Should High School Start Later

This article by the National Sleep Foundation describes how adolescents today are not getting the recommended amount of sleep and in return do not perform appropriately or at their maximum level at school. Through different scientific studies it was discovered that adolescent NATURALLY fall asleep at 11 P.M. or later. One study looked at the melatonin secretion in patients and how it occurred later at night in adolescents. Through research the National Sleep Foundation has urged schools to synchronize school clock with student body clocks (If teens naturally fall asleep at 11 P.M. and require 9.5 hours of sleep, school should start approximately at 9:00-10:00 A.M., 1 to 3 hours after current SC school start times). This sources supports my claim to start school later and provides support research about the negative aspects of sleep deprivation in adolescents and the importance of reforming school start times

One of these benefits is that the students and the teachers would both obtain added sleep, therefore; their health would increase. The recommended hours of sleep a night for teens is over nine hours and an abundance of teens do not reach this number due to late nights and early mornings (Boergers, 1). If students received the recommended hours of sleep per night, their health would increase greatly. An immense health benefit of getting enough sleep per night is that it lowers depression (Boergers, 2). Some health risks that accompany not receiving enough sleep are obesity, drinking problems, tobacco smoking, and use of drugs (Viadero, 5). Sleep deprivation can also cause anxiety and depression. Therefore, if schools started later, students would, overall, be healthier. Another pro to arriving at school later would be the

As children’s doctor and sleep expert Daniel Lewin stated, “The call for later school start times is an essential movement for keeping tweens and teens healthy.” Several reasons why school hours are unjust due to early start times include first, students not being able to focus as easily in class. Next, students also cannot participate to their full capability when their mind and body are not rested properly. Also, recent studies have concluded that teenagers cause more automobile accidents on their way to school, due to being sleep deprived. A negative perspective considering a later school start revolves around the idea that through history school hours have consistently ended before a specific time. This seems to support the fact that “after school

The Start School Later movement, it refers to a series of efforts by healthcare professionals, sleep scientists, educators, economists, legislators, parents, students, and other concerned citizens to restore a later start to the school day (KYLA L.WAHLSTROM). Based on a growing body of evidence that starting middle and high schools too early in the morning is unhealthy, counterproductive, and incompatible with adolescent sleep needs and patterns. In the second half of the 20th century, many public schools in the United States began shifting instructional time earlier than the more conventional bell time, thought to be about 9 a.m. Today it is common for American schools to begin the instructional day in the 7 a.m. hour and end about seven hours later, around 2 p.m. In the early 1990s, the University of Minnesota's landmark school start time study tracked high school students from two Minneapolis area districts (KYLA L.WAHLSTROM). Edina, a suburban district that changed its opening hour from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and the Minneapolis Public Schools, which changed their opening from 7:20 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. Many positive benefits to students were found, including: Improved attendance and enrollment rates, Less sleeping in class, Less student-reported depression, Fewer student visits to school counselors for behavioral and peer issues, and More even temperament at home. “Everybody learns better when they’re awake.” (startschoollater.net). Researchers analyzed data from more than 9,000 students at eight high schools in Minnesota, Colorado, and Wyoming and found that shifting the school day later in the morning resulted in a boost in attendance, test scores, and grades in math, English, science, and social studies. Schools also saw a decrease in tardiness, substance abuse, and symptoms of depression. Some even had a dramatic drop in teen car

There are many learning benefits when students start school later. The research, conducted by a sleep expert with Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, R.I., found that a delay in school start time of only 30 minutes was associated with significant improvements in adolescent alertness, mood and health( 1 ). The more sleep we get we can learn more and it would be better. The more

With early school start times, students tend not to have enough sleep. National Sleep Foundation and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend an eight to ten-hour sleep, which is sufficient. However, 69 percent of the students in the United States sleep less than eight hours per night, which is insufficient. It affects students negatively through health, behaviors, and grades. The lack of sleep promotes students to become sleepy, defenseless, and lead to the inability to concentrate, which may cause injuries and lack of knowledge in school. This dilemma has been around for years and years in the United States. Schools should start later to avoid this dilemma because it provides students with more time to sleep and an efficient work-and-rest

Most teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Anyone who wants to succeed at what they are do must have the right amount of sleep. Unfortunately, many teens do not get enough sleep. Therefore, school should start later for teenagers. Heath professionals and sleep researchers have stated that starting school early is harming children in many ways. Lack of sleep can cause major heart diseases, diabetes and much more. Many studies show that sleeping less than 5 hours a night increases the risk of death from all causes by about 15 percent. When implemented, the solution would benefit the students and teachers. Both the students and teachers would be energized, and ready for their day. Continuing on, the time schedule

In many districts, elementary and high schools start classes at about the same time each day. However, the students that attend these schools have very different sleep needs because they are at different stages in their development. Scientific research has shown that high schools should start classes later to address the major problems created by sleep deprivation among teenagers. By doing so, the health and learning abilities of adolescents would greatly improve.

Some parents may argue that having a later school start time won’t get teens any more of this precious sleep. In fact, according to NPR, only 40% of parents asked thought that their kids would get more sleep at night. But what many people seem to forget is the fact that when a child reaches puberty, their circadian rhythms (bio-clocks) shift. This unconsciously inclines them to stay up later, and wake up later. A later start time wouldn’t mean kids/teens would go to bed earlier, but it would at least give them a chance to get those hours in if they do. Dr. Judith Owens, director of Sleep MED. Clinic at the Children’s National MED. Cent. in Wash. D.C. says teens are daily asked to be fully awake, alert, and ready to learn at the time in their 24-hour bio-clock where alertness is at it’s

Research shows that sleep is a necessity for everyone, especially teenagers. When starting school a little later, students can get at least 2-3 hours of extra sleep. With a 7 hour day at school, a couple of hours of homework, studying, and after school activities, there is not much time for sleep. With the extra sleep, when students get to school, they would be focused and ready to learn! “A common belief is that adolescents are tired, irritable and uncooperative because they choose to stay up too late or are difficult to wake in the morning because they are lazy, a study noted. Educators tend to think that adolescents learn best in the morning and if they simply went to sleep earlier, it would improve their concentration” (Schaffhauser 2). For all of these reasons, it is very important for teens should sleep.

I think High School should start later. I think this for three reasons which are that students do not get enough sleep, grades will suffer, and students will not be motivated to learn. So I believe school should start later.

“It’s 6:00 a.m., the alarm blares loudly in my ear, I struggle to open my eyes and drag myself out of bed, I finally wake up, get ready, arrive at school, and before I know it, I am asleep in first period.” “Two out of three U.S. high school students sleep less than 8 hours on school nights (Yeager).” According to Dr. Robert, an associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School teens need at least nine hours of sleep. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep is crucial to be healthy and to function properly (Holohan). When teenagers reach a certain age, their bodies sleep cycles start to shift. Teenagers naturally want to fall asleep later and wake up later because of their bodies “inner clocks (Yeager).” Schools should start later in the morning because it can improve student’s academic performance, reduce teen car crash rates, and helps prevent emotional disorders.

Every parent wants the best education for their child. Every year parents from around the world send their children to private school, tutoring, and even after school lessons to help them learn as much as possible. Yet an often unseen method of educational improvement in this country is starting school at a later hour. At a period in their lives in which they naturally want to wake up later. Students are forced to wake up earlier than ever before. By moving the starting time for school students can see improvements in everything from grades, to attendance, to mental well being.

When my fifteen-year old cousin was in high school, she was required to jump out of bed as early as five-thirty in the morning in order for her to arrive to school on time. As a result, she did not receive an adequate amount of sleep daily, which led to her dozing off her classes; the lack of sleep in her high school years essentially reflected poorly on her school performance. Even though some people may argue that high school classes should not begin later in the day, there are several reasons that prove otherwise. First of all, later school times will allow students to receive a sufficient amount of sleep. Secondly, it will improve school performance for students, and lastly, teenagers will be more engaged in their education. Therefore,

Adolescents who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not engage in daily physical activity, suffer from depressive symptons, engage in unhealthy risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking tobacco, and using illicit drugs. (Schools Start Too Early) Therefore, if we can make the school start time later, then the students will have more time to sleep which is good for their health. Some people may argue that students can go to bed earlier so that they can still get enough sleep. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that adolescents have unique sleep rhythms that make it harder for them to go to sleep and wake up earlier than other people, so they issued a new policy statement recommending that middle and high schools start class no earlier than 8:30 a.m. (Strauss) Because of this unique sleep rhythm among teenagers, we need to delay school start time to give them time to get more sleep and a better health.