Should teens start school later in the day?

Should teens start school later in the day?

Later school start times support the biological needs of adolescents; they increase the amount of sleep adolescents get. Other benefits of later start times include: Improved attendance at school. Decreased tardiness.

Would it be better if schools started later in the morning?

If schools start later in the morning, students can get more efficient sleep during the night. Kids and teenagers should get around eight to ten hours of sleep a night. With homework and other things, they tend to stay up later to complete it. Kids will be in a much better mood, and they will be excited to be in class.

Why is starting school later bad?

Early school start times do not just affect mental ability and mood. They also have an impact on physical health. Sleep deprivation increases the risk for diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Researchers believe that a lack of sleep alters hormone levels and puts additional stress on the body.

Why teen brains need a later start time?

At the onset of puberty, nearly all humans (and most mammals) experience a delay of sleep timing in the brain. Medical researchers have also found that sleep patterns of younger children enable them to rise early and be ready for learning much earlier than adolescents.

What are the cons of school starting later?

Disadvantages of Starting Late

  • School districts will face administrative and operational pressures.
  • It becomes difficult to schedule sports practice and extra-curricular activities.
  • A late start time will disrupt parents’ schedules.
  • Starting later in the day will affect time available for after-school tutoring.

Why do schools start so early?

Theoretically, the reason schools start so early is to accommodate working parents’ schedules, a consideration that became particularly important when women began entering the workforce in droves in the later decades of the 20th century. The California senate’s legislative analysis explains: “…

What time should a 14 year old go to bed?

If allowed to sleep on their own schedule, many teens would get eight hours or more per night, sleeping from 11 p.m. or midnight until 8 or 9 a.m., but school start times18 in most school districts force teens to wake up much earlier in the morning.

Why are high schools starting later to help Sleepy teens?

To help sleepy teens, some school districts have tried delaying the opening of the high school day. Educational researcher Kyla Wahlstrom, from the University of Minnesota, has been following districts that changed their start times, tracking the effect on schools and students.

Why are high schools starting later in the morning?

The districts say the new start times benefit students, making them more alert and ready to learn. Most high schools begin their day around 7:30 a.m., which leaves many teenagers nodding off in the morning.

When do teenagers fall asleep in the morning?

Most high schools begin their day around 7:30 a.m., which leaves many teenagers nodding off in the morning. In fact, at least 20 percent of high school students fall asleep in class on a typical day. The problem: Teenagers need a lot of sleep — about nine hours each night, experts say. And most of them aren’t getting enough.

Where are the schools that are starting later?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 80 school districts around the country have now made the change to start their high schools later. These districts range from large, urban school districts, such as Minneapolis and Denver, to suburban districts, such as Jessamine County in central Kentucky.