Persuasive Article On Later School Start Times

In the persuasive article, "Adolescent Sleep, School Start Times, and Teen Motor Vehicle Crashes," located in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, published in 2008, Barbara Phillips and Fred Danner explain the scientific investigations found from instituting later school start times. Phillips and Danner's account argues that early school start times decrease the amount of sleep adolescents receive each night; as a result, the amount of sleepiness among adolescents during the day increases. Within the article, Phillips and Danner further argue that this sleep deprivation among adolescents directly correlates to an increased risk of students getting into car crashes throughout the day. Presented to the audience throughout the article are

According to the National Sleep Foundation, "Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best" ("Teens and Sleep"). Phillips and Danner's research shows that not one grade level surveyed averaged more than 7.8 hours of sleep when having early school start times. This knowledge allows the reader to view later school start times with a positive outlook. By using purely informative information backed up by research, the authors allow the article to gain credibility while proving to the reader that the information being presented is accurate. As a result, the audience is more inclined to believe the argument being presented. In addition, this fact-based information adds to the overall effectiveness of the

The authors briefly describe the research found from the completed survey that portrayed how the crash rate in the county decreased after moving to a later school start time. Based off these findings, the authors proceed to persuade the reader to feel as though there is a simple and obvious solution. The authors then leave many readers agreeing with the proposed change after explaining that these driving accidents could reduce significantly by starting school later. In addition, when influenced by the authors' heavy emotional writing techniques, the logic behind delaying school start times appears like a beneficial and convenient solution to the problem. Also, mentioning the tragic and somber topic of teen vehicle crashes caused by drowsy driving leads to an emotional appeal within the reader because the majority of society can relate to a similar