To Keep Teenagers Alert Schools Let Them Sleep In Essay

First of all, kids will be more energized and be more academically advanced if school starts are pushed back. According to, “Should School Start Later” “Studies show that well rested teens get better grades, have higher standardized test scores, and miss fewer days of school. They also have a lower risk of being in car accidents and have fewer health problems such as depression, mood changes, and being overweight.” Many schools start before 7:45 a.m. and have tired students not putting forth their best efforts while 40 percent of American High Schools start classes past 8 a.m. The schools with later starts

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.

The drowsiness of adolescents contributes to over 100,000 crashes per year. Students being drowsy is from being sleep deprived from the early school start times and that is one of the reasons why they get no sleep. Schools shouldn’t be starting early in the morning because it affects adolescents mental and physical health, their academic performance and it doesn’t let them get the recommended amount of sleep.

Audience Relevance: Many of us are college students and young adults who are lacking sleep each night. It is not healthy to receive less than the amount we are supposed to each night. Each night, we are supposed to be getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep.

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.

High school students should have a later starting time in school due to students not getting the amount of sleep they need to function. Students that stay up late at night are way too tired to learn when they get to school early in the morning. Most students who do stay up late are unable to sleep due to melatonin not yet being produced. This shows that starting school at a later time would have many positive benefits. These benefits include higher test scores, increased attendance, more participation from students, and higher performance from athletes.

The first reason school should. not start at a later time is because there would be longer days which would cut down on time for extracurricular

To begin, starting school later can improve students’ health and safety. The CDC urges people to schools to start later, and they have solid reasons for it. Researchers from Minnesota University analyzed over 9000 high school students and discovered that altering the original start time to a later one improved attendance, test scores, grades in math, social studies, and English, and decreased tardiness, drug abuse, and depression. Sadly, over 75% of schools in over 40 states start before 8:30. Without a doubt, later start times have obvious benefits

One reason should start later is it helps you get better grades and be more alert. “Schools that have pushed start times to 8am, or later have seen promising results. Students are more alert and there are fewer incidents of tardiness.”(20) says Justin O’Neill, author of “Should School Start Later?”. Also, if school started later we would get more sleep.

2. Try to get the correct amount of sleep on school on nights. Teens need up 8-9 hrs of sleep. It's tough going to school fatigued.

Students need eight in a half to nine in a half hours of sleep each night but most students are only getting seven due to early start times. If High School was to start later that would allow more sleep for students which would increase their concentration in a class environment. When a student is able to concentrate they are able to focus on what their learning from their teachers and are able to take what they learning and put it on paper. Doing this allows students grades to increase because they are focused on what they need to know.

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.

Attention Getter: Did you know 40% of Americans or (100 million people) are moderately to severely sleep-deprived? Students in college are among the most sleep deprived out of them all. According to the (National Sleep Foundation 2011) 60% of college students are not rested during the day and 30% fall asleep in class at least once a week. The National Sleep Foundation also implies that adults 18 and older are supposed to sleep on average 7-9 hours each night.

The national sleep epidemic that has taken the world by storm is also taking a toll in not only teen’s health but also their performance in school as well as personal safety. The sleep deprivation that teens are experiencing everyday has caused many health problems as well as academic problems. I believe starting school later will hinder this ever growing teen sleep deprivation problem we face today. Letting teens sleep later is beneficial to their learning capacity as their heightened alertness improved their classroom performance as well as better memory and many other crucial achievements. So probably starting school later, but no later than eight thirty am, will lead students to perform better in school and their health will improve drastically.

We live in an age when many growing adolescents are constantly fighting their natural body clocks. It could potentially be one of the biggest issues facing our high school systems. Many school’s across America have started to push back their school start times. Is it worth it? The answer is yes. School should start later in order to unlock our nation’s high school potential.