Monday, July 30, 2007

New Start Time for School???

Before the school year ended, the staff and faculty discussed having school start at 8:30 am rather than at 8:00 am for a variety of reasons, which include:
  • research shows that teenagers need more sleep and perform better and learn more when school begins later in the day;
  • a later start would give students time to meet with teachers in the mornings before the start of school for tutoring, homework help, etc.;
  • a later start may help to reduce student lateness to school especially for those who travel long distances to school; and
  • teachers can conduct credit retrieval courses, Regents review, and clubs both before and after school.

We would love for you to share your thoughts on how changing the start time of the school day will impact student learning and achievement. As a student, would you take advantage of early morning tutoring, homework help, Regents review, clubs, and/or credit retrieval. Please post your responses! Thanks for sharing!

11 comments:

mom's thought said...

If school starts later then it must end later. This will cause a problem for most Juniors. Many have jobs, or will be attending after school classes, i.e. drivers ed, which all start early since all other public schools have early hours for juniors and seniors.

Mrs. Kaplan said...

I believe the later start time will be better for students who tend to be up late for a variety of reasons. An extra half hour of sleep can be helpful.

Mrs. Kaplan

Aimee Horowitz said...

I agree with Nancy and I also believe that this will be a way for us to start a morning tutoring program, a peer tutoring program and, later in the year to offer Regents Review for students who are on teams or participate in other after school activities. It can also be a time, funding permitting, to offer credit retrieval and enrichment/elective opportunities.

joanne said...

I agree with the later start time-I too beleive that extra sleep for a growing involved teen can only be helpful.

FAUSAKMOM said...

I think it will make it easier to be on time and prepared. Even if they don't get extra sleep maybe the time will help them have breakfast AND catch the bus.

Unknown said...

I think that a later start would help kids get there on time. Especially those who travel to school by bus. Plus I think that kids would be more likely to attend tutoring in the morning.

Jenn Zinn said...

I have read some research on teenage productivity and agree that a later start time can affect student achievement. At my previous school we started at 9:00, and while I wouldn't recommend such a big change for CSIHSIS, I have witnessed the difference in student attention, productivity, and achievement between the 8:00 and 9:00 times. Students are simply better able to participate in activities, respond to questions, and engage in learning at the later hour. I appreciate the validity of the concern about afternoon time for work, but maybe just a 30 minute difference in the time would be a "happy medium." I hope we can think about this alternative and how it will affect student learning AND allow students to do what they need to do after school.

Aimee Horowitz said...

Check out this article, from Children's Health, entitled High Schools Starting Later to Help Sleepy Teens, at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6896471. It details some of the research about teen sleep needs and why high school start times should be later. There is lots of other interesting reading on teens and their sleep needs as well as start times for school.

terri said...

sounds good.. but when the sports teams start it will be difficult to make the games. most games start at 4:00pm and if the kids have to travel to a different school they may not make it.

Aimee Horowitz said...

Games and athletic events will be scheduled around the school schedule.

samm said...

i see the points mentioned by everyones comments, but even though a later start might mean an extra half hour of sleep in the morning, maybe its not an issue of sleep but of when the student wakes up, maybe its just that a student wakes up and comes to class and is fully woken up by second period so reguardless this idea of being woken up by second period could still be true.