A Four-Day School Week? (2024)

FAQs

Why school should be a 4-day week? ›

One of the key advantages of a four-day school week is the increased opportunity for students to get the rest they need. With the demanding schedules and workload that students face, having an additional day off can alleviate stress and promote better mental health.

Parents are generally satisfied with a 4-day school week

Parents of younger kids hold those opinions despite the fact that about 90 percent of them reported that their children primarily spent the fifth day of the week at home. Less than 1 percent said their children were at home without adult supervision.

While 4-day did make an impact on average years of experience among teachers, it also made a big impact elsewhere. Parents repeatedly emphasize its effect on childrens' mental health and overall well-being. Many Life School students and parents report reduced feelings of stress and burnout.

Findings varied by statistical model. The big trade-off, RAND found, was in student achievement. Math and English test scores didn't fall when schools switched to a four-day week. But they didn't grow as fast as they did in similar districts in the same states that kept a five-day schedule.

The research is mixed on the impact of four-day weeks on student achievement, but most studies find small to medium negative impacts on achievement on average. These negative effects are roughly equivalent to a student being two to seven weeks behind where they would have been if they had stayed on a five-day week.

Giving workers an extra day off a week actually increases productivity, boosts physical and mental health and reduces CO2 emissions. These are some of the surprising benefits of a four-day working week, research shows.

Furthermore, a four-day school week can help to boost teacher morale. With an extra day to plan lessons, grade assignments and attend professional development opportunities, teachers can feel more prepared and engaged in their work.

They found no significant differences in academic achievement between districts that used five-day schedules and those that used four-day schedules, as long as the districts with shorter weeks maintained a high or medium amount of instructional time for students.

The Cons. THE SCHEDULE IS INEQUITABLE. THE COST SAVINGS IS MINIMAL FOR MOST. LONGER DAYS ARE TOUGH ON YOUNGER STUDENTS.

Results indicate that four-day school weeks decrease per-pupil bullying incidents by approximately 31% and per-pupil fighting incidents by approximately 27%, but have no detectable effect on other incident types, ACT scores, or attendance.

Is the US shifting to a 4-day school week? ›

Almost 2,100 schools in nearly 900 districts across 25 states have four-day school weeks, an increase of almost 850 percent since 1999, according to Paul Thompson, an associate professor of economics at Oregon State University who studies the impact of four-day weeks.

Thompson says that the most significant benefit of a four-day week is that it offers flexibility to district administrators, teachers and students. Teachers in four-day districts are usually on the clock on the day that students are out of school, although working on campus is often optional, Thompson said.

As of 2019, over 650 districts across 24 states are using this schedule — a 600% increase since 1999. The schedule is particularly popular in rural Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma and Oregon. As this option grows in popularity, state leaders are eager to learn about the impacts on students and schools.

School days are longer and holidays are shorter. On average, under the current system the length of the secondary school year is 245 days. Chinese pupils get around four weeks off in winter, and seven weeks in summer, including weekends and all kinds of traditional festivals.

First, students and teachers get more time on task. Students who fall behind get the time to catch up. Instead of experiencing the classroom as a place for failure and boredom, kids have success. Students who are already keeping up have a chance to explore more.

Even if they might not be able to fully articulate their emotions, children share our sentiments towards inconsistency. Coming to school five days per week provides the best consistency and routine for children, which we believe is fundamental to strong development at this early, formative age.

Students on a four-day schedule, especially those with the least hours in school, have lower English language arts and math scores than students on a five-day schedule.

It was once a niche idea, reserved only for far-flung rural districts hoping to save a bit of cash. But now there's growing support among Americans for a four-day school week, as more than half of U.S. adults—53 percent—say they are in favor of shifting to a shorter schedule in their community.

However, the five day work and school week creates more consistency by providing a routine. The five day school week provides greater consistency for education as students can see their teachers and receive instruction for the majority of the week and the weekend bridges a break in between instruction.