She said the district made the change based on the opinion of medical experts that later start times were better for high school students because of their sleep patterns. Among the findings were that the Minneapolis high school students had less difficulty staying awake while in class, taking tests, studying and doing homework than did students in a comparable urban school district with an earlier start time. The Minneapolis students were also less depressed and stayed home sick less often. Winter said the same researchers have been doing a similar study based on three years of data and that results will be released in March. However, she said, conversations with students and teachers continue to show the change is working.
Students are more alert and awake during their first period.
And teachers like the extra time in the morning to prepare lessons or spend time with their own families. But some in Gorham worry about potential drawbacks. One of the biggest could be sports. He also worries students won't have time to eat dinner with their families because they'll have to cram activities in at the end of the day. She admits to feeling sleepy in school but also plays sports and likes the early ending to the school day.