Why School Should Start Later

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Schools should start later in the morning, because it can improve student's grades and attendance. Around the age of 13 or 14, boys' and girls' circadian rhythms shift. This means that they start going to bed and waking up later than they had before, and they need more sleep overall. Making teens wake up early to go to school hurts them more than it helps them. It disrupts their sleep time and rhythm, so they're tired and not ready to learn. Amy Wheaton, the lead epidemiologist and author in the CDC's Division of Population Health said, "Getting enough sleep is important for students' health, safety, and academic performance. Early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need." A study done…show more content…
I know how stressful school can be, especially when you're tired. When you're tired, your work is sloppy and most of the time it won't make sense. It's also easier to get frustrated while doing your work if you haven't slept well. Things are harder to understand, and sometimes you will quit workings. This sloppy or undone work can effect your grades. In order to fix this problem, school should start later. 40 percent of U.S. high schools start before 8 a.m., according to Pediatrician's Academy. "A Review of South Carolina's K-12 Public Education Laws, Regulations, and Policies for Innovation and Flexibility", gives the rules on how long students must be in school, "The instructional day itself must be at least six hours 'or its equivalent weekly.'" To abide by this rule, schools should start at 8:45 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. This would mean that students would be in school for 6 hours and 45 minutes, excluding 30 minutes for lunch. This delay could effect many things. The University of Minnesota's Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement said, "... shifting the school day later in the morning resulted in a boost in attendance, test scores, and grades in math, English, science, and social studies. School's also saw a decrease in tardiness, substance abuse, and symptoms of depression. Some even had a dramatic drop in teen car

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