Students today are expected to achieve a standard in academic success. But when should schools draw the line? Most schools expect kids to get up early to go to school and then given piles of homework after a grueling school day. Most schools today make learning environments more stressful than beneficial. Through means of exhaustion and work overloads students become overwhelmed. Schools need to help more than they do now and not use logistical issues as excuses. If high schools and middle schools move their start times later in the morning students will achieve greater success and be healthier.

To relieve stress in students and teachers schools should shift start times to later in the morning. “According to a study by the center of disease Control and Prevention five out of every six U.S. middle and high schools ring their first bell before 8:30 a.m. That's despite a 2014 recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics that secondary schools should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to better sync with students' changing sleep cycles”(Blad). Teenagers have a different sleep schedule than adults do making it hard for them to go to bed early and wake early. Teenagers have a different biological clock making it hard for them to go to bed before eleven at night.  In addition earlier starting times can have an impact on academic success in the classroom. Researchers from Oxford and Harvard University stated that “Over time, severe sleep disruption can lead to a host of effects that weaken classroom performance, like reduced concentration, attention, and memory capabilities”(Blad). If kids get up later they are less likely to fall asleep during their morning classes which leads to higher academic performance. Even Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education agrees that schools should start later "Common sense to improve student achievement that too few have implemented: let teens sleep more, start school later"(Blad). Individual student health is also a factor in the sleep debate. There are other reasons besides improving academic success that schools should take into account. Not having enough sleep is linked to students being overweight, having problems with drugs and alcohol, and being at a higher risk for a car crash. Dr. Con Iber, professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota states,"The biggest problem we run into is the lack of value for sleep. The brain is impaired when you don't have enough sleep it's comparable to being intoxicated.(Curtis)”  A study shows that 59% of sixth through eighth grade students and 87% of high school students in the U.S. don’t get the recommended 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Studies show that well rested students do better in academics and on standardized tests and miss fewer days. They are also less like to suffer from depression and have mood swings as well as other health problems. Students should have a say in the matter though, right? With enough sleep every night students stress level and health and academic success in school will improve.

Unfortunately many schools disagree about shifting school times. Many schools decide against it because of monetary issues. In Montgomery County, Md  the student board denied a plan to move the start time from 7:25 a.m. to 8:50 with because of a potential loss of about 3.9 million dollars. As well Issaquah School district in Washington state calculated the cost to run into the millions. The school district would have to purchase new buses which are expensive because they use the same busses to transport elementary, middle, and high school students. They do not have to shift the starting time of their schools to the same time. The school district should stagger out the starting time like they usually do only later in the day. Another major issue is the fact that starting school later will make the students get out later. This could interfere with after school activities or part-time jobs. Jobs have different shifts that kids could cover so they don’t miss the opportunity of extracurricular activities at their school. Even though there are challenges to starting school later the overall benefits outweigh the negatives.

Schools need to shift start times later in the morning. If they do students health will improve. Also their ability to learn and retain information will vastly improve. In the long run the money districts lose will become beneficial when students attitudes towards learning  and test scores improve. Most importantly sleep will allow students to develop into young, eager, and educated citizens of the world. Go to your local school board and argue for later starting times for your school and begin the first step on the path to more success in life.