Four-day school weeks have been growing in popularity across the country; however, their effects vary widely.
Hundreds of districts across the country have adopted four-day school weeks. Their goals can vary from district to district, most commonly aiming to save money, boost student attendance, appeal to teachers, and give an extra day off for students that can be used for professional learning or development of curriculums. The effectiveness of shorter school weeks in reaching these goals can vary.
A common concern about four-day school weeks is how they will affect education. A study by the Northwest Evaluation Association, NWEA, found four-day school weeks have little to no positive effect on student achievement.
Emily Morton, a research scientist at NWEA, states in an article, “Students attending districts with a four-day school week grow the equivalent of two to seven weeks less per year than students at similar five-day districts.”
Morton goes on to describe how this effect is related to how districts make up lost instructional time. Districts with less than 32 hours of instructional time per week tend to see decreases in achievement. Meanwhile, districts with 32 hours or more do not show a significant increase or decrease.
Aside from student accomplishment, four-day weeks typically succeed in cutting costs for districts. Morton describes how NWEA research shows that four-day weeks can save districts two percent of their annual budget on average. This comes from meal costs and transportation. However, the lost meals and transportation can raise concerns for students who rely on school for meals and a safe place.
Shorter school weeks do come with benefits to students’ mental health. Many argue how two-day weekends, alongside homework and extra curriculars, provide too little time for students to unwind. Three-day weekends give students more time to relax and complete work for their classes.
Teachers too could make use of the extra day off. Shortened weeks could provide more time for professional learning or development of lesson plans. However, the previous NWEA study shows that four-day school weeks have minimal impact on teacher attendance and retention.
When polled, 56 percent of polled students said that they believed it would be better than our current schedule. When asked why, these students often discussed the benefits of having an extra day to relax, complete work, or study.
Junior, Faith Smith, responded, “It was help us comprehend what we learned, and not be slammed with work all the time.”
In contrast, 20 percent of students said they believed it would not be beneficial to have shorter weeks. These students often described worries about negative impacts on education, or extended school days and school year.
Sophomore, Alea White, answered, “A four-day week might sound good, but in my opinion, it’s just another way to keep us out of school to save money. WV also ranks very low in education and it doesn’t seem like less time in school would help that.”
The final 24 percent of students were undecided on the topic.
Overall, it is difficult to definitely say whether four-day school weeks would be good or bad. While they could bring benefits to students’ mental health, save money, and provide a day for curriculum development, they produce educational risks if instructional time is not protected. Since their popularity has recently increased, four-day school weeks are still being researched, which also makes it harder to conclude.
