High school start times are the main problem teens in the United States of America(and possibly the world) don't get enough sleep. Many schools have made an effort to delay it, but things like bus schedule, after school activities, bell times, and many more make it more difficult for the school board to apply the later start time. Though this isn't impossible. Boston, Massachusetts has the highest passing rate in the nation. Their average high school start time is about 8:10 which is 30 minutes later than the usual start time in Austin, Texas which is about 7:45. You may be thinking how half an hour makes a difference, but it does because the human body takes as much time as it can get to replenish body tissue/cells, fight off harmful bacteria, and fix other problem that occur in your body.
School related factors aren't the only reasons why changing start times is so hard. Another big component is the fact that the community doesn't want the school start time to change. Most parents/guardians of a child still want to keep school the way it is because most of them are afraid of change. Why? Well, the time has a possibility of messing with an adult's schedule. For example, either parents have to drop off their kid in the morning because there aren't any buses that go to their neighborhood., but the parents have to go to work at 7:50. If the high school start time changes to a later time, then the parents won't be able to drop their kid off. Other obstacles also include the interference with part time jobs for seniors and juniors. These upperclassman have jobs that give them money, and that money is used usually for college fees. Then, another hurdle would be that now elementary kids go home the earliest, so usually, the parents would have to keep them in daycare until the parents or guardian is home.
Lets contrast two different kinds of people, a person who gets little amount of sleep while the other surpasses the substantial amount of sleep. A person who barely sleeps usually struggles in their work. They are unfocused about their tasks, and may have a problem of falling asleep during the day. All this sleep that isn't payed harms the body and brain because then the body has very little time to delve into the deep sleep which fixes problems inside of you. The person could also develop sleep disorders(like insomnia.) This person's average grade if in school would be ranging from a low B to an F. Now, lets look at the person who gets a ton of sleep. This person would be well rested and healthy. His/her body would have a very low chance of contracting any diseases or produce any sleep disorder. The person would have a greater lifespan as well. Their grade if in school would range from a high A or mid B. This isn't always the case, but most of the times these are the results.
There are multiple perspectives in this situation that the superintendent has to take in; the high school student, the parent/guardian, the teacher, district board, and the doctor. Most families deal with a lot of stress, and more stress would be added if the start time would change. Therefore, most parents or guardian wouldn't approve of the change. Then, there is the student. Most high school students would probably be upset with the change at first because they think it will ruin their schedule. But, the schedule would be moved to a later time. So, the students would now be able to get around 9 1/2 hours to 10 hours of sleep which is what they need. After that, there's the faculty's perspective. Most teachers wouldn't mind having the start time change, but others think this shortens family time. Though this is proven incorrect, for you have more family time in the morning and more time to prepare. The district board has the hardest jobs of having the final decision. First, they have to take in all the pros and cons of changing the high school start time, and most of them have their reasons why they don't want to change it. But, none of them have to do with important education. Finally, there is the doctor's point of view. Based on research, about 90% of their reports show that adolescents have a body clock that shifts to a later sleep time.
School related factors aren't the only reasons why changing start times is so hard. Another big component is the fact that the community doesn't want the school start time to change. Most parents/guardians of a child still want to keep school the way it is because most of them are afraid of change. Why? Well, the time has a possibility of messing with an adult's schedule. For example, either parents have to drop off their kid in the morning because there aren't any buses that go to their neighborhood., but the parents have to go to work at 7:50. If the high school start time changes to a later time, then the parents won't be able to drop their kid off. Other obstacles also include the interference with part time jobs for seniors and juniors. These upperclassman have jobs that give them money, and that money is used usually for college fees. Then, another hurdle would be that now elementary kids go home the earliest, so usually, the parents would have to keep them in daycare until the parents or guardian is home.
Lets contrast two different kinds of people, a person who gets little amount of sleep while the other surpasses the substantial amount of sleep. A person who barely sleeps usually struggles in their work. They are unfocused about their tasks, and may have a problem of falling asleep during the day. All this sleep that isn't payed harms the body and brain because then the body has very little time to delve into the deep sleep which fixes problems inside of you. The person could also develop sleep disorders(like insomnia.) This person's average grade if in school would be ranging from a low B to an F. Now, lets look at the person who gets a ton of sleep. This person would be well rested and healthy. His/her body would have a very low chance of contracting any diseases or produce any sleep disorder. The person would have a greater lifespan as well. Their grade if in school would range from a high A or mid B. This isn't always the case, but most of the times these are the results.
There are multiple perspectives in this situation that the superintendent has to take in; the high school student, the parent/guardian, the teacher, district board, and the doctor. Most families deal with a lot of stress, and more stress would be added if the start time would change. Therefore, most parents or guardian wouldn't approve of the change. Then, there is the student. Most high school students would probably be upset with the change at first because they think it will ruin their schedule. But, the schedule would be moved to a later time. So, the students would now be able to get around 9 1/2 hours to 10 hours of sleep which is what they need. After that, there's the faculty's perspective. Most teachers wouldn't mind having the start time change, but others think this shortens family time. Though this is proven incorrect, for you have more family time in the morning and more time to prepare. The district board has the hardest jobs of having the final decision. First, they have to take in all the pros and cons of changing the high school start time, and most of them have their reasons why they don't want to change it. But, none of them have to do with important education. Finally, there is the doctor's point of view. Based on research, about 90% of their reports show that adolescents have a body clock that shifts to a later sleep time.