The Rise Of The Four-Day School Week—Are You on Board?
Amid teacher shortages, more and more schools are moving to four-day weeks. But it may not be for everyone.
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Fact checked by Sarah Scott
School mornings are beyond hectic in our house, since we have four school-age kids who attend three different schools. That means different wake-up times and bus schedules. That means three different breakfasts, too!
When the kiddos get home (after three different dismissals), it’s off to the races with extracurriculars and homework, not to mention the mad dash to pack lunches for the next day and get a hot dinner on the table—that the kids eat at varying points throughout the evening, depending on who’s home and when.
Like other families across the nation, we’re doing this insane dance five days a week, week after week, all school year long. Except, it seems more and more school districts in the U.S. have switched to a four-day school week. In fact, as Aaron Pallas, professor of sociology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, told The Hill, “The number of school districts with a four-day school week has increased to about 850 districts nationally. Two years ago, it was around 650, so it’s going up.”
The four-day week aims to solve a lot of current problems in our schools, from attracting and retaining teachers to bussing challenges and academic burnout. But as a working parent, I think I speak for many of us by pointing out that a four-day school week creates problems, too; namely how to care for young kids on that fifth day, without spending more money on childcare than we already do!
Plus, I’m thinking about how my family would adjust to a three-day weekend. Yes, our school mornings may be chaotic, but I imagine it could be even harder to rouse sleepy kids from their warm beds when they’ve had three days to sleep in, and how beneficial the school day structure ultimately is for all of us, again, no matter how nuts it can get.
Pallas agrees there are pros and cons to a four-day school week, telling Parents that this schedule “can make it easier for families to schedule appointments, such as doctor's visits, that don't require pulling students out of the classroom,” which can be quite disruptive to their learning. “Probably the biggest downside of a four-day school week is the longer school days, which can challenge students' attention spans, especially younger children,” Pallas adds.
“It's important to understand that a four-day school week doesn't decrease the total hours of instruction in the school week," Pallas explains. "State laws and regulations typically require a certain number of hours in the school year.”
For instance, with a typical, five-day schedule, your child might attend school for 6 hours. With a four-day week, school could be in session for 7.5 hours. I’m picturing my kindergartner starting to climb the walls around 2 p.m. His poor teacher!
“A four-day school week for such students makes for some very long days,” Pallas agrees, especially for kids with long bus commutes. He adds that scheduling after-school activities following longer days is also a challenge.
Then there’s the issue of parents balancing a four-day school week with their five-day work schedules. “The biggest challenge for parents in districts adopting a four-day school week is managing and supervising children on the fifth day,” Pallas says. “We don't like to think of schools and teachers as daycare providers, but the reality is that for younger children, an adult needs to be responsible for looking after them on the fifth day.”
Unfortunately, for a lot of parents, a four-day school week translates into an additional childcare cost. Pallas notes some districts that have adopted the four-day schedule offer subsidized care for kids at the school on that fifth day, but even subsidized care means parents are paying for something. But there is an upside. “This can be important in providing secure caregiving, and ensuring that needy students get a breakfast or lunch they might not otherwise receive,” he says.
Pallas says it's critical to assess whether a four-day school week could actually fix problems within schools. "We haven't seen much evidence yet that this approach saves districts much money, or that it helps districts recruit and retain teachers," he explains. "Better funding for these districts, which can allow for higher teacher salaries, is probably a more effective strategy to solve the problem of teacher retention.”
His takeaway? “Moving to a four-day school week can be very disruptive for a school community. To date, it's not clear that it's worth the effort.”
Data aside, a lot of parents who weighed in on our Facebook page are certainly in favor of the idea, including many whose kids already go to school on a four-day schedule. Here’s just some of what our readers had to say on the issue of whether a four-day school week is good or bad:
My kiddos’ school just implemented this, but all mine are teenagers and it works well for us. But, I can understand the struggle it would leave for parents with younger kids. - April
Only if the standard work week is four days. - Laura
I would love this, but I understand how working parents may find this difficult to accommodate. - Lauren
This is the second year my kids’ school is doing it and seems to be a good thing for the kids. - Alicia
It depends on how many hours. People can only be productive for so long. - Melinda
I would love it as a parent and a teacher. However, I think a midweek break is better than a three-day weekend. Three days off is too long for little ones to assimilate back to school - Beth
My kids attend K-12 and on Fridays, there is no class, and just on-their-own lessons and makeup work. It makes life easier because I can make appointments on Friday. - Amy
Many smaller districts in my state that can’t financially compete with surrounding areas have switched to a four-day week and it’s attracted talent. The staff and students are happier and there are less altercations. - Constance
It wouldn't work for my kids and family. My kids benefit from the structure that their school and their classroom settings provide. For those of us who have children on the spectrum, or children with ADHD, and wouldn't have the extra help, support, or childcare, it would be bad. - Michele
We all went five days a week and survived. Kids today will too! - Stacy
My son is in a school that is Monday through Thursday, and it has been great for him. He doesn't seem to be so overwhelmed with school anymore - Jessica
Students lost academics because of COVID, and people were angry. Now we want four-day weeks? - Maria
If your kids already attend a four-day school, Jody LeVos, PhD, an early childhood development expert, and Chief Learning Officer at Begin, offers this advice for parents to help kids “get back into the swing of things” after three days off.
“Talk through the transition the night before, get clothes and school supplies ready, and spend some playful time throughout the weekend on important skills and topics. Even 15 minutes a day of intentional, fun learning through play can have a big impact on a child’s learning,” Dr, LeVos says.
Related: Why a 4-Day Workweek Would Be a Huge Win for Parents
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