Most teens are barely functional in the morning. We believe the culprits to be late night television and computer usage. In fact there may be a scientific reason for sleepy students. It has been shown that the optimal learning time for an adolescent brain is late morning and at puberty to age 20 the chemical that helps induce sleep is secreted from 11:00 PM - 8:00 AM. Based on research showing that teens require approximately 9 hours of sleep per night, the reality is that 75% of students are sleep deprived.

Toronto’s Eastern Commerce examined data from their first period and found that across the board everything was worse than at any other time - attendance, punctuality, and test scores. In light of the research and that over 80% of the student body lives outside the area and has to commute, coupled with the reality that many students work evenings to help support their families, Eastern Commerce is instituting a pilot project next year starting classes at 10:00 AM and closing at 4:13 PM.

There will be other scheduling changes in addition to the later start. The current 65 minute lunch period will be trimmed to 45 minutes and students will be provided with a free lunch program, eliminating the need to leave the premises. Due to longer class time from Monday - Thursday school will let out at 2:31 PM on Friday. Not everyone is embracing the change. There are students who begin part time jobs at 4:00 PM and in the winter months going home in the dark has raised some concerns about safety. It will be interesting to see if the change in start time brings about the desired result or if students just go to bed proportionately later.