The latest research on the adolescent brain recommends that high schoolers begin classes around 11:00 a.m. It seems that teens are not alert before that time, On the other end of the day, their natural rhythm keeps them awake past usual bedtime hours. Complications abound for educators who want to take this data seriously. What changes in local community living would late arrivals cause? Sport and co-curricular activities as well as student employment would be affected. An entire city and its school system would have to agree to such a change.
The third International Baccalaureate School in Illinois, St. Scholastica Academy has once again exceeded the national and international averages in test results. This prestigious program, introduced at the Academy twelve years ago, is considered by colleges to be one of the best indicators of student achievement. Some U.S. universities now single out IB schools for first acceptance of applicants. In addition, institutions of higher learning offer as much as a year’s credit for those who receive the full IB Diploma. To date, 82% of SSA's graduating seniors have qualified for the IB Diploma, well above the State of Illinois' 40% success rate, the 70% national success rate and 80% international success rate.
