California admits teens just aren't morning people

California recently mandated later start times for middle and high schools, and the results are in: students are sleeping more, performing better in math and English, and reporting fewer signs of sadness. After decades of ignoring adolescent biology in favor of bus schedules, the state's mandate proved that aligning school with natural sleep rhythms directly improves academic and mental health outcomes.

We've known for years that teenagers have a delayed circadian rhythm, yet we continued to treat 7:00 AM starts as a character-building exercise. But treating sleep as, well, important, California showed that a simple schedule shift can do more for disadvantaged students than many expensive, tech-heavy tutoring programs.