Should your school start later?

The New York Times editorial raised an interesting question: Should your high school start later so that you can get enough sleep? This might be a good opportunity for you to take on the issue and write your own opinion and publish in your local paper.

To read the full report, click here.

Here is an excerpt.

...[a] National Sleep Foundation survey in which more than a quarter of the students reported that they fell asleep in class at least once a week. Researchers say this is true because youngsters — beginning around age 12 until they reach their mid-20s — only start producing melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, around 11 p.m. and that production peaks until about 7 a.m. In adults, melatonin peaks until around 4 a.m. Trying to wake up a teenager before 7 o’clock is like trying to awake an adult before 4 a.m.

The obvious remedy would be for high schools to start later — well after 8 a.m. A handful of schools that have switched have reported beneficial results. School officials in Minneapolis say that attendance improved and students’ grades rose slightly after they changed to an 8:40 a.m. start several years ago. In Wilton, Conn., where the high school start time was pushed back to 8:20 a.m. from 7:35, teachers and parents reported improved student behavior and greater alertness.