https://www.edweek.org/leadership/four-studies-to-know-on-four-day-school-weeks/2023/02

“Low time in school in conjunction with the four-day school week appears to be extremely problematic for academic achievement and school districts and states should be cognizant of these negative consequences,” Thompson concluded.

[Cost savings is] "still one of the main reasons districts cite for moving to a four-day week, but a nationwide study by the Education Commission of the States suggests education leaders should not hope for a budget miracle from schedule changes. The ECS found that districts using shortened weeks trimmed on average .4 percent to 2.5 percent off their budgets."

"While many rural districts have favored shortened weeks, one of the first urban school districts to adopt the model—School District 27J outside Denver—saw academic and community downsides.

A study released in January found that two years after making the schedule change, the district’s implementation costs outweighed its cost savings, while student academic achievement fell significantly."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High school should have been made a four-day week a long time ago. HS students are closer to adulthood. They need time to volunteer, get job experience, study. With the long school day and never-ending school year we have now on top of clubs and ECs, they cannot fit in the very experiences that prepare them to be adults. Like, working a job for ten hours a week. Any real-world experience looks fantastic on a college application.

I think this is the correct solution. ES and maybe even MS can't do a 4 day week because of childcare, but that is not an issue for HS students. I agree with this PP who says that it would give HS students a chance to work and get internships. At my kid's HS, they have internships available for them after school and weekends, but that is hard with sports.

To make it better, teachers could then use this day to have their IEP and department meetings. As well as have more meaningful time for planning and grading. On almost every education thread, teachers (rightfully!!) complain they don't have enough time to finish their work and I think this could alleviate that problem.

I thought the teachers wanted the day off. They want to work 4 days a week. Your proposal doesn't meet that want.

DP. I’m a teacher and I think this is a great solution. I would rather grade a stack of essays on the 5th weekday without seeing kids rather than waste my Saturdays.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High school should have been made a four-day week a long time ago. HS students are closer to adulthood. They need time to volunteer, get job experience, study. With the long school day and never-ending school year we have now on top of clubs and ECs, they cannot fit in the very experiences that prepare them to be adults. Like, working a job for ten hours a week. Any real-world experience looks fantastic on a college application.

I think this is the correct solution. ES and maybe even MS can't do a 4 day week because of childcare, but that is not an issue for HS students. I agree with this PP who says that it would give HS students a chance to work and get internships. At my kid's HS, they have internships available for them after school and weekends, but that is hard with sports.

To make it better, teachers could then use this day to have their IEP and department meetings. As well as have more meaningful time for planning and grading. On almost every education thread, teachers (rightfully!!) complain they don't have enough time to finish their work and I think this could alleviate that problem.

I thought the teachers wanted the day off. They want to work 4 days a week. Your proposal doesn't meet that want.

Anonymous wrote:Oh wait, and ALL of those workers are only available on the same day (like Friday). They are interspersed throughout the week, because the whole goal is to close the schools on that one day.

*not interspersed

Oh wait, and ALL of those workers are only available on the same day (like Friday). They are interspersed throughout the week, because the whole goal is to close the schools on that one day.

Anonymous wrote:High school should have been made a four-day week a long time ago. HS students are closer to adulthood. They need time to volunteer, get job experience, study. With the long school day and never-ending school year we have now on top of clubs and ECs, they cannot fit in the very experiences that prepare them to be adults. Like, working a job for ten hours a week. Any real-world experience looks fantastic on a college application.

Are there enough jobs that are ok with
1) someone working one day a week only, during 9-5
2) those workers don't have high school diplomas
3) those workers probably are just learning work skills

What types of employment is that?

Anonymous wrote:High school should have been made a four-day week a long time ago. HS students are closer to adulthood. They need time to volunteer, get job experience, study. With the long school day and never-ending school year we have now on top of clubs and ECs, they cannot fit in the very experiences that prepare them to be adults. Like, working a job for ten hours a week. Any real-world experience looks fantastic on a college application.

But they won’t. They will be on their phone all day at home while parents works. There would never be enough jobs or volunteer opportunities for every kid 14-18 every Friday. Plus most would need a parent to research this, help set up, get them to and from, etc. 99% of kids wouldnt spend the 5th day doing anything meaningful

Anonymous wrote:High school should have been made a four-day week a long time ago. HS students are closer to adulthood. They need time to volunteer, get job experience, study. With the long school day and never-ending school year we have now on top of clubs and ECs, they cannot fit in the very experiences that prepare them to be adults. Like, working a job for ten hours a week. Any real-world experience looks fantastic on a college application.

I think this is the correct solution. ES and maybe even MS can't do a 4 day week because of childcare, but that is not an issue for HS students. I agree with this PP who says that it would give HS students a chance to work and get internships. At my kid's HS, they have internships available for them after school and weekends, but that is hard with sports.

To make it better, teachers could then use this day to have their IEP and department meetings. As well as have more meaningful time for planning and grading. On almost every education thread, teachers (rightfully!!) complain they don't have enough time to finish their work and I think this could alleviate that problem.

High school should have been made a four-day week a long time ago. HS students are closer to adulthood. They need time to volunteer, get job experience, study. With the long school day and never-ending school year we have now on top of clubs and ECs, they cannot fit in the very experiences that prepare them to be adults. Like, working a job for ten hours a week. Any real-world experience looks fantastic on a college application.

Terrible idea.

As others have said, kids old enough to be home alone will just be on screens all day. With teens it would be a total free for all- all those empty houses all day with no adults around.

Also, it will be a financial burden for parents of younger kids- and whatever care situation is cobbled together may not be very good.

The kids with a SAHP or funds to arrange enrichment activities would be fine, sure. Those families are always fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4 day school days do not help kids.

Most kids will not utilize the extra day for anything productive. They will not be using it to enrich themselves. They will do what a normal kid does, goof around. There is nothing wrong with that. That’s what I would do if I was a kid. It’s normal.

4 day school days are happening because adults screwed up and there is no money. No one wants to be teachers because the pay sucks. This is a way to entice more teachers. This does not help kids. Studies have shown kids with 4 days weeks do not do as well in math and reading. Period!

Kids don’t need to always be productive. They need to rest and play

Going to a crowded, loud childcare program doesn't make for a restful day.

It does allow for play. Our extended day program has a quiet room for reading/homework. I’m sure many programs could adopt that

But you gotta pay for it. Once kids get to 8 years old, they can stay home by themselves. Many Parents will not be paying for daycare. Kids will be home watching YouTube. Period. Not doing anything productive. Period.

Why are we even discussing this? It will never happen in DMV. Only in poor red states where they choose politics over kids and mismanage their budgets.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4 day school days do not help kids.

Most kids will not utilize the extra day for anything productive. They will not be using it to enrich themselves. They will do what a normal kid does, goof around. There is nothing wrong with that. That’s what I would do if I was a kid. It’s normal.

4 day school days are happening because adults screwed up and there is no money. No one wants to be teachers because the pay sucks. This is a way to entice more teachers. This does not help kids. Studies have shown kids with 4 days weeks do not do as well in math and reading. Period!

Kids don’t need to always be productive. They need to rest and play

They will not be resting and playing. They will be-in their room killing time on tik tok and YouTube Yeah, sooo utterly unproductive

ETA: My presumption is that parents are working and may not have responsible adult family members to watch kids all day one day a week.

Anonymous wrote:My sister, my mother and I are all teachers. A PP suggested 4 days a week year round. I wouldn't mind that al all. That would be more hours worked and therefore more income -- even with 4 day work-weeks. Please lets do that.

1. what happens to poor or even middle-class kids on the 5th day?
2. if schools provide extra resources for poor or middle-class kids on the 5th day, where does that money come from?
3. do teachers get paid less for fewer hours? If hours are not cut, then what are the educational impacts of longer school days? Does children't education suffer?
4. what are the educational impacts on children's education of moving to four days a week? There must be studies done about this. If the education suffers, what would be your remedy?

My sister, my mother and I are all teachers. A PP suggested 4 days a week year round. I wouldn't mind that al all. That would be more hours worked and therefore more income -- even with 4 day work-weeks. Please lets do that.