Later School Start Time Improves Grades?
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Education, Good Decisions, Science
I think I speak for all the teenagers in the world when I say, “Let’s do it!”
Research shows that teenagers’ body clocks are set to a schedule that is different from that of younger children or adults. This prevents adolescents from dropping off until around 11 p.m., when they produce the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and waking up much before 8 a.m. when their bodies stop producing melatonin. The result is that the first class of the morning is often a waste, with as many as 28 percent of students falling asleep, according to a National Sleep Foundation poll. Some are so sleepy they don’t even show up, contributing to failure and dropout rates. [...]In 2002, high schools in Jessamine County in Kentucky pushed back the first bell to 8:40 a.m., from 7:30 a.m. Attendance immediately went up, as did scores on standardized tests, which have continued to rise each year. Districts in Virginia and Connecticut have achieved similar success. In Minneapolis and Edina, Minn., which instituted high school start times of 8:40 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. respectively in 1997, students’ grades rose slightly and lateness, behavioral problems and dropout rates decreased.
Later is also safer. When high schools in Fayette County in Kentucky delayed their start times to 8:30 a.m., the number of teenagers involved in car crashes dropped, even as they rose in the state.
Again, I’m convinced. Let’s get the wheels rolling.
No, but seriously, this makes sense for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that it feeds into my belief that just because we’ve always done it one way does not mean that’s the right way. In the end, if such a small change can help us get our kids a little bit smarter, then why not?
This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 and is filed under Education, Good Decisions, Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
January 14th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
This isn’t the first time this bit of common sense has come to light and yes, it actually is about time that more school districts pay attention and do something about the unrealistically early start times for high school. Can we get rid of the too long summer vacation while we’re at it, the primary result of which is a nice long period in the beginning of the school year where everyone, especially the students, are just trying to get back in the rhythm of things?
January 14th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I couldn’t agree more.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:12 am
They’ve wanted to do this in my hometown for quite a while… but they haven’t because it would mean less time for after-school sports, which in rural New Hampshire is more important to a some residents than academics.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I suggested this to our principal last year, but was told that the other parents wouldn’t like it because someone has to stay home to get the kids ready, and they would be late to work. This didn;t make much sense then, and even less now that I think more about it.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I definetly would approve a later school time. I have two kids and one teen. My teen can barely keep up with school and homeowork at the same time.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I’m 17 and can barely get enough sleep. With a job, homework, and after school sports it’s difficult. High school is tough to concentrate at times. SCHOOL SHOULD START AT A LATER TIME!!! && A.S.A.P.
February 28th, 2008 at 8:38 am
Yes i do believe that school should start at a later time! I go to a school in Sidney Ohio and most kids at my school wake up at 6a.m just to get ready my school starts at 7:40 and i believe we should start at at least 8:30 9 clock then maybe or school will get better grades so yes i belive for middle schoolers we should have a diffrent time to get to school and i’m 13 and onlt get about 6 hours of sleep a night so ya
February 28th, 2008 at 10:01 am
When I was a young’in school started at 4:30 am. I had to get up at 3:30 am and walk, often in the snow, in my converse tennis shoes to the school house…yes, up hill both ways.
Quit your belly-aching and learn to get up in the morning…damn hippie kids. If you don’t like it try getting a job.
Liberals bitch and complain about the lack of fund for public schools and then they treat it like some sit-in.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:20 am
school should start later, why you ask?
because i need sleep i feel very tired in the morning. and i would like to sleep in more until maybe 9:15? my school starts at 8;00am