Argumentative Essay: Should Middle School Start Later?

Decent Essays
“Classes before 8:30am threatens children’s health, safety, and academic performance”according to www.npr.org. This is the case at many middle schools across the US. Some people say that Middle school start times should stay the same, some say move it earlier, but many people say that middle schools should start later. Middle school classes should start later than they do now because sleep affects performance in education, sleep helps boost mood and lowers anxiety, sleep deprived students are more prone to error.
Students who sleep in perform better academically. Research shows that students who sleep later do better in school. This is because their brains are better rested and re-charged for the new day. In addition, students who sleep in

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Should School Start Later?

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Even though some say that with the extra time to sleep students won’t be studying as much, many studies show just the opposite. Information shows that test scores significantly rise when students get the correct amount of sleep. O’Neill says, “One 2012 study found that middle schoolers’ test scores rose in reading and math,” (O’Neill 20). From this quote, it is definite that when school starts later, school performance improves. Additionally, some more research shows that when school began at 8:35, grades in almost all subjects rose.…

    • 1164 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Which in turn will help them with their grades. In the article Written by Amanda Macmillan states “Center for disease control and prevention (CDC) … Middle school and High school students are allowed to wake up later in the morning,They’ll be more focused during the day.”. When kids are more focused it can help them with grades and be able to pay attention and learn, instead of sleeping and being grumpy in class.…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “Our Kids need more sleep”, by Valerie Erde, it is explained that children need more sleep to do well in school. It has a couple of studies that say that children with more sleep do better in school, and are more alert in general. I completely agree with the author. I feel that if middle to high school students were allowed more time to sleep, it would improve most aspects of their life during school days. I know for sure that on the weekends, when I sleep in, I am in an all around better mood, and I am alert and ready for the day.…

    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Later school start times have students that have better grades than other schools that start later. Schools have overall improved academic performance by starting later and having well rested students. They work better because being well rested can make students more aware and have more energy. Also sleep deprived students make more errors in school work than well rested people.…

    • 532 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Have you ever woke up in the morning still sleepy, but still have to go to school? I have. School should start later than their regular time. If school start later, you get to have more sleep than usual. Sleeping is important because you get to stay awake during the day with energy.…

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many schools in America start school earlier than 8:30 a.m, resulting in tired students, most generally teens. Here at The Preston High School the start time is 7:53 a.m. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2002 Sleep in America poll, 80% said high schools should start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. each day. Many students complain throughout the school day of being tired because there are getting less than the recommended 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep due to homework and extra-curricular activities. Later start times could improve mood, performance, attendance, and alertness in students.…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Studies show that “starting school later -even by half an hour- has major health and academic benefits”. Students who don't get enough sleep can be stressed. This causes…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Over 90 percent of teens are chronically sleep-deprived. Multiple researchers have seen that if you don’t get all that sleep you need those students are more likely to be overweight, to perform unwantedly academically, be anxious and have suicidal thoughts. Also Ziporyn Snider has said that it has been proven that later school start times have a lot better chance for kids to learn better.…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If students slept in a little then they would be more focus in class and not falling asleep, which would cause their grades to improve. Additionally, students would have the energy to learn and complete…

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Did you know that only one in every five middle and high schools start after 8:30 A.M, yet the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that middle and high schools start after 8:30 A.M. Students that don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not engage in daily physical activity, suffer from depressive symptoms, engage in unhealthy risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking tobacco, and using illicit drugs, and perform poorly in school. American Academy should start later because students are more likely to have bad things happen to them, and students cannot learn well when their brains are still asleep. Most students that don’t get enough sleep engage in things that are unhealthy. The CDC states that students who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not engage in daily physical activity, suffer from depressive symptoms, engage in unhealthy risk behaviors such as drinking, smoking tobacco, and using illicit drugs, and perform poorly in school. Students that got about nine hours of sleep are more likely to improve their health, mindset, and academic results.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Do you think that school should start later? I think school should start later. As a middle schooler, I see some students sleeping in class. I can tell that students aren’t getting enough sleep at night.…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    First of all, when a middle school student does not get enough sleep their grades could suffer. Starting school later means students would get more sleep. Sleep is a key part in academics because when a middle school student is very well rested, they get mostly “A’s and B’s” because they are not sleepy. Although the students who abuse the time change of school would be much more tired. Which could lead to worse grades.…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    After having quickly read the previous text there are a few areas that I did not see covered. Those being possible rebuttals that may come up and need to be addressed. Though more hours are needed is there any evidence that shows starting later would not simply lead to children, mostly teens, just using that extra time to stay up later playing video games and getting into more trouble with later awake times and nothing to occupy their time? If the parents are not putting them to bed on time now what makes them do it later? Then there are economic and environmental issues that are raised.…

    • 160 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Also, part of the reason why students don't get enough sleep is because they are up late studying. You can't expect students to come home from school, study, eat dinner, do their homework and then go to bed right away. Teenagers need to watch TV, talk to their friends, and run errands after school. We aren't machines; we need fun in our lives. With an extra hour of sleep, we will be refreshed and ready to learn for our first couple of classes.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If school starts later, students can have time in the morning to complete homework and to study. It incredibly benefits students with below-average test scores since they have an opportunity to study extra. Therefore, they can score higher and be less prone to failing. A sleep expert named Paul Kelley from the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford noticed an increase in test scores when school started later in the morning. School districts all over the US have seen the changes and have started to revise their school times and made them later therefore, students can improve and focus on their academics.…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays