Start Time In High School Essay

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It has become troublesome and confusing to me as to why our local school district would require children in intermediate school (10 to 12 years old) to start school at 7:40 a.m. Please note that this is their start time and doesn’t include their actual wake up time, prep time and travel to school. As I began to research this more in depth I was stunned to find the numerous effects and potential effects in relation to academics, physiological and the emotional distress it could have on students. My wife and I also reached out to other students’ parents and became even more intrigued as that they shared the same concerns and problems they recently were seeing in their own children. I honestly believe when something becomes more personal …show more content…
Teens getting less than eight hours of sleep reported significantly higher depression symptoms, greater use of caffeine, and are at greater risk for making poor choices for substance use. Academic performance outcomes, including grades earned in core subject areas of math, English, science and social studies, plus performance on state and national achievement tests, attendance rates and reduced tardiness show significantly positive improvement with the later start times of 8:35 AM or later. Finally, the number of car crashes for teen drivers from 16 to 18 years of age was significantly reduced by 70% when a school shifted start times from 7:35 AM to 8:55 AM.” Wahlstrom, K., Dretzke, B., Gordon, M., Peterson, K., Edwards, K., & Gdula, J. (2014). Examining the Impact of Later School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study. Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. St Paul, MN: University of

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