מילים חדשות

Israeli high schools should begin the day at half past eight, not at eight o'clock or earlier. A later start would make teenagers healthier, happier and better students.

The evidence is clear. During adolescence, the body's internal clock changes, and most teenagers find it hard to fall asleep before eleven at night. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools should not start before 8:30 in the morning. When schools in Seattle moved their start time later, researchers found that students slept longer and were more alert in class.

Some parents argue that a later start would cause problems for families, because many adults need to leave for work early.

Yet this objection misses the point. Unlike young children, teenagers do not need an adult to take them to school. Besides, a small change in the way a family starts the day is a low price for students who are awake enough to learn.

For all these reasons, a later start is not a luxury but a sensible decision based on science. It is time for schools to listen to the evidence.

Israeli high schools should begin the day at half past eight, not at eight o'clock or earlier. A later start would make teenagers healthier, happier and better students.

The evidence is clear. During adolescence, the body's internal clock changes, and most teenagers find it hard to fall asleep before eleven at night. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools should not start before 8:30 in the morning. When schools in Seattle moved their start time later, researchers found that students slept longer and were more alert in class.

Some parents argue that a later start would cause problems for families, because many adults need to leave for work early.

Yet this objection misses the point. Unlike young children, teenagers do not need an adult to take them to school. Besides, a small change in the way a family starts the day is a low price for students who are awake enough to learn.

For all these reasons, a later start is not a luxury but a sensible decision based on science. It is time for schools to listen to the evidence.

Israeli high schools should begin the day at half past eight, not at eight o'clock or earlier. A later start would make teenagers healthier, happier and better students.

The evidence is clear. During adolescence, the body's internal clock changes, and most teenagers find it hard to fall asleep before eleven at night. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools should not start before 8:30 in the morning. When schools in Seattle moved their start time later, researchers found that students slept longer and were more alert in class.

Some parents argue that a later start would cause problems for families, because many adults need to leave for work early.

Yet this objection misses the point. Unlike young children, teenagers do not need an adult to take them to school. Besides, a small change in the way a family starts the day is a low price for students who are awake enough to learn.

For all these reasons, a later start is not a luxury but a sensible decision based on science. It is time for schools to listen to the evidence.