Terra Ziporyn
@terraziporyn.bsky.social
Medical writer, novelist & former JAMA editor whose publications include Harvard Guide to Women's Health. Posts promote health/education/arts & sleep-friendly school start times.
If we want to protect student sleep and safety, we need to stop arguing about the clock and rethink the way we schedule our days. (My latest Substack piece.) terraziporyn.substack.com/publish/post... #startschoollater #DST #clockchange #sleeppeeps
Why Permanent Daylight Saving Time is the Wrong Debate
If we want to protect student sleep and safety, we need to stop arguing about the clock and rethink the way we schedule our days.
terraziporyn.substack.com
The debate over permanent DST ignores a glaring reality: many sleep-starved students ALREADY go to school in the dark (without public outcry). Will pDST finally wake us up to this or just make things worse? tinyurl.com/yshjbyk9 #startschoollater
School start times under scrutiny amid permanent daylight saving time debate
School start times have taken center stage in the fight surrounding permanent daylight saving time. Senators concerned about kids walking to school in the dark are holding the line against le…
tinyurl.com
#Teenagers need more #sleep! @hopkinspress.bsky.social's fascinating EDUCATING THE EXHAUSTED by @terraziporyn.bsky.social & Amy Wolfson has lots of material about adolescent sleep research, alongside efforts to translate that research into educational policy. Book available to buy in Europe!
I swore I’d never write another book. The ROI is absurd, you do your own promoting, and people assume you get 100 free copies (we got 10). So naturally, I just published another one. terraziporyn.substack.com/p/the-last-t... #BookSky #SciComm #startschoollater
The Last Thing the World Needs Is Another Love Song (or Another Book)
Zero dollars, ten author copies, and the unexpected reward of writing a book anyway
terraziporyn.substack.com
"For a policy debate that dragged on for years — and divided lawmakers, educators and parents alike — the new data may finally provide the kind of clear-cut answer that was missing when the fight began." #startschoollater #sleeppeeps #SB328 #CApolitics hsjchronicle.com/californias-...
California's School Start Time Law Wins Praise for Boosting Student Sleep
A new study finds California's later school start law is improving sleep, mental health, and test scores among students statewide.
hsjchronicle.com
Estonia mandated 9 am classes. Rwanda moved to 8:30 am. Why is the U.S. so far behind? My new piece explores how we treat teen sleep as a local preference instead of a public health priority terraziporyn.substack.com/p/when-the-w... #startschoollater
When the World Lets Teenagers Sleep—and Why the U.S. Can’t
Across the globe, some nations have shifted school schedules overnight. In America, 13,000 districts and the constraints of federalism make even basic public‑health reforms a slog.
terraziporyn.substack.com
If we’ve known for so long that early school bells undermine sleep, health, safety, and learning, why have most schools been unable to change? Amy Wolfson and I attempt to answer in our new book, available July 14! #startschoollater #sleeppeeps terraziporyn.substack.com/p/announcing...
Announcing Educating the Exhausted
After decades in the "trenches," Amy Wolfson and I are thrilled to share our new book on the messy, complicated, and wide-ranging battle to align school schedules with the science of sleep.
terraziporyn.substack.com
If we’ve known for so long that early school bells undermine sleep, health, safety, and learning, why have most schools been unable to change? Amy Wolfson and I attempt to answer in our new book, available July 14! #startschoollater #sleeppeeps terraziporyn.substack.com/p/announcing...
Announcing Educating the Exhausted
After decades in the "trenches," Amy Wolfson and I are thrilled to share our new book on the messy, complicated, and wide-ranging battle to align school schedules with the science of sleep.
terraziporyn.substack.com
If districts can switch to four‑day weeks (and mounting early-dismissals, professional development, and student-free days), they can start high school at 8:30. Let’s stop using “disruption” as an excuse to ignore student health. #startschoollater www.educationnext.org/the-quiet-er...
The Quiet Erosion of the Five-Day School Week
Four-day school weeks attract attention and debate. Traditional calendars packed with student-free weekdays deserve it, too.
educationnext.org
Families shouldn't have to choose between their child's health and their child's learning (not to mention following the law). #startschoollater #sleepmatters www.businessinsider.com/mom-let-daug...
My teen's high school starts too early, so I sometimes let her sleep in and arrive late. I worry I'm not doing the right thing.
My daughter doesn't get enough sleep because her schedule is jam-packed. I worry that school starts too early for her, so I let her sleep in.
businessinsider.com
The first meaningful statewide evaluation of California's landmark #startschoollater law is out - and it's good news for anyone looking at statewide guardrails to protect student sleep, mental health & learning terraziporyn.substack.com/p/california...
California Finally Has Real Data That's Changing the Conversation About School Start Times
A new statewide analysis brings the rigor this policy has long deserved, moving us past anecdotes and toward evidence—while reminding us how much more we still need to learn.
terraziporyn.substack.com
Encouraging to see yet another education leader, this time in Iceland, openly support later school start times after reviewing the research on teen sleep, mental health, and attendance. #startschoollater #edpolicy #sleeppeeps www.icelandreview.com/news/later-s...
Later School Starts Could Benefit Students, Says Education Minister
Iceland’s Minister of Education and Children has said secondary schools could benefit from adopting more flexible morning start times, following research linking later starts with improved student wel...
icelandreview.com
If you’ve ever wondered whether later school start times are actually doable—and not just in research papers or in districts with unusual circumstances—I want to point you to something worth an hour of your time. #startschoollater #edreform terraziporyn.substack.com/p/leaders-wh...
Leaders Who Lead: What Happens When Superintendents Decide to Do What’s Right for Kids
Six Pennsylvania superintendents show how later start times aren’t idealistic or impossible—just the result of real leadership, creative problem‑solving, and a commitment to student well‑being
terraziporyn.substack.com
My newest Substack post explores why we so often end to blame teens and families—when the real issue is structural—and why that keeps us from implementing a solution that’s right in front of us. #startschoollater #sleeppeeps terraziporyn.substack.com/p/the-screen...
The “Screen Time” Scapegoat
Why We’re Still Blaming Teens for a Systemic Sleep Crisis
terraziporyn.substack.com
Don’t misread the data: Later school starts widen the sleep window for all, but structural barriers can "cancel out" gains for minoritized youth. The problem's not the policy—it’s the inequity. My spin on a pervasive #SciCom problem #StartSchoolLater open.substack.com/pub/terrazip...
When Science Meets Spin
Why Misreading New Sleep Research Puts Students—Especially the Most Vulnerable—at Risk
open.substack.com
"Blaming screens is like blaming the thermometer for the fever." Well put! #startschoollater #sleeppeeps dmnews.com/dmn-parents-...
Parents who confiscate their teenager's phone at bedtime are fighting the wrong battle — the real reason teens can't sleep is structural, biological, and about to get worse this weekend
New reporting reveals that the teen sleep crisis is driven far more by early school start times and biological circadian shifts than by screens — and the daylight saving time change this weekend is ab...
dmnews.com
The real question is whether we are prepared to redesign school around teenagers’ brains, rather than expecting their brains to fit a timetable built for a different century. #startschoollater #sleepmatters newsreel.com.au/article/educ...
School hours from the 1800s out of kilter with teen sleep - Newsreel
School start times date back to the 19th century when school was timed to maximise daylight and suit factory shifts | Newsreel
newsreel.com.au
While reducing screen time before bed may help, research suggests it is only part of the solution. The study recommended that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 am to better align with adolescent sleep patterns. #startschoollater www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/he...
Teen sleep crisis: Study reveals rising sleep deprivation among adolescents since 2007 and phone isn't the only culprit
A study highlights growing sleep deprivation among teens, with 77 percent not getting enough rest, impacting their mental health. | Health
hindustantimes.com
In Singapore Workers’ Party MP Dennis Tan called on the Ministry of Education to set a national standard to synchronise school start times at 8.30am for primary, secondary schools and junior colleges. #startschoollater #sleeppeps youtu.be/wYct1vxTGxc?... via @YouTube
Dennis Tan urges 8.30am national school start to tackle student sleep deprivation
YouTube video by The Online Citizen
youtu.be
"The question now isn’t whether later start times help—it’s whether communities are willing to act on the evidence.” #startschoollater #sleepmatters #ItCanBeDone #sleeppeeps www.stlmag.com/health/saint...
Saint Louis Public Schools weighs a big shift: later school start times
A district proposal could shift bell schedules as research ties later starts to better sleep, fewer tardies, and stronger academic outcomes.
stlmag.com
If you're in the trenches right now—exhausted, discouraged, or convinced nothing will ever change—remember this: The wall looks solid until the moment it cracks. And when it cracks, it often crumbles fast. #startschoollater #sleeppeeps open.substack.com/pub/terrazip...
When the Wall Finally Cracks: The Start-Time Battles That Looked Hopeless—Until They Weren’t
How some of the most resistant school districts in America became champions of healthy start times.
open.substack.com
“Sleep is about as elusive as an Olympic Trials cut… I set my alarm for 4:30 a.m.… most nights I get barely 5.5 hours of sleep… ‘just go to bed earlier’ ignores homework, stress, and reality… we need sleep.” #startschoollater #sleeppeeps swimswam.com/shouts-from-...
Shouts From The Stands: It's Time to Ditch High School Early Morning Swim Practice
Teen swimmers are told to work harder and sleep more—yet their schedules make both impossible. One athlete explains why something has to change.
swimswam.com
Fourteen years ago I had a high school student who stood in the dark. He grew up and his school system DID end up starting later (wahoo!)--though too late for him. But seeing what it was like for him to go to school reminds me why I'm still at this! #startschoollater #sleeppeeps
"By moving the high school start time later, we aren’t just giving our high school students a break. We’re giving them a fighting chance to succeed." – CCSD Superintendent Jhone M. Ebert #startschoollater #sleeppeeps #ItCanBeDone youtu.be/9cnF8Lszlxo?...
CCSD adjusts school start times for upcoming school year
YouTube video by FOX5 Las Vegas
youtu.be
They still have work to do on their middle schools—but, wow, after all the sturm und drang about 7 am starts being the ONLY viable way to run high schools, this decision should give hope to school districts everywhere! #startschoollater #ItCANbedone #sleeppeeps newsroom.ccsd.net/ccsd-announc...
CCSD Announces New Start Times to Maximize Student Learning
As the Clark County School District (CCSD) partners with the community to become the Destination District, we are committed to making data-driven decisions that put student achievement first. To maxi...
newsroom.ccsd.net
The biggest barrier to humane school hours isn’t buses or budgets. It’s imagination. This study shows what happens when districts choose solutions over fear. #startschoollater terraziporyn.substack.com/p/the-end-of...
The End of ‘We Can’t’: What a New Study Reveals About School Start Times
San Francisco stopped hand‑wringing and solved the problem. Other districts can, too.
terraziporyn.substack.com
The insistence on uniform school and work schedules often reflects control and tradition rather than operational necessity. rollingout.com/2025/12/26/n... #startschoollater #sleepmatters
rollingout.com
How long have we been saying this? But this exciting and novel analysis shows longstanding excuses that sleep-friendly school hours are too hard, too complicated, or too costly just lost a lot of ground. #startschoollater #sleepmatters #itCANbedone phys.org/news/2025-12...
New analytics show US schools can adopt later start times without raising costs
For decades, school districts have struggled to adopt later high school start times, despite overwhelming medical evidence that early bells harm teen health. A new study in the journal Management Scie...
phys.org
After years in the trenches of education and public health advocacy, I’m sharing the hard-won lessons I’ve learned about systems that resist change—even when the science is clear and the stories are heartbreaking #startschoollater #edpolicy terraziporyn.substack.com/p/what-ive-l...
What I’ve Learned from Getting School Start Time Laws Passed (and Why It’s Still So Hard)
Hard-won lessons from a public health advocate working for policies to protect kids
terraziporyn.substack.com
"The purpose of the school district is not to make things easy for the adults. It’s to educate the kids and give them the best possible." - Andra Williams Broadwater, #StartSchoolLater Baltimore County Chapter Leader www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/25/b... www.baltimoresun.com/2025/11/25/b...
Science says children need more sleep. Can Baltimore County schools start later?
Cost concerns may stand in the way of efforts to delay school start times in Baltimore County, a move that some studies say is necessary to improve kid’s health and academic performance.
baltimoresun.com