Crane 1

Grant Crane
Mr. Restad
English III- 1
22 March 2016
School Start Times
Part I - Personal Introduction
Currently being a student that lives a very busy lifestyle along with going to school I
participate in many extracurricular activities and have a job. I have to deal with school times
everyday and plan around it. School schedules play a role in how I conduct my life on a day to
day basis, and makes life stressful for students like myself who have a job or take part in
extracurricular activities and I would personally like to see a change in the school schedules in
order to benefit students. Throughout the research conducted to make this paper I would like to
obtain the knowledge and facts to come to a conclusion on the argument about what time school
should take place.
Part II - Definition of the issue
The proper definition of school is an institution for educating children. The issue of
this topic is what time should school begin and what time should children be educated during
the day to help maximize the student's ability to learn and keep the information that they are
presented throughout their time spent at school. A school day is the daily hours that school is
conducted those daily hours differ throughout the country but usually are around 8 a.m. until 3
p.m. studies are being conducted to see if adjusting these start times to a later start and finish
time could possibly benefit students and their education.

Part III - Review of Opposing Perspectives

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Earlier start times allow for more time for instruction. That is one worry that people have
about changing school starting times to later in the day. Time is an important school resource.
Research consistently shows that more instructional time leads to higher achievement
(Kubitschek). In contrast to this argument, losing instructional time would only become an issue
if the ending time of school wasnt moved back. Also if students brains arent fully awake,
functioning, and retaining information then the time at the beginning of the day they are
spending at school is pretty much pointless.
Another argument against changing school start times is that earlier start times dont
conflict or differ from the rest of the world and the work forces start time. The whole point of
school is to prepare students and the nation's youth for life as an adult and the responsibilities
that comes with being an adult. Like going to bed earlier, (u)nfortunately, concerns about lack
of sleep often get the brush-off from schools and even some parents who are quick to blame
inattentiveness in school solely on teen behavior, laziness, general indifference, or all of the
above. If only they went to bed earlier, concentration and attentiveness would improve
(Walker).
Then schooling should start as the same time as the rest of the world and the work force
so that the students are prepared for those times when they enter the world. Keeping school start
times the same as the work force and rest of the world also keeps a burden off of parents who
would have to worry about how their children would be transported to and from school each day.
Early start times lead to school finishing earlier giving students more time after school to
do extracurricular activities, go to a job (if they have one), do homework or anything else that
students would have to do on a daily basis. This is a very valid argument because moving
schooling times could conflict with things like practice and jobs for those students already in the

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workforce but the changing of start times would move the start time and affect the beginning of
school and would affect the ending times of schooling less.
Changing the start times of school has potential to change or impact the school budget in
a negative way a another reason people are arguing the changing of school start and ending
times. Changing these times would affect many things in the schooling systems like
extracurricular activities practice and meeting times, hours of pay for teachers and staff, busing
schedules, are just a few of the things that schools pay for that would change. Half of the
parents who favored later start times said they thought the shift should be made only if it didn't
impact the school budget (Shute). With people already unhappy about how much schooling
cost, the tax dollars that it takes to run and maintain schools why add on more cost and money
that needs to be spent to maintain and run schools across the country.
Part IV Review of Supporting Perspectives
There are many reasons and opinions on why school start times should be moved back
into later in the day heres a few of those reasons. One of the reasons that school start times
should be pushed back is that teens suffer from sleep deprivation due the type of lifestyles that
teens live and biological changes that dont allow teens to have a regular sleep cycle. The
consequences of sleep deprivation during the teenage years are particularly serious. Teens spend
a great portion of each day in school; however, they are unable to maximize the learning
opportunities afforded by the education system, health complaints; tobacco and alcohol use;
impaired cognitive function and decision-making; and lower overall performance in everything
from academics to athletics(National Sleep Foundation) are all symptoms of sleep deprivation
and if students are not performing at the highest level possible during their time at school, they
are not being fully prepared for life after education.

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As stated earlier sleep deprivation is a big issue and reason why students are not
performing to their full potential during their time in school because they are not getting proper
amounts of sleep and that needs to change. Teens tend to have irregular sleep patterns across
the week they typically stay up late and sleep in late on the weekends, which can affect their
biological clocks and hurt the quality of their sleep (Strauss). A post on the American Academy
of Pediatrics Web site quotes pediatrician Judith Owens and lead author of the new policy
statement as saying: Chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is one of the most common
and easily fixable public health issues in the U.S. today. The research is clear that adolescents
who get enough sleep have a reduced risk of being overweight or suffering depression, are less
likely to be involved in automobile accidents, and have better grades, higher standardized test
scores and an overall better quality of life. Studies have shown that delaying early school start
times is one key factor that can help adolescents get the sleep they need to grow and learn.
High school students not receiving enough sleep and a study conducted with different
school start times and what later start times did for students. Sleep researchers have said for
years that most teens cant easily fall asleep until about 11 p.m., experts say, and their brains stay
in sleep mode until at least 8 a.m (Strauss). Insufficient sleep is common among high school
students, with less than one third of U.S. high school students sleeping at least 8 hours on school
nights(Wheaton). With students having irregular sleep patterns adjustments need to be made to
help the students so that they can strive and prosper during the time that they spend at school.
Areas around the country have started to adopt later starting times for school (a)mong an
estimated 39,700 public middle, high, and combined schools* in the United States, the average
start time was 8:03 a.m. Overall, only 17.7% of these public schools started school at 8:30 a.m.
or later. The percentage of schools with 8:30 a.m. or later start times varied greatly by state,

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ranging from 0% in Hawaii, Mississippi, and Wyoming to more than three quarters of schools in
Alaska (76.8%) and North Dakota (78.5%). A school system start time policy of 8:30 a.m. or
later provides teenage students the opportunity to achieve the 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep
recommended by AAP and the 8-10 hours recommended by the National Sleep Foundation
(Wheaton).
Sleep deprivation causes health issues for students and limits their abilities and potential
to obtain knowledge during the time that they spend at school that would allow them to prosper
and succeed later in life. Moving the start times of school back to a time later in the day is a
valid option to cut down on sleep deprivation an issue that strikes large amounts of students
across the country.
Part V Conclusion
Im a Junior in high school who participates in sports year round and also has a job. I
dont have a lot of time for sleeping and it would be very beneficial for myself and so many other
students across the country who are in the same situations that I am if school start times got
moved back to a time later in the day to give students the opportunity to get more sleep
throughout the night. By moving school start times back, it would allow more than the
opportunity to get more sleep but the chance to get higher quality sleep due to the fact that
children's biological sleep clocks are set and active at different times than adults.
Some statistics to back the issue are moving school start times back also has benefits like
higher test scores, decrease in absences and tardies, and more interaction and comprehension
during the time spent at school, all of the above help students succeed in their classes and
succeeding in classes would allow students to move on to the next level of education if they
choose or if they would like to enter the workforce they would be able to with the tools and

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knowledge to succeed. Better eating habits, less depression, better cognitive functions, and less
motor vehicle injuries (for students that are able to drive) also occur when school start times are
moved back all of which help students enjoy and succeed during their time at school but also in
the real world once they enter it. Looking at both sides of this issue Ive come to the conclusion
that the question shouldnt be should we do this? But when will we do this?

Part VI - Annotated Works Cited

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"Backgrounder: Later School Start Times." Later School Start Times: Benefits & Cons.
National Sleep Foundation. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
Article Summary: This article is about teens lifestyle and biological changes
causing them to suffer from sleep deprivation and how changing school times could help
students and what they obtain from their time at school.
Credibility: In the article the publisher at National Sleep Foundation used in text
citations throughout the article.
Strauss, Valerie. "U.S. Doctors Urge Later School Start times for Teens." Washington
Post. The Washington Post. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
Article Summary: This article is about teens internal sleep clocks and how school
and students lifestyles clash with teens internal sleep clocks.
Credibility: This article gives a author's profile and background information and
uses in text citations when referencing studies that were conducted.
Wheaton, Anne G, Gabrielle A Ferro, and Janet B Croft. "School Start Times For Middle
School And High School Students - United States, 2011-12 School Year." MMWR:
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 64.30 (2015): 809-813 5p. CINAHL with Full Text.
Web. 6 Apr. 2016.
Article Summary: This article states that the majority of high school students dont get
enough sleep and shows a study conducted where in some places start times of school
were moved back and allowed students enough time to get proper amounts of sleeps.
Credibility: The article states who conducted the studies and gives citations when need
throughout the article.

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Kubitschek, Warren N., et al. "High School Schedule Changes And The Effect Of Lost
Instructional Time On Achievement." High School Journal 89.1 (2005): 63-71. ERIC.
Web. 7 Apr. 2016.
Article Summary: This article states about how the more time students spend at
school the more knowledge they can receive and how moving school start times would
limit students opportunities.
Credibility: This article is a credible source because it stated who conducted the
studies where the information was pulled from to conduct this article.
Walker, Tim. "Despite Proven Benefits, Starting School Later Remains a 'Tough Sell' NEA Today." NEA Today. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
Article Summary: This article presents the idea that schools shouldnt push times
back but the students should go to bed earlier.
Credibility: This article gave the author's name and information about when and
where the studies were conducted.
Shute, Nancy. "Many Parents Aren't Sold On Later School Start Times For Teens." NPR.
NPR, 17 Feb. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
Article Summary: This article shows that not everyone is sold on the idea of
moving school start times back.
Credibility: This is a credible piece of information because it cited its source
throughout the article.