic inertia and get this change done for the benefit of our teenagers.
• Barbara, Kensington, MD: MCPS should at least respond with a committee of parents, physicians and MCPS personnel to review evidence and impact.
• Jeff, Potomac, MD: The research on this issue is overwhelming. Please help Montgomery County serve our students' needs and enhance their education by making the school schedule fit their needs rather than forcing them to adapt unnaturally and with limited success to a schedule determined based solely on other bases.
• Karen, Kensington, MD: If there is a large concern about sports being impacted in the afternoon, you change them to the morning before school. Exercise before school should also help students concentrate better and kick start their day.
• Leslie, Chevy Chase, MD: The science has been known for years about the need for high school students need for sleep and shifting of their biological clock to later in the morning. Why not help contribute to their academic success rather than compromise it?
• Aren, Silver Spring, MD: This is of the utmost importance to both the physical and mental health of our children. Other area school districts (like Loudon Co.) have figured this out, and MoCo shouldn't be left behind.
• Heidi, Bethesda, MD: It's time to begin the discussion. Making this kind of change would have huge repercussions on everything from bus deployment to extracurricular activities, but the evidence is the evidence, and we are currently ritually abusing our adolescents. Children first!
• Merry, Potomac, MD: Today's Wall Street Journal adds even more ammo for this argument: http://on.wsj.com/R9XG4q No reason that bus schedules can't be turned around so elementary kids (who wake up earlier anyway) can't start school first, then middle, and then high school.

COMMENTS FROM PROFESSIONALS:

• Linda, Silver Spring, MD: As a parent of four, and as an adolescent therapist in MC MD, I have been advocating for this change for forty years. Lives, educations, and careers have been profoundly and negatively affected by this chronic sleep deprivation for financial/budget reasons which is unacceptable.
• Jeanine, Rockville, MD: As a Psychotherapist who treats children & adolescents with depression, school phobia and stress, it is with firm conviction I recommend a later start time for MCPS high schoolers. Let's set them up for success, starting early each day.
• AC, Bethesda, MD: I would be happy to arrange for experts in the field to educate and/or testify on the merits of the proposal. AC Koumbourlis, M.D., M.P.H. Chief, Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine Children's National Medical Center Professor of Pediatrics
• Cheryl, Silver Spring, MD: As a psychotherapist, I strongly endorse this measure - all research and anecdotal data suggests the current start time for teens is highly destructive, both emotionally and educationally.
• Kathleen, Takoma Park, MD: As a researcher of adolescent health, I truly know the importance of sleep on adolescent adjustment, health, and well being.
• Leslie, Chevy Chase, MD: as an educator I believe that a simple change is in order - move the elementary school opening times to the earlier slots. This is all about bus schedules.
• M. R., Sandy Spring, MD: I am at NIH and have been involved in this type of research and the empirical evidence is overwhelming. However, my understanding is that these schedules depend on bus sharing and thus are economically driven. I believe the state of Michigan has done this. If I am wrong, please correct me! But I'm with you. Thanks
• Resnik, Bethesda, MD: As a psychologist and former high school special educator for MCPS, I think we would all gain from this change.
• Laila, Silver Spring, MD: As a clinical psychologist, I am aware of both the empirical and anecdotal evidence that starting high school later is immensely beneficial for children's emotional and academic development. Please make this change!
• Beth, Glen Echo, MD: As a parent of former MCPS students and as I teacher, I follow the arguments and the research. It is clearly advantageous to delay the start time and to revisit the staggering of opening to address the needs of our high schoolers.
• Judy, Bethesda, MD: I'm a neurologist. I completely and totally agree
• Brooke, Kensington, MD: Having taught high school and having had teenagers of my own AND having read the research-it never has made sense to have these students in class BEFORE they wake up!
• Jane, Takoma Park, MD: As a retired teacher and parent of an MCPS high school graduate, I feel that my daughter would have benefited from this change. Let's make it for future students. JH.
• Lee, Takoma Park, MD: My wife, a 6 yr. h.s. english teacher in the Montgomery Co. School system will attest that this measure will increase productivity across the board in her experience.
• Gloria, Silver Spring, MD: I'm a teacher and a mom and I see first hand how much worse kids learn before 8:00 a.m.

COMMENTS FROM TRANSPLANTS & FOREIGNERS:

• Tessa, Olney, MD: Moving from Texas to Maryland, I was surprised to learn that one of the top school districts in the state does not utilize evidence based data to help further improve education. Adults are barely productive at the hours our teens are in school. Why is there a delay in implementing what works. Our teens should not suffer because adults do not want to change their own schedule.
• Oskar, Bethesda, MD: I have experience with high schools in 4 countries (Norway, Bangladesh, India and the US) and US start times are by far the earliest. I have never understood the disparity between the starting times for elementary school and high school students in the US; it would be much more reasonable to reverse the start times, letting the teens sleep and reducing the need for before-care for elementary school students.
• Debra, Columbia, MD: I live in Howard County but we have the same issue here and I am very involved in trying to get school times changed here, as well. This is an important issue and I am glad that Montgomery county parents are getting organized. Good Luck! 
• Ben, Rockville, MD: I led a similar campaign as a student in West Hartford, CT in 1997. Let me know if I can help in any way.
• Joel, Rockville, MD: I am a college student now, but I was always for this, because it is absolutely ridiculous to have to wake up at 6:00 a.m. each morning for some. I go to school in France now, and schools start at 9:30.

COMMENTS FROM VICTIMS:

• Henry, Gaithersburg, MD: I M A SENIOR WITH 5 AP .. LET ME SLEEP OMG
• Patrick, Germantown, MD: As a student who is currently taking 4 AP classes, and playing sports both in and out of school- sleep can sometimes be scarce. The extra few of sleep would help tremendously with the academic and physical well-being of not only myself, but many others in the same position as my self.

 More on the battle for evidence-based policymaking soon!

Montgomery County Parents Launch Petition Asking School Board & Superintendent to Start High School AFTER 8:15 AM

UPDATE: The petition for a later start time for high school appears to be going viral in Montgomery County. Last night, over 1,000 had signed the petition, and tonight there are nearly 3,000 signers.

An interesting email came through my neighborhood listserv today. Concerned parents are petitioning the school board and Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to consider starting high school at 8:15 am or later. Indeed, when I was going to high school in MoCo, I must admit I found that starting high school around 7:00 am was some bizarre form of adolescent torture. It turns out I'm not the only one. Already over 1,000 people have signed on asking MCPS to start school later than the crack of dawn, and it appears to be parents (rather than sleepy students) who are making the noise. You can read dozens of comments from MoCo parents on the petition.

Maryland Juice is all about evidence-based policymaking, and the concerned parents raise some interesting points. See the petition text below:

Changing Montgomery County, MD's High School Start Times to 8:15 AM or Later.

To be delivered to: Montgomery County, MD's Superintendent of Schools and Board of Education and Montgomery County, MD's Superintendent of Schools and Board of Education

We respectfully request our school board to officially recognize the large and compelling body of research regarding teen sleep and academic achievement, and, with a resolution, to set a goal to start high schools in Montgomery County, MD, after 8:15 AM.

• When teens get the required 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep: 
• School attendance goes up, 
• Tardiness decreases, 
• They sleep less in class, 
• They get in fewer traffic accidents, 
• Visit nurses and counselors less often, and, 
• Report less depression and irritability.

Starting school before 8:15 AM, without a doubt, undermines optimal academic achievement.

[  SIGN THE PETITION ONLINE  ]

PARENTS TWEET ABOUT SCHOOL START TIMES: Upon hearing about this effort, I took to Twitter to seek feedback. I received some interesting responses and website links, including one from a group called "Start School Later." They appear to be based in Annapolis and have a chapter in Montgomery County. Very interesting. See the Tweets below, followed by some additional commentary:

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? - A visit to the Start School Later website reveals the following information about the group:

START SCHOOL LATER: Start School Later is a national coalition working to ensure that all public schools can set hours compatible with health, safety, equity, and learning.

For those curious about the issue, their website also has a section titled "What's the Big Deal?" that provides a peek at their perspective:

What's the Big Deal?

Many high schools start as early as 7:00 am and end seven hours later. Cost savings, such as being able to use buses two or more times for middle and elementary as well as high school runs have been cited as advantages. After school sports, fast food, retail and seasonal employers and other extracurricular pursuits have quickly adjusted to this early start. 

There is now compelling evidence that starting middle and high school before the sun rises is out of sync with the biological clocks of young people (people ages 12-25, which includes young teachers).

Even more disturbingly, starting school at these hours has now been linked not only to widespread sleep deprivation but also to a host of physical, psychological, and educational problems. There is now no legitimate reason to require any child, of any age, to start instruction before 8 a.m. (teens would actually be better off after 8:30). 

It is negligent not to work for change to a later school time. Local efforts to change inevitably spark raging controversy. Politics, money and misunderstanding often override the best interests of students, teachers and communities.  

One of the Tweeters above also linked to a scientific journal article on NIH's website that came to the following conclusion:

PEDIATRICS JOURNAL: The results of this study demonstrated that current high school start times contribute to sleep deprivation among adolescents. Consistent with a delay in circadian sleep phase, students performed better later in the day than in the early morning. However, exposure to bright light in the morning did not change the sleep/wake cycle or improve daytime performance during weekdays. Both short-term and long-term strategies that address the epidemic of sleep deprivation among adolescents will be necessary to improve health and maximize school performance.

SCHOOL PET PEEVES: Maryland Juice is intrigued by this niche movement and eager to find out if anything will come of their efforts. This reminds me of an old pet peeve of mine. Specifically, when I was going to public school in Montgomery County, we did not offer foreign language education until middle school. Both science and common sense would dictate that starting much earlier would be wiser (ie: before our brains have become more hardened to our native languages). What gives?