High school students need an average of eight hours of sleep every night, and for the majority of these students, this is almost impossible. When teenagers begin maturing, the “circadian timing system,” located in the brain, makes it to where they go to sleep and wake up at later times (Boergers 5). “More than two thirds of high school students do not get enough sleep,” said by Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft (812). The article by Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft also states, “...the proportion of students who get enough sleep has remained approximately 31% since 2007” (811). More factors contributing to their sleeping habits are early school start times, electronic devices, high amounts of homework, jobs, and any after-school activities (Boergers 5). Wheaton,
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Only a few high schools across the nation have altered the start times. According to the 2011-2012 school year census, the states that have zero percent of schools starting around 8:30 or later are Hawaii, Mississippi, and Wyoming (Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft 809). In contrast, the states that have a majority or schools that begin around 8:30 or later are Alaska and North Dakota, with Alaska having 76.8% and North Dakota having 78.5% (Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft 809). The article written by Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft also states, “Overall, only 17.7% of public schools (with an estimated total enrollment of 4.2 million), started school at 8:30 a.m. or later (810). The average school start time for the state of Texas, according to the “Public School Data File,” is 8:05 in the morning. Having a later school start time could drastically improve a student’s overall performance. Boergers states that, “...studies have shown that starting schools later not only helps students get more sleep, but also confers a number of important associated benefits related to health, safety, academic performance, and quality of life” (6). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) admitted to the benefits of later starting times (Boergers 6). An example of a benefit is in Lexington, Kentucky. The car crash rate decreased by about 16.5% after pushing back the start time by an hour (Boergers 6). Unfortunately for the students, only one in six public schools changed times (Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft 812). School starting times could be changed by even twenty minutes, and it could make a huge
Only a few high schools across the nation have altered the start times. According to the 2011-2012 school year census, the states that have zero percent of schools starting around 8:30 or later are Hawaii, Mississippi, and Wyoming (Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft 809). In contrast, the states that have a majority or schools that begin around 8:30 or later are Alaska and North Dakota, with Alaska having 76.8% and North Dakota having 78.5% (Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft 809). The article written by Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft also states, “Overall, only 17.7% of public schools (with an estimated total enrollment of 4.2 million), started school at 8:30 a.m. or later (810). The average school start time for the state of Texas, according to the “Public School Data File,” is 8:05 in the morning. Having a later school start time could drastically improve a student’s overall performance. Boergers states that, “...studies have shown that starting schools later not only helps students get more sleep, but also confers a number of important associated benefits related to health, safety, academic performance, and quality of life” (6). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) admitted to the benefits of later starting times (Boergers 6). An example of a benefit is in Lexington, Kentucky. The car crash rate decreased by about 16.5% after pushing back the start time by an hour (Boergers 6). Unfortunately for the students, only one in six public schools changed times (Wheaton, Ferro, and Croft 812). School starting times could be changed by even twenty minutes, and it could make a huge