Discussion has been resurfacing about the Pros and Cons of a 4 Day School Week. The chatter is getting louder.
As Stephen Sawchuk shares in a recent Education Week article, the move from a five-day school week to a four-day week with extended days has been one of the fastest-increasing—and least-studied—phenomena shaping district operations.
The four-day week is enormously popular among parents and students, the new research finds. It typically saves districts a small—but not intangible—amount of cash. And on their day out of school, students are typically working, doing errands, or spending time with family, not running wild.
The tradeoff for those benefits, though, shows in learning. Several years after adopting a four-day schedule, the researchers found, those districts saw slower rates of student progress than similarly situated districts that retained a five-day schedule.
Among some of the most important findings:
- When timing was added up, districts in the sample using the four-day schedule had longer days by about 50 minutes, but over the course of the year averaged 58 fewer hours of school.
- Students in the four-day weeks spent significantly more time on school sports and on chores than did those in five-day weeks. Four-day secondary students also spent more time on homework, at jobs, at school activities, and on hobbies than their counterparts.
- Most students in the four-day districts—80 percent of high school students and 90 percent of elementary students—spent their “off day” at home.
- The four-day week did not appear to affect student-absenteeism rates or result in more food insecurity for students.
- It did seem to change some sleep patterns, with four-day elementary students reporting that they got more sleep and four-day secondary students saying that they felt much less tired than their counterparts in five-day systems.
- Parents and students, given the choice, overwhelmingly said they favored the four-day model, with 69 percent of the former and 85 percent of the latter preferring it over five-day schedules.
Read the complete article HERE
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David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [emailprotected]
FAQs
Fewer hours mean lower grades, research shows
Students on four-day schedules average 148 school days a year and go to school 35 to 60 hours less a year than students who attend school five days a week, according to research by Thompson and others.
Does a 4 day school week improve mental health? ›
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.
Does a four-day school week improve student attendance? ›
Students enthusiastically endorse a four-day school week
The RAND researchers estimated that the districts with four-day school weeks that they studied had slightly higher attendance than comparable districts with a five-day week.
What are the disadvantages of a four day work week? ›
Pros of a 4-day work week can include cost savings, increased productivity, and employee retention. Some disadvantages, however, can include scheduling challenges, reduced productivity, and added stress.
Should the school day be shorter for cons? ›
Yet, shorter school days might result in a smaller amount of time teachers can spend with every kid. More pressure on parents. If children have shorter school days, parents have to come up with other activities for their free time. When both of them work, they have to arrange after-school activities or childcare.
Does a 4-day school week decrease bullying? ›
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.
Why should school be 5 days a week and not 4? ›
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.
How do longer school days affect students? ›
With such long hours, students are not getting the proper amount of physical activity and exercise. This can lead to a variety of health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and other physical ailments. Finally, long school hours can also lead to a feeling of isolation and loneliness for students.
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.
How a 4 day workweek could boost your mental health? ›
It Reduces Stress and Burnout
This is particularly important as experiencing burnout can lead to mistakes at work, missed deadlines, and even job insecurity. Simply working one less day during the week can alleviate a significant amount of work-related stress, reducing the risk of burnout.
According to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, shorter class time could also have positive effects on students' health, such as lower obesity rates, better sleep quality, and fewer mental health issues.
What are the cons of a 4-day school week? ›
One study found that the four-day week may hurt reading scores more than math scores. A large study released last year found that the shorter schedule held back student achievement in small-town and suburban districts but had little or no effect in rural districts.
Do 4-day school weeks improve test scores? ›
We found that school leaders, teachers, and parents in districts with a four-day week reported that test scores were equal to, or even better than, results from before the policy was adopted.
What states have a 4-day school week? ›
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.
Why should students not have a 4-day week? ›
One study found that the four-day week may hurt reading scores more than math scores. A large study released last year found that the shorter schedule held back student achievement in small-town and suburban districts but had little or no effect in rural districts.
How does a four day school week decrease bullying? ›
“Part of that is probably mechanical: They're spending less time in school,” she said. “So it depends on when we think bullying happens; if it happens at lunchtime and they actually now only have four days of lunch, instead of five days of lunch, that's a reduction in time that the bullying or fights might happen.
Should schools have a later start time? ›
Numerous studies have been done with schools that have shifted to later start times; while individual differences in communities and research methodology have led to different outcomes, results are almost always positive. Benefits observed from later high school start times include: Increased attendance rates.
