The University of Nevada, Reno, says classes should start later in the day. For one, the brain functions best for college students during noon up until evening.
According to US News, the University of Nevada got some help from the Open University in the UK to determine the preferred time of students to start their classes. In the study, the researchers found that school should begin lectures at about 11 a.m. They stressed that the students are "at their best" during this period.
Mariah Evans, one of the authors, explained that people do so many things to boost the academic performances of educational institutions that are less effective. The truth is, per Evans, there is this free solution of just "changing the timings." With this in mind, most students are actually not morning people.
As a matter of fact, only a quarter of the respondents said they were morning people while almost half admitted that they are either "probably evening" or "definitely evening" persons. Furthermore, additional tests revealed that the students had "higher rates" of functionality during noontime. Currently, most college classes start at 8 a.m., wherein people are half awake.
Interestingly, Evans and her team later discovered that higher levels of productivity last longer when studying and doing homework than when listening to lectures. Nonetheless, there is no optimal time for schools to start class as it depends on every individual. Overall, though, colleges should consider later lecture hours in the morning.
With this in mind, the Huffington Post reported that the Senate Education Committee in California recently passed a bill to ensure "safe, healthy opening hours" for middle and high school students. Senator Anthony Portantino presented the bill that makes California the first state to consider healthy school hours.
In it, the lawmakers prohibit middle and high schools from starting the school day before 8:30 a.m. According to them, a number of health organizations already proved that early morning classes are often unhealthy and counterproductive. These renowned institutions include the American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
