Small Change, Big Impact By: Eva Long

​ In recent years, the conversation around school start times has gained friction, especially regarding the potential benefits of starting later in the day. According to PBSacademy.edu “science has indicated that learning is most effective between 10 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 10 pm, when the brain is in an acquisition mode.” Parents, educators, and researchers alike are recognizing that the traditional early morning schedule may not match up with the natural sleep patterns of children and adolescents. The positive impacts of how a later school start time could have on students' routines, well-being, and academic performance, based on answers from parents and students.

One of the first noticeable changes to a later start time would be a positive shift in the morning routine and daily commute. According to a parent of a Dowell 4th grader, Vania Blake, “I don't see anything different than our earliest that time. I mean, I see it being more positive, because the people that have to go to work, and the busses won't be on the road at that time, everybody's going to work, elementary and middle school are already, lower grades, they're already in school, already traffic on the roads. So, I don't think it'll be a negative thing. I think it'll be a positive thing”. Vania believes that with her child starting school later, traffic conditions would improve significantly. Less traffic on the roads means easier access to schools, allowing families to navigate their mornings with less stress.

Sleep is a vital component to health both physically and mentally. Many students may express confidence that a later start time would lead to improved sleep patterns for their kids. As stated by a college student, Caylie Long “students must stay up doing homework late at night, and they have sports and all these other things they must do the night before. So, if they have more time where they can sleep in a full eight hours, then they will be more aware and more awake and ready to learn.” Currently bus schedules force students to wake up at the crack of dawn, leaving them exhausted by the time they reach school. A later start would provide students with the opportunity to get more rest, ensuring that they arrive at school energized and ready to focus. Additionally, with more time in the morning, kids could enjoy a healthy breakfast at home, further increasing their ability to concentrate throughout the day.

At the Urban Institute, 83% of children between the ages of 6 and 17 participate in at least one extracurricular activity. Without a good night's rest, it can lead to poor academic performance, making it difficult to learn and focus also it causes students to get behind in activities in school and outside of school. School plays a major part in students’ lives; for that reason alone, it should be alarming to adults, not just parents but the school boards considering the harm it is doing to students. This problem may not seem huge now but it’s slow to burn but the after math with be seen as students migrate into adult hood. It might be too late to save this generation but let’s save the future generations.