Persuasive Essay: Should School Start Times Be Later?

Over 20% of Americans suffer from sleep loss and more than 1,500 deaths a year are caused by drivers that have fallen asleep at the wheel. One way these two frightening statistics could be lowered is by simply changing school start times. Students need more sleep than what they are getting due to early school start times, which is getting sleepy drivers on the road. School start times should be later than they are now because middle school and high school students are “programmed” to sleep in, sleep improves grades and it also improves physical health. One reason school start times should be later than they are now is because junior high and high school students are “programmed” to stay up late and sleep in. During teenage years, students bodies are designed to stay up later and sleep in. Both When Sleep Becomes A Nightmare, an article written by Scholastic, and the National Sleep Foundation website agree with just that! Nancy Shute, an award-winning science journalist, stated on npr.com “...it’s difficult, if not impossible, for them to fall asleep before 10:30.” If students fall asleep at 10:30 pm and get the recommended amount of rest, which is 9 ½ hours, students should not wake up until 7:00 am. Some schools have already started class at this
For example, Minnesota Public Schools pushed back their start time by 85 minutes and the amount the students grade’s raised were very encouraging, according to the National Sleep Foundation. This study proves that getting enough rest really can make students smarter! In class, if a student has had enough rest it’s proven that students are more awake, alert and ready to learn. As a result, the students earn better grades. “Sleep makes you smarter and more creative over a longer term…” says Scholastic in the article, When Sleep Becomes A Nightmare. Just pushing back the school start times by one hour could improve the grades for students and the