Armstrong 1

Cheyenne Armstrong

Mrs. Cramer

Composition I 6A

24 March 2017

"Dude, I'm So Tired"

"I only got like, three hours of sleep last night". This statement and variations of it are

said every day in high schools. A response to this statement might be, "Well, just go to sleep

earlier, dummy", but it is not always this easy. More and more American high school students do

not get the sleep they need and perform at a lower level because of this. Due to natural changes

in the teenage body and early school start times, this has become a more prevalent problem. In

order to ensure that teenagers get the rest they need to perform well in school, school start times

should reflect the sleep needs of the students for well-rested, better performing, and better

disposed students.

It may come as no surprise that the average high school student gets less than the

recommended amount of sleep for people their age. Why might this happen? It is obvious that

most high school students are tired, so why wouldn't they try to get more sleep?1 It has been

reported that 68% of high school students get less than the recommended amount of sleep for

their age group (Brastis). This is due to two causes, the biological change of the circadian rhythm

of teenagers, and early start times of schools. During and after puberty, hormonal changes in the

body interfere with the secretion of melatonin, the bodily chemical necessary for sleep to occur

1 Rhetorical Question: A question asked for a reason other than to obtain information; to
prove a point or bring attention to a topic
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(Edwards).2 Because of this, teens find it difficult to fall asleep before eleven o'clock. This

cannot change and is worsened by the fact that teens have difficulty waking up at the time they

need in order to get properly ready for school. Scientists suggest that classes should start no

earlier than 8:30 AM, to somewhat accommodate teens' wakefulness. Despite this, only 15% of

U.S. schools follow their reccomendation (Brastis). Taking into consideration time needed in the

morning to get ready, teens are waking up much earlier than their body can take and causing

hectic, rushed mornings. This lack of time in the morning by teenagers desperately trying to get

more hours in may cause students to skip breakfast. Without proper sleep and nutrition in the

morning, academic participation and success will suffer.

It has been proven that a lack of sleep is related to a decrease in cognitive performance,

which will ultimately catch up to students going about their school day (Edwards). A lack of

sleep in teens can contribute to high risks of depression, car accidents, and other performance

related problems (George). Early start times in school relate to the amount of tardies and

absences in school, oftentimes students sleep in and miss school, coming in at a later time in the

day (Edwards). Benefits that have been observed by delaying school start times include

decreases of disciplinary action, increased student attention, and a decrease in students sleeping

during class (Later). With a delay of time in the morning, the time at which school dismisses will

also be delayed. It has been said that students have too much free time after they get home from

school, of which they do not use productively (Edwards). If students get home at a later time,

they may use this time more constructively out of sheer need (Edwards).

2 Logos: Appeal to logic; a logical argument based on reason

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The relationship between the amount of sleep teens get and their performance in school is

prevalent. Finley Edwards has performed studies on multiple schools that have implemented

later start times. A school he studied in Wake County, North Carolina had delayed their start

times by one hour. He saw an average increase by 3 percent in math and 3 percent in reading on

standardized test scores (Edwards).3 While this may seem small, this is the average and the

increase in percentile is much larger for students who score lower (the ones who need the most

help and get the least sleep). There is a direct correlation between the amount of sleep that

teenagers get and how they score on tests. This is not to mention the emotional and psychological

improvements that may come along with better rested teens. Teens who get more sleep will be

better prepared to face the day ahead of them, boosting morale and perhaps leading to a stronger

desire to learn. Despite various benefits to adopting a later school start time, there are multiple

unintended consequences, but these can be resolved with cooperation and communication among

school districts.

Cons of pushing back the start time of the school day include problems with busing and

extracurriculars. Along with the delay in high school times, the other schools in the district may

have to change in order to accommodate this change. This could lead to confusion in the busing

system and the later arrival of children to their homes after school. With a later start time,

extracurriculars will consequently be extended. Despite the confusion that may happen,

numerous small school districts have been able to adopt later times and have found it feasible to

do so. With this decrease in time, extracurriculars may run more efficiently with the time they are

given. Another con of pushing school hours back is unforeseen costs that may plague a school

3 Ethos: appeal to ethics; presenting facts in a reliable way, a way in which the reader could
further research if needed
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after implementing this, One of the biggest roadblocks in adopting later start times is the extra

costs of buying more buses to accommodate the changes in schedules and hiring more bus

drivers. If a school wants to improve its student's test scores and save money on remedial classes,

delaying school start times is said to be the most "cost-effective" way of doing so.

All in all, schools should modify their start times to meet the needs of their students. Due

to the changes in a teens brain during puberty, melatonin, the chemical necessary for sleep, is

released at a later time so it is difficult for teens to feel sleepy before eleven. With this in mind,

they often do not get their recommended hours of sleep when the time comes to wake up for

school. The lack of sleep in students is related to performance issues such as low test scores and

a general lack of morale during the school day. Doctors have reviewed this and declared that

chronic sleep loss is the most easily fixable public health issue in the U.S. today (Brastis). In

order to fix this problem, scientists have suggested delaying school start times to accommodate

teenagers' need for sleep. With obstacles including traffic difficulties, this has not been widely

implemented, but small schools that have delayed their times have seen that the community

adjusts fairly quickly and the benefits outweigh the costs. With cooperation from the community

and the school districts, implementing a later school start time is feasible and would generally

boost the morale of students, lead to more academically successful schools, and lead to a better

daily life for our young people.

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Works Cited

Bratsis, Michael E. "The scientific case for starting high school later." The Science Teacher, Dec.

2014, p. 12. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A393518498/SUIC?

u=pl1949&xid=b663e204. Accessed 13 Mar. 2017.

Edwards, Finley. "Do Schools Begin Too Early?" Education Next. N.p., 25 Dec. 2016. Web. 13

Mar. 2017. <http://educationnext.org/do-schools-begin-too-early/>.

George, Donna St. "Debate over School Start times Flares Anew." The Washington Post. WP

Company, 01 Jan. 2017. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

<https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/debate-over-school-start-times-flares-

anew/2017/01/01/9c23de06-cd37-11e6-b8a2-8c2a61b0436f_story.html>.

"Later School Start Times Promote Adolescent Well-Being." APA. American Psychological

Association, n.d. Web. <https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/school-start-times.pdf>.