High School Start Time Essay

918 Words2 Pages

Sean Black Black 1
Research and Writing
Professor Matz
10/5/17
Essay #2 What is the perfect American High School start time? That is one of the most debated education topics in the world today. The average American high school starts at 8am with some going as early as 7:15am start time. Some people like the early start times, others want schools to start around 8-8:30. Coming from a high school where classes start at 8:35, I believe that an 8:30 start time and a 2:15 day in terms of time is perfect for American High Schoolers. Later start times increase sleep, improves grades and improves health and athletic performance.
The new normal for high school teenagers is to stay up late at night and wake up early …show more content…

A later start gives students a longer attention span and a better morning. In addition, schools with later start times have higher attendance rates, at schools with early start times many students sleep anyway during school, so they don’t even bother to show up because they skip class to take a quick nap in their car or just leave school all together and just go home. Additionally, with the high standards for getting into college nowadays, it is necessary to get good grades. Many high schools in Kentucky and Minneapolis made the change to a later start time and their attendance and test scores immediately rose, in addition to the raised attendance and test scores, the schools also experienced less failure and dropout rates. A senior at Fairview High School in Boulder, CO describes it best: “I know personally on days where I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep I don’t perform well on tests. I don’t perform as well in music or my performances. There are a lot of things that can be helped with a little extra sleep in the morning”. Also for the 1997-1998 school year, the University of Minnesota conducted a study on Minneapolis high schools. Their starting times were changed from 7:15 to 8:40. The results of this change were obvious. Teachers reported that students were more alert during the first two periods of the day and that attendance improved by five percent.

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