The Importance Of After School Start Times

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.

Have you ever wondered about the effects that would be brought if school started later? At the moment, school clearly begins too early. This is a problem that is unquestionably bringing negative affects to many students. Many schools throughout the country are addressing this problem by considering school schedule changes including later start times for middle and high schools. Research indicates there are unfavorable effects to current school schedules, as well as well as positive effects to delayed start times. To best meet the needs of teens, school should start later.

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.

Research has shown that teenagers experience a change in the internal sleep clock so that waking up early and going to sleep early are difficult. Some people believe that high school classes should begin later in the day to better accommodate students’ natural sleep clocks. Waking up early can be a real struggle for teenagers. Most teens naturally sleep in until ten thirty or eleven on weekends. I do believe high school classes should start later because teens could sleep more naturally, it would give teenagers more time to do things in the mornings, and more sleep equals better

The school day should start later in order improve students’ mental health. Survey results have consistently indicated that middle level and high school students who start school at 7:15 a.m. or earlier obtain less total sleep on school nights due to earlier rise times in comparison to students at later-starting schools. () This is just the beginning of the negative impacts that early start times have on students. By starting school at a later time, students’ brains will function better, their grades and learning increases, and will be more mentally stable.

The first reason why school districts should not take part in late start time is because it's dangerous for kids. For example, later start times are dangerous because if the kids ride a bus they would have to go on a bus when it's dark. According to Michelle, the Executive director of Communication for the school districts she states “we would be having elementary kids at the bus stop early in the dark.” This quote shows that

Also, it will take away the opportunity for students to prepare themselves for early college classes in the future. As one mom states on her blog “If teens are going to school later and later, they won't train their bodies to go to sleep at a reasonable hour.  Training their bodies is something that will be useful to them in adult life,” (Grose). Some principles at school still do not believe that pushing back the school start do would be beneficial. They say it is because students only take into account school starting later and not having to stay in school for the same number of hours a day. Also, that children enjoy getting out at 2 or 3 pm because then they have time for extracurricular activities and do not have to miss school if they participate in a sport (Rasicot). People against later start times feel the problem solved could be solved instead by better teen discipline.

According to NPR.com, Scientists have proven that past a certain age, regardless of technology being in the bedroom, kids and teens can’t fall asleep until their brain lets them, for some children, that time might be after 10:30pm. Schools should have later start times because later start times positively affect standardized test scores, reduces teenage traffic accidents, and students are proven to have a better overall emotional well being, even though parent schedules may be a problem.. Schools should have later start time for middle school students, for the schools and the students well being.

In the article “Pediatricians Say School Should Start Later For Teens’ Health” it states,“...... a National Sleep Foundation poll found that 59 percent of middle schoolers and 87 percent of high schoolers are getting less than the recommended 8 ½ to 9 ½ hours of sleep a night. ”(Shute 2). Many people say that school start time is affecting students’ health.

How would you feel if your parent couldn’t take you to school or drive you to the bus because schools starts after they would already need to be at work? How would you like if practices or outside actives were cut short due to school start time? Schools began starting earlier in the 1990s. The average time schools start is 8:03 am. Only 17.7% of 39,700 public middle and high schools start at 8:30 am or later. I believe that the earlier start time is an advantage. With schools being a big advantage to help us plan for life, we need to make sure we use this precious time to learn. If school would start later there would be less time for outside activities and practices, your parent mostly likely couldn’t help you get ready in the morning and drive you to school because they would already be at work, and truly if school starts later, then most people would go to bed later.

I believe schools should move to a later start time. Starting later will be beneficial to teens. Starting time later will benefit teens because as they are growing and getting older they are requiring more sleep. First, teens require more sleep. For instance, teens require about 9.5 hours of sleep after puberty but only get 7.5 hours.

We need to make start times later because America has the most hours of lost sleep in the world. The UK is having the same problem. Due to schools early start times and kids trying to do their homework, sleep gets shortened. Also kids have to focus with distraction like tv,which may be why American and British lose an average of 10 hours of sleep per week. We must make school

Reasons supporting a later start time is that scientists say that starting school before 8:00 a.m. is not good for the health of the students. Research from countries around the world support that teenagers are healthier overall if they get their required amount of sleep. Sleep is essential for teens to grow and learn properly. Therefore students who get enough sleep do better in school.

Several high schools all around the United States start school before the recommended time of 8:30 or later and there is nothing being done to help prevent this. Although it seems that it is just a time, waking up too early is very detrimental, not only to teenagers, but people of all ages. According to Zuckerman from the National Center for Health Research, “By 2000, many high schools were starting at 7:30 or earlier”. Waking up at this earliest of times can lead to increased depression, drug use, obesity, conflict, and car accidents in the average teenager. Simply increasing the start time of school by a single hour can reduce the rate of the effects stated above by at least 70%. Also, according to Tlumacki and Vaznis from the Boston globe, “The CDC has joined a growing number of national organizations calling for later start times for both high school and middle school students. Those organizations

One of the reasons that school should be started later is because it does not give growing teens enough time to sleep. Sleep researcher, Wendy Troxel, who spoke on TED, says that high school aged kids’ sleep cycles do no start until 11 p.m and do not end until 8 a.m. This means that whenever students’ alarms go off from anywhere around 5-7:30 a.m, it simply does not