Pros And Cons Of Starting School Later

Sleepy or Studious? Did you know that under one-third of high school students in the United States sleep for at minimum eight hours on weeknights? Despite the challenges of change, starting school later can have big positive impacts on students. With the effects of lack of sleep, schools should focus less on the transition stage of switching start times and focus more on how the pros of the switch would outweigh the cons. Lack of sleep can really take its toll on you and your body in many ways. If you don't get enough sleep it can have a huge impact on your learning ability. When you are too tired in the morning it makes you less attentive during the school day, and it could even cause you to fall asleep during class. (Paksarian, et. al. 1352) The main purpose of going to school is to learn and if you’re falling asleep it’s not doing you any good. Falling asleep in class is just one of the least dangerous effects of not getting enough sleep. Truthfully, if you aren't getting enough sleep it can really effect your health. A lot of students who don’t sleep enough tend to be
For starters the attendance rates rose and tardy rates dropped in schools that pushed back their start time. (Paksarian, et. al.) It was also documented that students seemed to be a lot happier. These were just the beginning noticeable changes from the switch. After digging a little deeper it was clear that there were many positive effects of the switch. “Other outcomes endorsed were better grades (30%) and increased teacher satisfaction (25%)” (Wolfson and Carskadon) There really weren't many cons to the switch. “55% of the sample endorsed athletic practices as a major barrier. Other barriers included teachers’ concerns (32%), parents’ concerns (28%), the expense of changing the transportation system (30%), and childcare after school (20%) (Wolfson and Carskadon). Many, if not all, of these proved to be easy