Should School Start Time Help Students Achieve Greater Success? Essay

Students,especially students who drive to and from school are also at risk of more car crashes because of sleep deprivation. Additionally getting good sleep is important to maintaining good health,staying awake and alert, and working at peak performance. Although students can simply sleep earlier, many need that time to study and complete homework, with a later start time students can get their homework down and get a sufficient amount of sleep.”According to this research, the ideal amount of sleep for the average teenager falls between 8.5 and 9.5 hours a night, and teenagers who receive adequate sleep benefit from better physical and mental health, safety, and academic performance. It also revealed that puberty causes a “phase delay” in teenagers, which shifts the time that teenagers fall asleep back by two

Sleep deprivation is a growing problem in today’s society. It affects students who need to wake up for school in the early hours in the morning. Scientists and doctors say that schools should change their start times to later in the morning to allow students to attain the eight to ten hours of sleep needed to perform to the best of their ability with their academics as well as their athletics. Some school districts have taken this information into account, and in result changed their schools hours. While this can resolve some troubles regarding sleep deprivation in teen students, changing hours can raise other problems. In some cases, it may also not fix the problem and students will continue to stay awake into late hours of the night. This also does not allow the student to accept the consequences of staying up late. Starting school later in the morning could also affect after-school activities such as sports and clubs.

As a result of a changing body and mind, adolescent sleep cycles have different needs than those of adults or younger children. As a matter of fact, Biologically, sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence -- meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm (“Teens”). In addition to biological change in sleep patterns, teenagers also tend to have eccentric sleep cycles. Obtaining less than healthy hours of sleep during the school week and then catching up on their sleep on the weekends. Most teenagers during the school week, do not get the suggested amount of sleep. In fact, according to a recent poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 80% of teenagers do not get the suggested amount of sleep of 9 hours on school nights (“School Start”). With changing bodies and minds, along with an increased amount of schoolwork and extracurricular activities, teenagers need more sleep than children of a younger age. Experts believe that moving back the start time of school for high school students will improve grades, test scores, and the overall health and personality of many students.

Students hate getting up so early for school. Right? Teenagers on average need at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night. A two thousand twelve study shows that students who start school an hour later than usual saw their math scores on standardized tests increase an average of 2.2 percent. When students are able to get the sleep they need, they are able to get up and make it to school on time. Also when students get the sleep needed, they not only are able to make it to school on time but it gives them the sleep they need to be able to function which improves academically. High School start times should start later because it allows more sleep for teenagers, increases attendance and improves academically.

Starting school later can make student's academic performance improve. ”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.”(Why Schools Should Start Later In The Morning). This is probably due to the fact that students learn better when they are awake. If starting school a few hours later can improve test scores and learning, why not do it? Instead of sleeping in class, students will be learning.

Although many are used to the early morning school times, studies have shown that it would be beneficial for students if school were to start later. Students would be able to gain sleep, and in return they would improve academically (5 Pros). Furthermore, student depression rates would have a significant decrease because more sleep is linked to lower depression and anxiety rates. In addition to all of these arguments, there could also be a possible decrease in morning car collisions that sleep deprived teens are involved in (Holohan). Not only will students be excelling academically, but they will also have better mental health, as well as improved moods (Sleep). These are just some of the ideas to consider when deciding on whether or not school should begin at a later time.

Sleep deprivation in teens is a growing concern in America. Teens should be getting eight to twelve hours of sleep a night, yet many are getting seven or less (Orr). This lack of sleep affects their thinking, their driving, their mood, their behavior, and their future health. External and internal factors contribute to insufficient sleep. Suggestions such as enforced bedtimes and less media exposure can only help a little. On the other hand, allowing teens to sleep-in on a daily basis could be a great benefit. Schools in America start early in the morning. In a survey of forty schedules posted on the Internet from high schools across the country, 48% started at 7:30 AM or earlier, whereas only 12% started between 8:15 a.m. and 8:55 a.m. (Millman 1776). Besides robbing teens of four to seven hours of sleep per week, this schedule works against their natural sleep cycle. School start times need to be made later to help teens get the amount of

While some people believe starting school before 9am makes it easier on parents schedules, studies have proved that starting later would improve teenager health and performance. That’s because when kids and teenagers obtain the sleep they need, they are able to accomplish more satisfactory tasks and carry a better and healthier life. While some of these schedules aren't ideal, they all give students a chance for healthier sleep than the typical American middle or high school.

Many of high school students are tired of getting up early for school, and there are many reasons behind that. We, the students, feel that being tired slows down our learning process. If school were to start later, every student would get their desired sleep and be ready for the day ahead. Even when the students go to bed early, they’re still too tired, and it’s extremely difficult to learn anything at all, especially if you’re not in the most thrilling of classes. Hanover Research stated that students who get more sleep shown a significant rise from mood and alertness to fewer automobile accidents and engagement in high risk behavior.*

When adolescents receive an adequate amount of sleep, their memory improves substantially, leading them to perform better on school assignments such as projects, quizzes, and tests. Furthermore, when youngsters are able to follow their natural sleep clocks, their brains are more likely to understand and comprehend material that is taught to them during class, which will result in them receiving higher grades on assignments. A study conducted at Harvard University showed that adolescents who received at least eight and a half hours of sleep were fifty percent more likely to earn all A’s during the school year than teenagers who only received around six to seven hours of sleep. Therefore, delaying school start times will allow teenagers to show their true academic potential. Even though some people may argue that high school start times do not need to be delayed in order for students to perform well in school, adolescents are more likely to be determined to work hard and obtain better grades when they sleep sufficiently. In addition to the drastic improvement on school performance, students will also be more engaged in their education with later start

When it comes to school, teenagers are sort of like sleepwalkers. The academic structure needs to be acknowledged as a reason for why students are so tired when it comes to their performance level in school. It takes a bit of a toll on them being that their regular sleeping patterns are changed and interrupted due to an “early wake up”. Sleeping patterns change as we get older cause of our energy change, but the patterns can also reverse once we’ve reached a certain age limit being that our bodies have went and been through so much physical labor/activities. Studies have shown that students who don’t get enough sleep at night, or going to bed at a later time, is a result of them knowing that they have to get up early to go to school. Every

In contrast, starting late possesses ample positive effects. First of all, obtaining more sleep improves overall performance in school. “Delaying school start times by one hour, from roughly 7:30 to 8:30, increases standardized test scores by at least 2 percentile points in math and 1 percentile point in reading” (“THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL START TIMES…”). If students are more alert because of increased sleep, classroom performances will improve, which will benefit the school as a whole. Not only will grades increase, schools will be able to save money with a later start. According to Houston, 30 percent of transportation costs will be saved. All of this extra money could be free to spend on learning, which will, in turn, benefit students academically. Secondly, students will not be rushed in the morning, which will reduce the number of tardies and absences. According to “Impact of School Start Time on Student Learning”, principals noted that students were less likely to skip first period and their overall attitudes toward school improved.

A study at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement showed that adolescents “internal clocks” or hormones that control the sleep schedule are released at different times of the day than those of other age groups. Thus, it is more difficult for a teen to go to bed early in the evening than an adult. In a study, Mary Carskadon, Brown University researcher, studied adolescent sleeping habits and found that 10th-graders who were making the switch to a 7:20 a.m. start time, about an hour earlier than their schedule as ninth-graders. Despite their new schedule, the students went to bed at about the same time as they did the year before: 10:40 p.m. on average. This results in only 5-6 hours of sleep (depending on the time it takes for the student to get ready and travel times), as opposed to the recommend 8.5-9.5. This lack of sleep can cause a decrease in average grades, higher rates of obesity, depression, motor-vehicle accidents among teens and an overall lower quality of life. This depicts the need for high schools to start later in the

With so much emphasis placed on education for a better future, it is important that students do well and make the most of it to succeed. Although, it would be utterly difficult to do so if students are sleep-deprived and too tired to concentrate. This is why school starting times should be delayed. Teenagers often face criticism for staying up late as the reason for being sleep-deprived, but this isn’t always the case. Generally speaking, several factors determine the structure of a teenager’s sleep cycle. Furthermore, postponing school start times have been shown to have various benefits besides allowing students to get extra rest. Health benefits, academic success, and reduced tardiness, truancy and dropout rates are all linked to the postponing

It is estimated that only 15 percent actually get these amounts (Kids Suffer from Sleep Deprivation). This is particularly important for students who wish to do well in school. Dr. Carl Hunt, the director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, is spearheading a sleep campaign. Her philosophy is, “Sleep well, do well.” This is something that shouldn’t be taken to lightly. Sleep problems effect about 70 million Americans of all ages. Teens often have problems with daytime sleepiness. The old idea of early to bed, early to rise isn’t necessarily the best answer. Society is simply asking to much of teens (Sleep experts to teens). A combination of school, work, study and leisure, leaves very little time left for sleep. Being deprived of sleep definitely has an effect on how well students do in school and may be putting their health at risk. College students who stay up all night to study for a test or write a big paper that’s due often have no choice because of the pressures to do well and succeed, but at what price do they pay?