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Megan Antill

Professor Calhoun

ENG 1201.519

23 March 2019

School Should Start Later

As time goes on, evidence continues to pile up that it will benefit students to get

more sleep each night. The question of whether or not the start time of school should be

pushed back has been debated for years. Will an extra hour of sleep really make that

big of a difference? Is it worth the money and resources schools will have to provide to

make this new schedule work? The answer to these questions is yes. The overall

health, motivation, focus, and behavior of students improves with just an extra hour of

sleep. By pushing back the start time of school, students will benefit academically and

personally.

While more can be done to improve the start times of schools, some changes

have already been made. So far, schools in 45 states have pushed back the start time.

These schools report less stress for the students, as well as the teachers. Teachers

also inform that students are doing just as well, or better, in their classes with the start

time change. The main difference is that there is less stress for everyone involved.

While implementing this policy of later start times is said to cost the U.S. economy $83

billion over the next ten years, Marco Hafner, lead author of research published by the

RAND Corporation and RAND Europe, says that the hassle will be worth it. By enforcing

the later start time policy, there is a significant decrease in health concerns, such as
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rates of obesity and car crashes, due to sleeplessness. Along with this, there is also a

significant increase in graduation and attendance rates.

An essential question on this topic is, would pushing back the start time help

students with their academics? Multiple studies and trials have been conducted to prove

that it will. In an article called, “19 Should Start School Later in The Morning Pros and

Cons,” a list of pros and cons is provided. The author mentions that in 1998, Dr. Amy

Wolfson, Professor of Psychology at Loyola University and Dr. Mary Carskadon,

Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of

Brown University, found that students with grade averages of a C or under were getting

25 minutes less sleep than those with higher grade averages (Ayres). While 25 minutes

may not seem like a long amount of time to catch up on some sleep, for the students, it

could mean a difference between an A, B, or C as a final grade. The Sleep Foundation

also found that lack of sleep has the ability to, “Limit your ability to learn, listen,

concentrate and solve problems. You may even forget important information like names,

numbers, your homework…” (Sleep for Teenagers). If the ability to learn, listen,

concentrate, and solve problems is limited with less sleep, attending school would not

be same as it would be with a full ten hours of sleep the night before.

An additional study reported in the article, “Teens get more sleep, show improved

grades and attendance with later school start time researchers find,” written by James

Urton, tells of a study conducted in which two separate groups of sophomores were

examined on their sleeping patterns in correlation with their grades, before and after the

start time of school was pushed back. These 92 students were all enrolled in a biology
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class, in which the final grades were 4.5% higher for the students who took the class

after the start time was pushed back.

The Journal of Human Resources also released a passage concerning this topic

that shared similar results. The two authors stated, “... we find that moving start times

one hour later relative to sunrise increases test scores by .08 and .06 standard

deviations for adolescents in math and reading, respectively,” (Heissel and Norris). By

moving the start time back, students are able to focus more in the earlier classes, where

they used to drift off and become confused on the subject at hand. Kyla L. Wahlstrom

and her team found, through research on a school in Minnesota, that the later the start

time, the greater the academic benefits.

Along with these academic benefits, there is an effect on overall attendance at

schools. One of these studies conducted by Pamela McKeever, a professor at Central

Connecticut State University, and her colleague, Linda Clark found that the attendance

and graduation rates had both gone up significantly. The study was conducted within 29

schools, all of which pushed back the start times of school. The befores and afters of

graduation and attendance rates were compared and contrasted. The results being that

with the original start times average attendance rate was approximately 90%. After the

change in start time, the average attendance rate was approximately 94%. The results

also showed that the average graduation rate had also risen, from 79% to 88%

(Malatesta). While this information was crucial to the study, the question of whether or

not these results were due to student’s increase in sleep was still under investigation.

The conductors of the study relied on background information from another study, which
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involved the use of wrist monitors in order to establish that the students were still going

to bed at the same time and waking up at the later start time. In a year-long study Kyla

L. Wahlstrom examined student data by school and by grade level. After collecting all of

the necessary data she states, “​We found significant decreases in absences and

tardiness in all grades 9-12 in the school districts that had instituted the latest school

start times of 8:35 and 8:55 a.m. — in one district, there was a 66% drop in tardiness.”

Overall, with the start time being pushed back attendance and graduation rates

improved.

Researchers have found that 73% of students across 30 states within the U.S.

are not getting enough sleep (eight to ten hours). This number has increased since the

same study was conducted in 2009. With lack of sleep comes behavioral changes. Dr.

Dean Beebe, director of the neuropsychology program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Medical Center, found that for students who do not obtain enough sleep there could be,

“...problems regulating the ups and downs in their moods, leading to wider and more

rapid reactions to relatively minor events. Children who don’t get enough sleep also

don’t pay attention as well, are less likely to think before they act, and don’t seem able

to solve problems as well,” (Sleep problems may affect children’s behavior). Within this

same article, Dr. Jodie Mindell, Associate Director at the Sleep Center at the Children’s

Hospital of Philadelphia, tells the reader that children who do not get a sufficient night of

sleep are more prone to be overactive, noncompliant, anxious, and more withdrawn.

These issues do not just make the lives of the children more challenging, but also the
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lives of their parents. The unpredictable moods, constant changes in attitude, and

inability to comply to simple instruction make the job of a parent that much more difficult.

An article written in ​The Daily Universe​ delivered the message of another article

published in the ​Journal of Nature and Science of Sleep​. In this article ​Dr. Ronald D.

Chervin and Dr. Shelley D. Hershner explain that the, “...consequences of sleep

deprivation and daytime sleepiness ... can result in lower grade point averages,

increased risk of academic failure, compromised learning, [and] impaired mood,”

(Meredith). The majority of schools across the United States begin school before 8:30

a.m. Because the start of student’s days begins so early, they are more likely to have

daytime sleepiness and eventually this could lead to sleep deprivation.

With sleep deprivation comes a long list of side effects. An organization that

explains this thoroughly is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. An article on

their online site states that teenagers aged 13-18 who are not getting enough sleep are

more prone to be overweight, neglect daily physical activity, suffer from symptoms of

depression, engage in unhealthy risk behaviors, and perform poorly in school (Schools

Start Too Early). All of these factors could play negatively into the rest of student’s lives.

Furthermore, one of these factors, engaging in unhealthy risk behaviors was reported

by multiple sources. Elizabeth Malatesta, writer for NeaToday, also points out that

insufficient sleep in teens leads to, “an increase in car accidents, substance abuse,

suicide attempts, depression, even criminal activity.” So not only would changing the

start time of school to a later time affect the sleep schedule of the students, it could also

help prevent something dangerous from occurring in and out of the mind.
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A common argument to pushing the school start time back is, will the students

take advantage of the extra time by sleeping or will they choose to stay up later playing

video games and watching Netflix? While this is not a completely unreasonable

assumption, further studies show that teenagers may deserve more credit than this. A

paper, published in the journal ​Science Advances​, records results researchers at the

University of Washington and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found. Instead of

relying on the self-reported sleeping patterns from students, wrist monitors were used to

track the amount of sleep the students were getting before and after the change in start

time. Before the change in start time had been implemented, the median amount of

sleep the students were getting each night was about six hours and fifty minutes. After

the start time had been pushed back an hour, the median amount of sleep the students

were getting was about seven hours and twenty-four minutes each night (Urton). Other

than the fact that the wrist monitors showed that the students were sleeping for this

extra hour, they also showed something researchers were not expecting. The study

revealed that the students were not going to bed later, just waking up later. It also

revealed that the wake up time on weekdays and weekends began moving closer

together, creating a more healthy sleeping schedule for adolescents.

Another great obstacle when it comes to pushing back the start time of school is

the issue of transportation. The high cost to change the school start time stems from the

bussing. Busses have a carefully mapped out schedule, that for most school districts

has been lined up for a long time. The cost to hire new bus drivers and redesign routes

for the busses to take is a high one. However, the National Sleep Foundation found a
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solution to this problem that includes, “ ... flipping start times, most commonly

elementary with high school. This solution requires no extra buses or drivers, just a

change in the order of pickups. This schedule also seems to be more appropriate to

elementary school students’ sleep schedules, because young children tend to wake up

earlier in the morning,” (Delaying School Start Times). By finding solutions to problems

like this, steps can be taken to make pushing the start time of school work for everyone.

In an article, on ​KappanOnline​, Kyla L. Wahlstrom goes into lengthy detail on the

overall mood and behavior on students at a school who had decided to move the start

time of school from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. She, herself had been a school official for

some time and was skeptical about moving the start time, since she had never heard of

the effects that lack of sleep could have on the adolescent brain. She and a group of

researchers decided to conduct a year-long study on the Minnesota Edina School

District. Early on she states that evidence quickly began piling up. The principal of the

school commented that, “Students were now awake the first hour of class… fewer

disciplinary incidents in the halls and lunchroom, and students reported less depression

and feelings of greater efficacy. Over 92% of the parents said their kids were ‘easier to

live with,’”(Wahlstrom). With students feeling happier to be at school, this in turn made

the staff happier to be at work.

The ​Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research​ published an article

explaining the school start times affect students outside of the United States, specifically

Norwegian adolescents, quite similarly. In an experimental study, adolescents were

limited to six and a half hours of sleep each night for five nights. These students were
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then asked to perform in a classroom setting in the same manner they typically would.

When compared with the students who received ten hours of sleep each night for five

nights, the results showed that the students were significantly less attentive. More

specifically, the students with six and a half hours of sleep experienced reduced

attentive behavior, diminished learning, and lowered arousal within the simulated

classroom (Vedaa). Therefore, there is a direct correlation with the amount of time spent

asleep and how much students participate and pay attention in class. When students

are able to get a better nights sleep, they are able to focus on what is being taught in

class. With less issues in the classroom and with the students, there is more time for

learning.

Wahlstrom also reports that due to the results of the national Youth Risk

Behavior Survey she concludes that when teenagers get more than eight hours of

sleep, they are significantly less likely to engage in at-risk behaviors. Through this data

she was also able to come to the conclusion that, “Cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use

declined by 8% to 14% when teens slept eight or more hours each night, with

depression and sexual activity also declining by 9% to 11%.” The Sleep Foundation

reinforced this fact by stating a consequence of lack of sleep is that it could, “Lead to

aggressive or inappropriate behavior such as yelling at your friends or being impatient

with your teachers or family members,” and it has the ability to, “Heighten the effects of

alcohol and possibly increase use of caffeine and nicotine,” (Sleep for Teenagers).

Therefore, when the start time of school is pushed back to accommodate for this eight
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hours of sleep it reduces the likeliness that students will engage in risky or unprovoked

behavior.

Adolescent sleep cycles are also an issue with the early start time of school.

Melatonin, a hormone linked to sleep cycles, does not start to produce in adolescents

until about 11:00 at night. This leaves adolescent students with a limited amount of time

to get any efficient sleep (Malatesta). The National Sleep Foundation found out through

a survey that only 15% of students reported sleeping eight and a half hours of sleep or

more each night. The author of the article also included that, “Many teens suffer from

treatable sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, insomnia, restless legs syndrome or

sleep apnea,” (Sleep for Teenagers). Many of these sleep disorders come from issues

with the sleep cycle of an adolescent. Furthermore, these sleep disorders will lead to

further complications.

Another subject when it comes to this topic that one might not think to examine

further is the statistic of teenage car crashes. Throughout research it was found that on

multiple platforms this was a main issue. 2,700 teenagers die in car crashes each year.

Kyla L. Wahlstrom collected car crash data in five districts from September to May

before and after the start time of school was pushed back. She found once the start

time had been moved to later in the morning, car crashes had decreased by 13%. This

information conveys that sleep-deprived teenagers are not only a danger to themselves,

but anyone else who happens to be driving on that same road. This statistic was so

jurastic that The Sleep Foundation listed as one of the consequences for lack of sleep

that it can, “Contribute to illness, not using equipment safely or driving drowsy,” (Sleep
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for Teenagers). By allowing students to get more sleep and have a brighter morning,

these number of car crashes in the morning caused by teenagers was able to decrease.

The issue is that when there is a group of people whose one goal is to go to a

school that looks at their grades and participation in extracurriculars, such as

volunteering, team sports, and clubs, this is what their priority becomes. Whether or not

they were able to get a full eight to ten hours of sleep is not what is most important to

them, colleges, are not going to notice. The amount of pressure put on modern students

is one that they do not fail to live up to. If this means waking up for school in the

morning at 6:30 and not getting home from sports or their job until 8:00 p.m., to have

hours of homework ahead, then that is what they will do. With everything that goes on in

their everyday lives, getting a good night's sleep would make all of the difference for

tomorrow when they have to start all over again. By pushing back the start time of

school, they would have additional time to recharge in order to be focussed and

listening in class the next day.

The last question here is why has the start time of school not been pushed back

already? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of

Pediatrics, and The American Medical Association have all issued policy statements

which say that school should not start any earlier than 8:30 a.m. The results of school

starting before this time are all issues that could impact the entirety of students lives. By

pushing back the start time of school, school districts would be decreasing the amount

of teenage car accidents due to sleeplessness, preventing at-risk behaviors, increasing

the number of students who pay attention and participate in class, increasing overall
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graduation and attendance rates, improving inappropriate behavior, lessening the

chances of sleep deprivation, and increasing grade averages. The simplest way to put it

is, pushing back the start time of school will benefit students greatly. The pros here

outweigh the cons significantly.

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Works Cited

Ayres, Crystal. “19 Should School Start Later in the Morning Pros and Cons.”

Vittana.org​,

vittana.org/19-should-school-start-later-in-the-morning-pros-and-cons.

Heissel, Jennifer A., and Samuel Norris. “Rise and Shine: The Effect of School Start

Times on Academic Performance from Childhood through Puberty.” ​Journal of

Human Resources​,vol. 53, no. 4, Fall 2018, pp. 957–992. ​EBSCOhost,​

doi:10.3368/jhr.53.4.0815-7346R1.

Malatesta, Elizabeth. “Let Them Sleep? Later School Start Times Improve Graduation

and Attendance.” ​NEA Today,​ 3 May

2017,neatoday.org/2017/04/13/later-school-start-times/.

Meredith, Karenna. “Health Officials Say Lack of Sleep Can Negatively Affect Students'

Grades.” ​The Daily Universe,​ 12 Sept. 2016,

universe.byu.edu/2016/09/06/health-officials-say-lack-of-sleep-can-negatively-af

ect-students-grades/.

“Schools Start Too Early | Features | CDC.” ​Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention,​

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

www.cdc.gov/features/school-start-times/index.html.

“Sleep for Teenagers.” ​National Sleep Foundation,​

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www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/teens-and-sleep​.

“Sleep Problems May Affect Children's Behavior.” ​Sleep Education,​

sleepeducation.org/news/2012/10/29/sleep-problems-may-affect-children's-beh

vior.

Urton, James. “Teens Get More Sleep, Show Improved Grades and Attendance with

Later School Start Time, Researchers Find.” ​UW News,​

www.washington.edu/news/2018/12/12/high-school-start-times-study/.

Vedaa, Oystein, et al. “School Start Time, Sleepiness and Functioning in Norwegian

Adolescents.” ​Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research​, vol. 56, no. 1, Jan.

2012, pp. 55–67. ​EBSCOhost​,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=​https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct

true&b=eric&AN=EJ953895&site=eds-live​.

Wahlstrom, Kyla L. “Later Start Time for Teens Improves Grades, Mood, and Safety.” \

Kappanonline.org,​ 3 Oct. 2018, ​www.kappanonline.org/later-start-time-for-teens/​.

Weller, Chris. “Schools around the US Are Finally Pushing Back Their Start Times - and

It'sWorking.” ​Business Insider,​ Business Insider, 4 Sept. 2017,

www.businessinsider.com/school-start-times-are-finally-getting-pushed-back-20

7-8​.
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