Should School Start Later Essay

Staying up until 1am to finish math homework and studying for that huge history test next class is pretty routine for some teens. Juggling school, sports, a social life, and other extracurriculars is tough, and teens are already in a critical period in their life. It is the time period in which teens grow and learn the most, and sets them up for a bright future. Staying healthy both mentally and physically is imperative, and sleep is probably the most important. Schools starting as early as 7am limits a teen’s potential. If schools were to start later, the benefits would be endless. Schools starting later improves both physical and mental health of students, keeps the individual and those around them safer, and improves students performance in school and sports.

If we start school later then kids test scores will increase, they wont fall asleep in class and they would get the appropriate amount of sleep. According to upfrontmagazine.com, nNew research suggests that later high school starts have widespread benefits. Sleep experts at the university of Mminnesota studied eight high schools before and after the moved to later start times. They found that the later start time, the better off students were on measures like mental health, car crash rates, attendance, and in some schools, grades and standerized test scores. This is an accurate example because it comes from sleep experts at the university of minnesota that have actually studied this topic. With later starting time you’ll have more time to sleep and will be able to pay attention in class so you can get that good grade.

Sleep deprivation leads to serious consequences for academic achievement. Teens who get more sleep are proven to do better. Considering 59% of eighth graders get less than the recommended sleep time, that is not good. According to a psychologist named James Mass, a leading sleep expert “ 95% of teenagers are like walking zombies.” Kids are not going to do their best in school if they are half asleep. Sleep enhances learning, creativity, helps fight infections, fuel growth and balance mood. Without being able to have those abilities students will not be as creative or engaged as they would if they got the recommended sleep time for their age. So to have better academic achievement middle school start times need be later.

Going to bed at 2:00 in the morning and waking up at 6:30 AM to go to school is a nightmare for anyone. Unfortunately, this situation is far too common in today’s schools. But have you ever wondered how insufficient sleep affects your everyday life? Schools must start later. With early start times thwarting students’ health and safety, adolescents needing more sleep in general, and teens having trouble sleeping early, later start times are essential.

Later start times will have a better increase on student’s learning throughout the day. “Despite the lack of data, there is a growing concern that children, and especially adolescents, are not getting enough sleep they require to be at their best in school, or work, or in the community” (Wahlstrom 46). This is a good reason for why times need to be pushed back so students can have an easier day to learn being more awake to learn. Teenagers need about 9 to 9 ½ hours of sleep each night. With school starting at 7:45 o’clock each morning, along with the amount of homework

    While many parents believe that students attentiveness is low because of laziness and their unwillingness to work, it might actually be because students aren’t sleeping.  According to “Despite Proven Benefits, Starting School Later Remains a ‘Tough Sell’,” it says,”The teenage body is nocturnal,” adds Dr. Denise Pope of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education and co-founder of Challenge Success. “Their circadian rhythms are different from adults. So even starting school at 8:30 can make a

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

If we were to start school later, academic GPA’s (grade point averages) would definately increase. Isn’t this what we want in our school? It is proven that the more sleep you get, the more awake and alert you actually are. I interviewed Michael Claffey, a sophomore at Newington High School, he stated “ Goooooud.” Also Jorge Premto a sophomore at Newington High School stated “Yes Michael, yes I do believe school should start at nine o’clock am. This will thus help further my education because I will be well rested.” In all, we need school to start later because it will help us with our education.

A big reason school’s may enjoy having a later start time, is because it can contribute to the school’s success. A later start time can improve the school’s overall test scores (Why We Must - and Can - Restore Safe & Healthy School Hours). Students can learn their best when they are not tired or drowsy. The School Start Later — Healthy Hours campaign stated that, “Academic improvements have been shown, and overall school climate has been measurably improved when high schools have restored later start times,” (Why We Must - and Can - Restore Safe & Healthy School Hours). The sleep researcher mentioned earlier, Wendy Troxel, said in her presentation that when kid’s are woken up by an alarm, they are literally robbed of their dreams. Dreams are associated with learning development. In order for student’s to use the most of their brains, they need to be receiving the right amount of good quality sleep. Not only do test scores rise, but so does the graduation rate, which is a major problem in today’s generation (Why We Must - and Can - Restore Safe & Healthy School Hours). In contribution to the student success, later start times could drastically improve the school’s success. Later start times have increased attendance around

It is often said that the early bird gets the worm, but that is not the case for school start times. Many schools across the country have adolescents wake up in the wee hours of the morning to get ready and go to school. Evidence from complete studies suggests that teenagers are seriously sleep deprived. Waking up so early is not always beneficial, although some people do believe that it is efficient. School start times should be later because it improves adolescents’ health and academic performance, and it can increase the safety of the community.

Do you ever wake up and feel like you haven’t gotten enough sleep? The reason is because in reality you probably haven’t. Studies show that schools should not start any earlier that 8:30 in the morning due to teens suffering from sleep deprivation. There are many negative effects this condition can have on a teens body including a direct effect on one’s physical and mental health, public safety and excelling in the future. In the Ted Talk video, " Why school should start later for teens" by, Wendy Troxel.  Ms. Troxel explained why school should start later for teens.. Students are very drowsy in the morning and are usually rushing to get to school on time which limits breakfasts times and healthy food options. Schools should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.  for several reasons  but sleep deprivation is  the most important. Sleep deprivation can cause a direct effect to a child’s general health and behavior, public safety and potentially future success.

Early rise times of school has a negative effect on student’s performances. Schools need to start later to give students, especially teenage students more time to sleep. From hormones to more responsibilities, teenagers need eight hours of sleep for a healthy life style and to be able to function during the day. By schools starting later it allows students to function better in school, which improves grades, behavior, and work

“Chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is one of the most common – and easily fixable – public health issues in the U.S. today.” quoted from the AAP. School districts all over the country have battled with sleepy teenagers: starting school times later will help the tiresome teens. Doing so will overall improve academic performance, symptoms from stress and depression, and engagement in unhealthy risk behaviors.

Most teens today aren't getting the required 8-10 hours of sleep because of schools starting the day before 8 a.m. Teens brains don’t wake up until 8 a.m. which is becoming detrimental to them learning new material. Their brains won’t remember most of what the teachers are teaching them because they’re not awake. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Teens average fewer than 7 hours per school night by the end of high school, and most report feeling tired during the day.” If the school start times were to be later, teens would be getting a better night’s rest and the required amount of sleep for them to function throughout the school day.

There are many pros and cons to changing the start time of schools. For example, pushing the school start time to a later hour, would supposedly increase the amount of sleep teenagers get at night. It is also said to increase participation, attendance, and grades. However, by changing the start times of school, it would create an inconvenience to parents and staff, it would force the school to remain open longer for sports practices, and create higher expenses overall. The reason teenagers are tired in the morning is due partly to their late sleep times. It has been scientifically proven that a teenagers internal body clock is set to begin getting drowsy around 11pm at night, which would not allow for the recommended nine and a quarter hours of sleep a night. Some scientist argue that pushing back the start of school would not help students get more sleep, but instead would only allow them to stay up even later, or would limit the amount of sleep even more due to the amount of homework that is given to them throughout their high school careers.