The time of day a school starts for students is a widely discussed topic. There’s a number of reasons that can be argued for both sides too. Our Tenney School Live program starts at 9:00am. We’re going to dive into our experience with having a later school day as well as the benefits we’ve seen from a number of different sources. So without further ado let’s take a look at the first benefit.
Benefit 1: A Healthier Start
It can’t be understated how important 8 – 10 hours of sleep is for a student’s health. sleepeducation.org states:
Sleeping the number of recommended hours on a
regular basis is associated with better health outcomes
including: improved attention, behavior, learning,
memory, emotional regulation, quality of life, and
mental and physical health.
You may be wondering why this matters in the discussion for schools starting later. “Doesn’t this mean that students should go to bed earlier instead?” This is a good question to ask. The National Center for Education Statistics stated that students have on average of 6.8 hours of homework per week. The reason I bring this up, is that most students who participate in extracurricular activates don’t leave campus until 5:00pm. This in most cases has students staying up late trying to keep up with school work, resulting in less sleep overall
Benefit 2: Less Risk of Tardiness
Did you know that a later school day can decrease the risk of tardiness? In usnews.com, they said:
“There are resulting improvements across the board: grades improve, attendance goes up and graduation rates go up fairly significantly,” says Lisa L. Lewis, a parenting journalist and the author of “The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, And How Parents And Schools Can Help Them Thrive.”
So with this data, it shows that when a school day starts later, students are better prepared to arrive on time. Now it’s important to note that this won’t eliminate tardiness or school refusal entirely. It simply improves upon it with the later start to the school day. With students naturally going to bed later as they get older, schools that accommodate this by starting later will see students that are better rested and prepared for the day. Even our in person school: The Tenney School, sees an increase in student readiness and participation by starting instruction at 9:00am.
Benefit 3: Increase in Academic Performance
This benefit overlaps with benefit 2, but expands on it immensely. With the increase in student readiness, students are better prepared to tackle the day ahead of them. So how exactly does this equate to an increase in academic performance? Well it affects it positively as a student who is better prepared for class is naturally going to do better in school. They’ll be paying more attention in class, become more organized, etc. On top of this, a later start to the school day allows more time for students with extracurricular activities to complete assignments.
Extracurriculars are an important (and essential) part to a student’s school day. Most students participate in these after school activities which can range from 30 minutes each day all the way to a couple of hours. If the school day starts at 8:00am and the student is done with extracurriculars at 5:00pm, that leaves only a couple of hours to complete homework. (assuming they get 8 hours of rest) Most students tend to cram and stay up later because of this. Staying up this late sacrifices their physical health.
Benefit 4: Increase in College Test Scores
The American Psychological Association cited that a delayed start to the day increases college test scores for students. Now the data presented says it’s from studies conducted in:
“Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Rhode Island, Virginia & Wyoming.”
This data is cited from the National Sleep Foundation from a study done in 2005. While this data is not up-to-date, I’d still like to bring it up as a valid argument. It should be noted that delaying the start to the school day won’t immediately increase college test scores. Like with the previous benefits, delaying the start time only increases the chances of these benefits happening. Students need to remain motivated when adjusting to this new schedule which could be difficult at first. This motivation is easier to achieve with a later start as well.
Do You Think Schools Should Start Later
So after discussing the 4 benefits of schools starting later, we’re curious to hear your thoughts! Do you think schools should start later? Arguments can be made from both sides with evidence supporting either claim. One thing not discussed is the changes to the family dynamics. Many families prefer high schools starting earlier so those students can get home before elementary school or middle school students. This helps families who need their oldest child home to look after their sibling.
If you like the idea of school starting later, consider looking into our online private school program: Tenney School Live. Through our program, students are able to meet, one-to-one with their teachers in a synchronous learning environment. This is perfect for families and students looking for the ultimate flexibility in their education! Inquire today for more info!
