argumentative essay on 4 day school week

• Follow us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Criminal Justice
• Environment
• Politics & Government
• Race & Gender

Expert Commentary

The four-day school week: Research shows benefits and consequences

To save money and help recruit teachers, many U.S. schools are taking Mondays or Fridays off. We look at research on how the four-day school week affects student test scores, attendance and behavior.

Republish this article

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License .

by Denise-Marie Ordway, The Journalist's Resource September 6, 2023

This <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org/education/four-day-school-week-research/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org">The Journalist's Resource</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://journalistsresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-jr-favicon-150x150.png" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;">

We updated this piece on the four-day school week, originally published in June 2018, to include new figures, research and other information on Sept. 6, 2023.

Just over 2,100 schools in 26 states have switched to a four-day school week, often in hopes of recruiting teachers, saving money and boosting student attendance, according to the most recent estimate from the Four-Day School Week policy research team at Oregon State University.

Small, rural schools facing teacher shortages have led the trend, choosing to take Mondays or Fridays off and giving teachers and students a three-day weekend every week. To make up for the lost day of instruction, school officials tack time onto the remaining four days.

In places where schools have made the change, school district leaders have marveled at the resulting spikes in applications from teachers and other job seekers.

“The number of teacher applications that we’ve received have gone up more than 4-fold,” Dale Herl , superintendent of the Independence, Missouri school district, told CBS News last month .

Independence, which serves about 14,000 students outside Kansas City, introduced the new schedule when classes there resumed last month. In all, 30% of Missouri school districts now have a four-day school week, The Kansas City Star reported recently .

Schools nationwide faced teacher shortages long before the COVID-19 pandemic. But vacancies grew as the virus, which has killed 1.1 million Americans to date , spread.

In the spring before the pandemic, a total of 662 public school districts used the schedule – up more than 600% since 1999, Paul Thompson and Emily Morton , leading researchers in this field, write in a 2021 essay for the Brookings Institution. That number climbed to 876 during the 2022-23 academic year, Thompson and Morton told The Journalist’s Resource in email messages.

Brent Maddin , executive director of the Next Education Workforce project at Arizona State University, told The New York Times the pandemic has made many teachers feel more undervalued.

“If we’re serious about recruiting people into the profession, and retaining people in the profession, in addition to things like compensation we need to be focused on the working conditions,” he told the Times.

Scholars are still trying to understand the impact of cutting the school week by one day. Most studies focus on a single state or group of states, so their findings cannot be generalized to all schools on a four-day schedule. The research to date indicates:

• The amount of time students spend in class varies from state to state.
• Some schools offer less instructional time during a four-day school week than they did during a five-day week.
• There’s limited cost savings, considering employee salaries and benefits make up the bulk of school expenses. In a 2021 analysis , Thompson estimates schools save 1% to 2% by shortening the school week by a day.
• The impact of the condensed schedule differs depending on a range of factors, including the number of hours schools operate and how they structure their daily schedules. Recent research generally finds small drops in student achievement.
• Staff morale improved under a four-day school week.
• High school bullying and fighting declined.

“For journalists looking for a definitive answer to [the question] ‘Are four-day school weeks a good or bad thing?’, I would caution that it is still too early to tell,” Thompson, an associate professor of economics who is part of Oregon State’s Four-Day School Week policy research team, wrote to The Journalist’s Resource.

Both he and Morton urged journalists to explain that the amount of time schools dedicate to student learning makes a big difference.

“I think too often the importance of instructional time for the impacts of the policy is missed,” Morton, a researcher at the American Institutes of Research, wrote to JR. “It’s pretty critical to the story that districts with longer days (who are possibly delivering equal or more instructional time to their students than they were on a five-day week) are not seeing the same negative impacts that districts with shorter days are seeing.”

Keep reading to learn more about the research. We’ll update this collection periodically.

——————–

Impacts of the Four-Day School Week on Early Elementary Achievement Paul N. Thompson; et al. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2nd Quarter 2023.

Summary: This study is the first to examine the four-day school week’s impact on elementary schools’ youngest students. Researchers looked at how children in Oregon who went to school four days a week in kindergarten later performed in math and English Language Arts when they reached the third grade. What they found: Overall, there were “minimal and non-significant differences” in the test scores of third-graders who attended kindergarten on a four-day schedule between 2014 and 2016 and third-graders who went to kindergarten on a five-day schedule during the same period.

When the researchers studied individual groups of students, though, they noticed small differences. For example, when they looked only at children who had scored highest on their pre-kindergarten assessments of letter sounds, letter names and early math skills, they learned that kids who went to kindergarten four days a week scored a little lower on third-grade tests than those who had gone to kindergarten five days a week.

The researchers write that they find no statistically significant evidence of detrimental four-day school week achievement impacts, and even some positive impacts” for minority students, lower-income students,  special education students, students enrolled in English as a Second Language programs and students who scored in the lower half on pre-kindergarten assessments.

There are multiple reasons why lower-achieving students might be less affected by school schedules than high achievers, the researchers point out. For example, higher-achieving students “may miss out on specialized instruction — such as gifted and enrichment activities — that they would have had time to receive under a five-day school schedule,” they write.

Effects of 4-Day School Weeks on Older Adolescents: Examining Impacts of the Schedule on Academic Achievement, Attendance, and Behavior in High School Emily Morton. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, June 2022.

Summary: Oklahoma high schools saw less fighting and bullying among students after switching from a five-day-a-week schedule to a four-day schedule, this study finds. Fighting declined by 0.79 incidents per 100 students and bullying dropped by 0.65 incidents per 100 students.

The other types of student discipline problems examined, including weapons possession, vandalism and truancy, did not change, according to the analysis, based on a variety of student and school data collected through 2019 from the Oklahoma State Department of Education and National Center for Education Statistics.

“Results indicate that 4-day school weeks decrease per-pupil bullying incidents by approximately 39% and per-pupil fighting incidents by approximately 31%,” writes the author, Emily Morton , a research scientist at NWEA, a nonprofit research organization formerly known as the Northwest Evaluation Association.

Morton did not investigate what caused the reduction in bullying and fighting. She did find that moving to a four-day schedule had “no detectable effect” on high school attendance or student scores on the ACT college-entrance exam.

Only a Matter of Time? The Role of Time in School on Four-Day School Week Achievement Impacts Paul N. Thompson and Jason Ward. Economics of Education Review, February 2022.

Summary: Student test scores in math and language arts dipped at some schools that adopted a four-day schedule but did not change at others, according to this analysis of school schedule switches in 12 states.

Researchers discovered “small reductions” in test scores for students in grades 3 through 8 at schools offering what the researchers call “low time in school.” These schools operate an average of 29.95 hours during the four-day week. The decline in test scores is described in terms of standard deviation , not units of measurement such as points or percentages.

At schools offering “middle time in school” — an average of 31.03 hours over four days — test scores among kids in grades 3 through 8 did not change, write the researchers, Paul N. Thompson , an associate professor of economics at Oregon State University, and Jason Ward , an associate economist at the RAND Corp., a nonprofit research organization.

Scores also did not change at schools providing “high time in school,” or 32.14 hours over a four-day school week, on average.

When describing this paper’s findings, it’s inaccurate to say researchers found that test scores dropped as a result of schools adopting a four-day schedule. It is correct to say test scores dropped, on average, across the schools the researchers studied. But it’s worth noting the relationship between test scores and the four-day school week differs according to the average number of hours those schools operate each week.

For this analysis, researchers examined school districts in states that allowed four-day school weeks during the 2008-2009 academic year through the 2017-2018 academic years. They chose to focus on the 12 states where four-day school weeks were most common. The data they used came from the Stanford Educational Data Archive and “a proprietary, longitudinal, national database” that tracked the use of four-day school weeks from 2009 to 2018.

The researchers write that their findings “suggest that four-day school weeks that operate with adequate levels of time in school have no clear negative effect on achievement and, instead, that it is operating four-day school weeks in a low-time-in-school environment that should be cautioned against.”

Three Midwest Rural School Districts’ First Year Transition to the Four Day School Week Jon Turner, Kim Finch and Ximena Uribe-Zarain. The Rural Educator, 2019.

Abstract: “The four-day school week is a concept that has been utilized in rural schools for decades to respond to budgetary shortfalls. There has been little peer-reviewed research on the four-day school week that has focused on the perception of parents who live in school districts that have recently switched to the four-day model. This study collects data from 584 parents in three rural Missouri school districts that have transitioned to the four-day school week within the last year. Quantitative statistical analysis identifies significant differences in the perceptions of parents classified by the age of children, special education identification, and free and reduced lunch status. Strong parental support for the four-day school week was identified in all demographic areas investigated; however, families with only elementary aged children and families with students receiving special education services were less supportive than other groups.”

Juvenile Crime and the Four-Day School Week Stefanie Fischer and Daniel Argyle. Economics of Education Review, 2018.

Abstract: “We leverage the adoption of a four-day school week across schools within the jurisdiction of rural law enforcement agencies in Colorado to examine the causal link between school attendance and youth crime. Those affected by the policy attend school for the same number of hours each week as students on a typical five-day week; however, treated students do not attend school on Friday. This policy allows us to learn about two aspects of the school-crime relationship that have previously been unstudied: one, the effects of a frequent and permanent schedule change on short-term crime, and two, the impact that school attendance has on youth crime in rural areas. Our difference-in-difference estimates show that following policy adoption, agencies containing students on a four-day week experience about a 20 percent increase in juvenile criminal offenses, where the strongest effect is observed for property crime.”

Staff Perspectives of the Four-Day School Week: A New Analysis of Compressed School Schedules Jon Turner , Kim Finch and Ximena Uribe – Zarian . Journal of Education and Training Studies, 2018.

Abstract: “The four-day school week is a concept that has been utilized in rural schools for decades to respond to budgetary shortfalls. There has been little peer-reviewed research on the four-day school week that has focused on the perception of staff that work in school districts that have recently switched to the four-day model. This study collects data from 136 faculty and staff members in three rural Missouri school districts that have transitioned to the four-day school week within the last year. Quantitative statistical analysis identifies strong support of the four-day school week model from both certified educational staff and classified support staff perspectives. All staff responded that the calendar change had improved staff morale, and certified staff responded that the four-day week had a positive impact on what is taught in classrooms and had increased academic quality. Qualitative analysis identifies staff suggestions for schools implementing the four-day school week including the importance of community outreach prior to implementation. No significant differences were identified between certified and classified staff perspectives. Strong staff support for the four-day school week was identified in all demographic areas investigated. Findings support conclusions made in research in business and government sectors that identify strong employee support of a compressed workweek across all work categories.”

The Economics of a Four-Day School Week: Community and Business Leaders’ Perspectives Jon Turner , Kim Finch and Ximena Uribe – Zarian . Journal of Education and Training Studies, 2018.

Abstract: “The four-day school week is a concept that has been utilized in rural schools in the United States for decades and the number of schools moving to the four-day school week is growing. In many rural communities, the school district is the largest regional employer which provides a region with permanent, high paying jobs that support the local economy. This study collects data from 71 community and business leaders in three rural school districts that have transitioned to the four-day school week within the last year. Quantitative statistical analysis is used to investigate the perceptions of community and business leaders related to the economic impact upon their businesses and the community and the impact the four-day school week has had upon perception of quality of the school district. Significant differences were identified between community/business leaders that currently have no children in school as compared to community/business leaders with children currently enrolled in four-day school week schools. Overall, community/business leaders were evenly divided concerning the economic impact on their businesses and the community. Community/business leaders’ perceptions of the impact the four-day school week was also evenly divided concerning the impact on the quality of the school district. Slightly more negative opinions were identified related to the economic impact on the profitability of their personal businesses which may impact considerations by school leaders. Overall, community/business leaders were evenly divided when asked if they would prefer their school district return to the traditional five-day week school calendar.”

Impact of a 4-Day School Week on Student Academic Performance, Food Insecurity, and Youth Crime Report from the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Office of Partner Engagement, 2017.

Summary: “A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) utilizes a variety of data sources and analytic methods to evaluate the consequences of proposed or implemented policy on health. A rapid (HIA) was chosen to research the impact of the four-day school week on youth. The shift to a four-day school week was a strategy employed by many school districts in Oklahoma to address an $878 million budget shortfall, subsequent budget cuts, and teacher shortages. The HIA aimed to assess the impact of the four-day school week on student academic performance, food insecurity, and juvenile crime … An extensive review of literature and stakeholder engagement on these topic areas was mostly inconclusive or did not reveal any clear-cut evidence to identify effects of the four-day school week on student outcomes — academic performance, food insecurity or juvenile crime. Moreover, there are many published articles about the pros and cons of the four-day school week, but a lack of comprehensive research is available on the practice.”

Does Shortening the School Week Impact Student Performance? Evidence from the Four-Day School Week D. Mark Anderson and Mary Beth Walker. Education Finance and Policy, 2015.

Abstract: “School districts use a variety of policies to close budget gaps and stave off teacher layoffs and furloughs. More schools are implementing four-day school weeks to reduce overhead and transportation costs. The four-day week requires substantial schedule changes as schools must increase the length of their school day to meet minimum instructional hour requirements. Although some schools have indicated this policy eases financial pressures, it is unknown whether there is an impact on student outcomes. We use school-level data from Colorado to investigate the relationship between the four-day week and academic performance among elementary school students. Our results generally indicate a positive relationship between the four-day week and performance in reading and mathematics. These findings suggest there is little evidence that moving to a four-day week compromises student academic achievement. This research has policy relevance to the current U.S. education system, where many school districts must cut costs.”

Other resources

• The Education Commission of the States offers a 50-state comparison of public school students’ instructional time requirements. For example, students in Colorado are required to be in school for a minimum of 160 days each academic year while in Vermont, the minimum is 175 days and in North Carolina, it’s 185.
• The State of the American Teacher project offers insights into how teachers feel about their jobs and the education field as a whole. In early 2022, RAND Corp. surveyed a nationally representative sample of teachers, asking questions on topics such as job-related stress, school safety, COVID-19 mitigation policies and career plans. Survey results show that 56% of teachers who answered a question about their attitude toward their job “strongly” or “somewhat” agreed with the statement, “The stress and disappointments involved in teaching aren’t really worth it.” Meanwhile, 78% “strongly” or “somewhat” agreed with the statement, “I don’t seem to have as much enthusiasm now as I did when I began teaching.”
• Opinions about the four-day school week vary among school board members, district-level administrators, school principals and teachers. These organizations can provide insights: the Schools Superintendents Association , National School Boards Association , National Association of Elementary School Principals and National Association of Secondary School Principals .

Looking for more research on public schools? Check out our other collections of research on student lunches , school uniforms,   teacher salaries and teacher misconduct .

About The Author

Denise-Marie Ordway

Persuasive Essay Example on Four Day School Week

Four-day school weeks are starting to become as normal as a traditional five-day school week.  There are many beneficial elements to a four-day week.  Financial benefits, improved attendance, and more teachers are just a few of them.  A large number of students, parents, and teachers would prefer a four-day week.  While parents have some concerns about their students' growth, the reduction has proven to be insignificant.  In the end, four-day weeks are more convenient.

Financial problems are becoming more common in school districts because of transportation, power, food, etc.  Transporting students for four, rather than five, days a week is already saving so much money.  Lesser power would be used by districts because the school would not be open as  long as it would be during a five-day week.  Meals will only be provided for the four school days.  According to Stephen Sawchuk, superintendents noted that although a small amount of money was saved, it would be enough to hire an additional reading coach or fund another program.  Having the money to hire more teachers is a privilege not many five-day schools have.

Losing teachers is a problem that is becoming harder to solve.  Many are retiring, and few are searching for jobs.  Some schools don’t have enough money to hire extra teachers or substitutes, but a four-day week makes that possible.  According to, “Four-Day School Week Overview,” “District administrators also claim that the appeal of a four-day week helps recruit teachers in areas where it is consistently difficult to attract new staff.”  When in need of more teachers, a four-day week can help draw some in.  More people will want to go to school and into teaching because of the appeal of the four-day week.

Student truancy is another big concern school districts have.  Absenteeism not only occurs with students, but oftentimes teachers, too.  A four-day week can help lessen the number of absences at school because of the appeal.  According to “Educational Achievement and the Four-Day Week,” “Shoemaker (2002) stated that ‘Experts have documented increased attendance, improved moral, and fewer disciplinary problems in four-day schools.’” .  Shoemaker was talking about both students and teachers.  Another added benefit with teachers attending school more often is saving money due to less of a need for substitute teachers. 

Although there are many benefits of four-day weeks, there are drawbacks, too.  Parents are concerned about student growth, or academic performance, falling short. Well, studies show that the growth does decrease, but not significantly.  According to “What happens to student learning in four-day districts?”, “In all, the declines were on the order of between 0.5 to 0.15 of a standard deviation lower after three years, and around 0.2 of a standard deviation after eight years.”.  The findings show that the decrease is not something parents should be alarmed about.

All in all, four-day school weeks are rewarding for parents, students, and teachers.  The whole school district can save money on transportation, food, power, and many more things.  Teachers will be drawn in by the appeal of the four-day week, and will not want to miss as many days of school as they would with a five day week, nor would the students.  Although student growth will fall short, the decrease is not major.  Four-day school weeks will be able to please everyone with few downsides.

Related Samples

• Essay Sample On Mental Illness In Schools
• Admission Essay: Advanced Molecular Chemistry at Tohoku University
• Essay Sample on Dealing With Stress in College: Spring Semester Edition
• Cell Phones Should Be Allowed in Classrooms Argumentative Essay
• The Importance of Writing in Future Endeavors
• Essay on NJHS Core Values
• Personal Narrative Essay: The Best Time To Study
• Persuasive Essay on Why College Should Be Free
• Importance Of Equity In Education
• Medical School Personal Statement Example

Didn't find the perfect sample?

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Common Arguments for and Against the Four-Day School Week

The number of four-day school weeks (4dsw) in Missouri has risen considerably in the past few years: from 34 in the 2017–2018 school year to 152 in the 2022–2023 school year. Based on my own compilation of district calendars, there appears to be around 170 for the 2023–2024 school year—although those numbers are not final at this time.

While typically a 4dsw district is a small, rural district, that could be changing in Missouri. The Independence School District in Kansas City just began its first semester using a 4dsw this year. The district had over 13,000 students in 2021–2022, which is over 10,000 more students than the second-biggest 4dsw district, Warren County R-III. It will be interesting to see if more suburban and urban districts follow Independence’s example.

Along with James Shuls, I am currently working on a systematic literature review of the best evidence on the effects of the 4dsw. We’ll get into those findings at a later date. Here, I think it is important to discuss the most common arguments for and against the 4dsw. Specifically in this post, I will list the different arguments regarding how the 4dsw could impact academic achievement.

Pros : How This Could Bolster Academic Achievement

• With a longer weekend, students can recharge more and be more attentive in class—leading to instruction hours being more productive.
• Additionally in rural districts, less time would have to be taken off to help on the family farm.
• Fewer kids would be late to class for doctor’s appointments, driver’s tests, and other necessary errands as families could schedule it on the weekday that school is off.
• While there is ample time to discuss these things during school breaks, having built-in professional development days could lead to improvement for some teachers—generating higher academic achievement.
• With greater job satisfaction, teachers could be more motivated and help boost students’
• Potentially cutting costs from transportation, energy, or food services on the fifth day could allow districts to divert more funds to instructional costs.
• Longer class times with a 4dsw means that teachers can more easily use different teaching methods like small-group discussions as opposed to mainly lectures—potentially leading to more active participation and academic growth.
• Fewer substitute teachers are needed, as teachers can schedule appointments or recover from sickness on off days.

Cons: How This Could Decrease Academic Achievement

• A longer weekend means less repetitions per week of material, which may make it harder for it to “stick.”
• 50% of schools that use a 4dsw report being completely closed on the fifth day, while 30% offer some sort of remedial or enrichment activity on that day.
• We all saw what happened to students’ scores when they were not routinely in-person at school.
• Many claim that attention spans have shortened in society. If a 4dsw involves longer school days, there may be more hours where students are not paying attention.
• Many times, 4dsw have about 3-4 less hours in school per week —harming academic achievement.
• This could be a particular problem for Missouri which has chronic absenteeism .
• This can serve to increase stress on students.
• Teacher retention could decrease . One fewer day of school, that is one fewer day to earn additional income from after- and before-school programs.
• Studies show a 4dsw could be linked to increased, as older students can have an unsupervised dayoff, leading to students focusing less on school or not being in school at all.
• For students with little at-home support, less time in school is more harmful to them than others.

Research should be able to give us a better idea the average effect of the 4dsw on student achievement. Whether the overall effects are positive or negative, it seems clear that the 4dsw will not impact all students in the same way. These issues are important to consider when evaluating the 4dsw, and James and I are excited to present our findings in the near future.

Avery Frank

• Publications

Reprint permission for Show-Me Institute publications and commentaries is hereby granted, provided that proper credit is given to the author. We request, but do not require, that those who reprint our material notify us of publication for our records: [email protected].

© Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved

4 Studies to Know on 4-Day School Weeks

• Share article

In the last decade, shortened school weeks have been adopted in more than 1,600 schools in 650 school districts nationwide . Initially seen as a way to cut costs, rural districts in particular have lauded the model as a way to draw in teachers and students looking for more-flexible schedules.

However, implementation of the four-day schedules has varied significantly, and in recent years, the model has sparked heated debates over whether it is consistent with efforts to regain academic ground lost during the pandemic.

In Oklahoma, for example, districts can schedule fewer than 180 days in a school year, as long as they continue to provide 1,080 instructional hours, maintain student academic achievement, and show cost savings—criteria most districts have been unable to meet since the pandemic. That’s led to fights between state lawmakers who want to do away with the shortened weeks and rural education leaders who back them.

As educators and policymakers continue to debate the use of shortened school weeks, here are four studies to know about how they can affect students and schools.

1. Maintaining instructional time is critical

At first blush, a 2022 study of the effects of shortened school schedules in 12 states seems pretty bleak. Nationwide, researchers found significantly lower math and English/language arts achievement at schools using four-day weeks during the time period from 2009-2018 than in schools using a traditional schedule. However, when study author Paul Thompson, a public policy research professor at Oregon State University, and his colleagues dug deeper, they found instructional time made the difference for student achievement. 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 significant drops in math and reading achievement were concentrated in districts that had the least instructional time after moving from a five-day to four-day weekly schedule.

“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.

He suggested that schools could experiment with carving out more teaching time through limiting recess, lunch, or study periods, but should be careful to also track how these types of schedule changes affect student engagement and achievement.

2. Cost savings may be in the details rather than the bottom line

While some rural districts have been using shortened schedules for decades, the biggest momentum for the model came following the 2008 recession, when cash-strapped rural districts were looking for ways to cut costs.

That’s 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.

A more recent study of Oklahoma districts specifically found those that moved to four-day weeks saved about 2 percent of their budgets, driven by savings in noninstructional costs such as operations, transportation, and food services.

3. Shortened schedules may equal calmer schools

Shortened school weeks may have made Oklahoma middle and high schools calmer and safer, though the model has done nothing to improve students’ attendance or academic achievement.

A study , in the journal of Educational Research and Policy Analysis, tracked student performance over a dozen years and attendance and discipline over nine years, as 411 districts across the state adopted the four-day model for at least some of their schools.

After moving to shortened weeks, schools saw on average a 39 percent drop in bullying and a 31 percent decline in the number of fights and assaults on campus. To put that into perspective, that’s a nearly twice as large an effect as the average 20 percent drop in bullying behaviors seen for common school-based anti-bullying programs.

“You hear over and over again, from students, from teachers, that kids are happier, that there’s increased morale, there’s improved school climate, there’s positive effects on school discipline,” said Emily Morton, a research scientist at the Center for School and Student Progress at NWEA and the author of the study.

However, shortened schedules had no effect on discipline problems related to drugs or alcohol, vandalism, truancy, school bus misbehavior, or bringing weapons to school. Likewise, the study found no significant difference in SAT scores, attendance rates and truancy, or disciplinary infractions for vandalism for high school students who attended under shortened weeks.

4. Urban districts may take a hit

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. Moreover, retention was 3 percentage points lower for teachers—and 5 percentage points lower for veteran teachers of 15 years or more—in schools with four-day weeks than in similar ones with traditional five-day weeks.

“This finding does not necessarily mean that teachers do not value a [four-day week]. Instead, it suggests that the teachers that [left the district] were unwilling to trade off the higher salaries offered by outside opportunities for the benefits offered by a [four-day week schedule],” researchers concluded.

The researchers found local home values dropped 4 percent in the communities with four-day school weeks compared to those just over the border in a different district with traditional schedules. As a result, homeowners paid $700 to $6,000 more than they would have in property taxes.

Takeaways for administrators

The emerging research suggests school and district leaders should think carefully if they choose to implement shortened school weeks, said Morton of NWEA. She recommended that leaders:

• Get community buy-in for the four-day schedule and communicate regularly with both parent and business stakeholders to identify the supports needed. “If parents aren’t gonna be able to support their kids on that extra day, it’s going to be a huge financial hardship for families,” she said.
• Audit instructional minutes for each subject and commit to maintaining or increasing instructional time even with fewer days. “Superintendents need to know that on average we do see negative effects of this schedule,” she said, “so make sure that you are not shortchanging your kids on the amount of time that they’re getting in those subjects.”
• Closely monitor student achievement and engagement and compare the data both to prior district data and those of surrounding districts. “We’ve seen some evidence suggesting negative effects may compound over time, ... so district leaders need to be very attentive to their own students and, if there’s evidence that this is negatively impacting students, ... switch back,” she said.

A version of this article appeared in the March 08, 2023 edition of Education Week as Four Studies to Know About 4-Day School Schedules

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

What a difference a day makes: the argument for a four-day school week

A study suggests giving students an extra day off improves learning. It could also be a step in the right direction for teacher workloads

The call for a four-day working week is not new. At a time when more and more people say they feel overworked, and increasing numbers are making the switch to part-time hours, the idea has been proposed as a means of tackling both stress and unemployment .

But schools have largely been left out of the debate so far. The idea of students only coming in four days a week rings alarm bells for many who fear a drop in academic performance.

As a former teacher, I was intrigued by a study published this summer, which suggests that pupils’ grades could actually improve with a shorter school week.

The research, conducted by D Mark Anderson of Montana State University and Mary Beth Walker of Georgia State University, looks at the reading and maths results of students in the fourth and fifth grade (years 5 and 6). The schools in question rearranged the week by cutting one day – typically a Monday or Friday – and adding the extra hours to the other four. Teachers’ total working time (and salaries) remained the same.

The four-day school week for students in Colorado was introduced as a cost-saving measure, and the improvements in academic results were the opposite of what had been anticipated, Walker explains.

“We thought that especially for the younger, elementary school kids, longer days on a shorter school week would hurt their academic performance because their attention spans are shorter,” she says.

“We also thought a longer weekend would give them more of an opportunity to forget what they had learned.”

But the results show that, even for these young students, a four-day school week had a statistically significant positive impact on maths scores (around 7% extra on average), and a possible positive impact on reading scores (although this was not deemed statistically significant by the study’s testing standards).

Walker offers a number of possible explanations, including the idea that longer days might give teachers an opportunity to explore different instructional processes. The study also speculates that a four-day week could lower absenteeism, so that students who have dental appointments, for example, might be able to put them off until Friday and not miss school.

The study’s results are yet to be replicated and critics have raised concerns – particularly about how much subject knowledge students will be able to retain and how well they will be able to concentrate over longer days.

But as someone who taught for 10 years, I can certainly see the potential benefits. It would give young people some much-needed breathing space and, in schools where the fifth day was used for extracurricular activities, students wouldn’t have to choose between academic study and other pursuits.

There is one clear drawback, however: the increased difficulty for parents dealing with the logistics and costs of childcare. This would need to be taken into consideration, but if working weeks were shortened for everyone, then families would actually get to spend more time together.

The benefits for teachers should not be overlooked either. Those who took part in the study reported greater efficiency and better collaboration when they used the fifth day to plan together, with some schools even finding that staff turnover was reduced.

As a teacher who worked part-time (three and four days a week) and full-time, I can see the advantages of having a day free from student contact. Having greater flexibility for personal appointments and meetings would certainly have made my life as a middle manager much easier.

Perhaps most exciting is the potential to use the fifth day to provide good-quality continued professional development and support for teachers where it is (sometimes desperately) needed. Of course, schools would need to be careful that the fifth day didn’t simply become filled with bureaucracy, but it should be possible to prevent that through open discussion with senior management.

The current education system is made up of long stretches of intense work, interspersed with periods of what is laughingly called holiday. A shortened week could improve teachers’ work-life balance by allowing more time for marking, planning and preparation, meaning that holidays and weekends could be times of real rest.

Although workload still needs to be given serious thought, a four-day week could be a step in the right direction for teachers and, the evidence suggests, for their students too.

Follow us on Twitter via @GuardianTeach . Join the Guardian Teacher Network for lesson resources, comment and job opportunities , direct to your inbox.

• Teacher Network
• School leadership and management
• Primary schools
• Secondary schools
• Teachers' workload

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

4-Day School Weeks Are on the Rise. What Do Parents Think?

After a busy weekend, Kayla Dickhoff and her husband head back to work each Monday morning. But her six kids stay at home, relaxing and finishing up homework, with the older ones looking after the younger ones. "We use Monday as a catch-up and a refresh , like a breather day after a weekend," she says. They can do this because their district in Belgrade, MN, is on a four-day school week. Dickhoff loves it. "I hope we never, ever have to go back to five days," she says.

Fortunately for her, it's unlikely they ever will. In recent years, more and more schools in the US have adopted the four-day school week, and, historically, few ever revert back. This school year, nearly 900 districts across the country (about seven percent) have opted for the shorter week, according to the Associated Press . That's up from a little more than 100 in 1999.

"Every state west of the Mississippi now allows the four-day school week as an option," says Jon S. Turner , PhD, who has researched the effects of the four-day school week as an associate professor at Missouri State University.

Unsurprisingly, most students love this setup. But what do parents have to say? The approval ratings in parent surveys show that far more agree with Dickhoff than you might expect.

How the Four-Day School Week Became Popular

Four-day school weeks began for practical reasons. Dr. Turner says districts that were early adopters of the practice transitioned to four days to save a little money — mainly because one less school day per week equates to 20 percent less diesel fuel used by the school buses. (The environmental benefits of that are just a bonus, but very much embraced in liberal counties.) The vast majority of these schools are in rural areas, where the bus ride can take two hours or more.

Emily Morton , PhD, who's been studying four-day school weeks since 2017, says the average district saves about $50,000 per year this way — not exactly a windfall, but not nothing either.

Soon, nearby school districts found they were losing teachers and staff members to four-day week schools, so they adopted the truncated schedule to stay competitive. Dr. Turner says that when Independence School District in suburban Kansas City changed to four days this year, it saw the number of teacher applications go up by four times, and for the first time in recent memory, there's no longer a bus driver shortage. "In this tightening job market, the four-day week is just very attractive," he says.

Fewer days doesn't necessarily mean less school, though. The minimum instructional hours mandated varies by state, but most districts make up the lost time by lengthening the school day. Others add an extra week or so at the end of the year.

What Parents Think of the Four-Day School Week

One might assume families would resent a schedule that doesn't line up with the work week, or be wary that a lighter schedule might mean kids aren't learning enough. Yet Dr. Turner says his research team's surveys have found that 70 to 80 percent of parents overall actually like the four-day week.

"Some of the benefits they talk about are increased family time . They think students are less stressed . They think their morale at the school is better," says Dr. Morton. "There's mixed hard evidence on that. But in analysis of discipline events we do see that bullying and fighting incidents decrease."

Kathryn Mounce, in Lincoln, AR, says the extra day off helps her kids go back to school after the long weekend feeling more refreshed, making them more productive during the week. "A shorter school week helps alleviate stress and burnout," she says.

Research conducted by the RAND Corporation in 2021 also shows a small tick up in school attendance rates at four-day schools, which could be due to the flexibility of having an extra day off. "I try to schedule as many appointments that my kids need as possible on Mondays when we have off," Dickhoff says. "That way, I don't have to pull them out of school."

Not everyone loves the setup, however. Approval numbers for the four-day school week dip closer to 50 percent among parents of children with special needs and parents who only have younger kids — circumstances that make childcare trickier.

"I hope we never, ever have to go back to five days."

And one important area that concerns some parents and experts alike is student achievement. While Dr. Morton's research, published in the Oklahoma Education Journal , has found that rural districts see little to no effect of a short week on academic performance, there is a small negative effect in more populated areas. It's not entirely clear what causes this difference, she says, though there's speculation it could be tied to the amount of instructional time . The benefits of teacher retention and easier scheduling of school sports in rural areas may also balance out any adverse effects of having one less day in school.

There are also those who worry about children who don't have a safe space at home or consistent access to food. While some schools do offer breakfast and lunch on the day off, it's up to the families to get the students there.

So, What Do Families Do on Day Five?

Despite the cost savings and better school-life balance, one day less of school can obviously leave parents in the lurch. Amanda Kay, who lives in Bethel Park, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh, says when she first heard talk of a four-day school week online, she couldn't imagine how working parents could pull it off. Her 10-year old goes to school five days a week, which she's very glad for.

"I'd have to figure out something for her to do," Kay says. "I work from home, but she wouldn't really have anybody to be there and be engaged with her." Even though her daughter is old enough to look after herself, Kay says she wouldn't want to leave her to her own devices all day.

Yet research shows that most kids with three-day weekends are not spending the extra day off playing video games and watching TV. Dr. Morton surveyed kids about how they spent their time, and says, "The category that students reported most of the time increasing on was actually chores ."

School itself also keeps many kids busy. Most districts use the day off for extracurricular activities like sports or theater practice, or targeted academic intervention for students falling behind. "On the fifth day, we may be having field trips where we're going to college visitations or visiting museums," Dr. Turner adds. Some schools give virtual assignments for students to complete from home. Those in more tourist-friendly areas often schedule Fridays off so that high schoolers can work in industries that get busier Fridays through Sundays.

Dr. Morton says childcare is actually far less of an issue than most people would assume. "It's pretty amazing the lack of concern about childcare," she says. The vast majority of school districts on this schedule are still in rural areas, she explains, where people are typically less transient and parents are more likely to have extended family members who can pitch in living nearby. Parents may even work out of the house on a farm or ranch, so they get the kids involved (hence those chores). Even if they don't, Dickhoff says some parents in her community set up their work schedules so they are off on Mondays to stay home with their kids.

Some districts do underwrite free or low-cost childcare for families that need it, but there's not always the demand you'd expect. "A few districts actually started childcare on Friday to support parents and closed it because they didn't have enough take up," Dr. Morton says.

Four-Day School Weeks Have Staying Power

With benefits for strapped schools and most parents in support, four-day school weeks are likely only going to grow more common, at least in rural areas. In Missouri, Dr. Turner says, more than a third of the school districts have taken up truncated weeks — and only two districts have ever reverted back to five days.

"It's a game changer for my family," says Mounce. "As a parent, I firmly believe in the benefits."

Jennifer Heimlich is a writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience in fitness and wellness journalism. She previously worked as the senior fitness editor for Well+Good and the editor in chief of Dance Magazine. A UESCA-certified running coach, she's written about running and fitness for publications like Shape, GQ, Runner's World, and The Atlantic.

Argumentative Writing Unit - Middle School Argumentative Essay - 4 Day Week

What educators are saying

Also included in.

Description

This Common Core aligned resource is the perfect way to teach your students how to compose a multi-paragraph argumentative composition. This debate centers around whether students believe that a four-day school week is a better option than a traditional five-day school week. It will allow your students to take part in a real world project that includes the use of technology and several research based strategies. Teachers will love that this product contains teacher models for each task, a Power Point presentation to guide each lesson, and teacher tips/suggestions.

In addition, it is a differentiated product that contains two options for several of the activities in the task. Option 1 materials are designed for average to lower level students who may struggle with online research and writing. There are several modified activities as well as suggested modifications/tips, and an intervention activity for students who struggle with organizing/writing. Option 2 materials are designed for average to higher level students who do not usually struggle with research and writing. In addition to Options #1 and #2, I have also included a bonus option for a single paragraph response that will work well for SPED, 504, and ELL students who may struggle more with a multi-paragraph response.

•• This resource covers the following Common Core Standards:

•RI.6-8.1 •RI.6-8.2 •W.6-8.1 •W.6-8.4 •W.6-8.5

☞ The following files are included in this download:

• Extending the Weekend!?! Performance Task Activity and Teacher Models (29 Pages): This PDF files contains the differentiated resources for Option #1 and Option #2. There is a cover sheet with information and tips for both options. In addition, the teacher models for this performance task is also in this file.

• Extending the Weekend!?! Research Links (1 page): In Task #2, students are expected to use the online websites and news sources to gather evidence to support their claim. This list includes several research choices for students. If students are not able to participate in online research activities, you can easily print the materials from the website.

• Extending the Weekend!?! Performance Task Presentation (61 Slides): This presentation is designed to guide teacher and students through the four days (more or less days depending on your students) of this project. It includes daily agendas, learning targets, warm-ups, self assessments, and other important information. There are also 10 blank slides that you can use to customize and edit the presentation to fit your needs.

•••This presentation is available in PDF and PowerPoint versions so that there will be a compatible software version for any computer or device you have.•••

• Lesson Notes Handout (31 Pages): This is an annotated PDF version of the Should Schools Start Later? Performance Task. It includes important information about each tasks, suggested modifications and modeling opportunities, and other tips that can help better plan the best lessons to fit the needs of your individual students.

•••This can be found in the Presentation and Lesson Outline Folder.•••

• Argumentative Writing Reference Sheet (2 Pages): This PDF file contains a reference sheet that students can use during Tasks #3 and #4. It includes the learning target, criteria for a strong argumentative response, and a writing checklist on one page. The back page contains transition words and sentence starters that can help students beef up their writing.

•••It can be found in the Editing and Revising Materials folder.•••

• Editing and Revising Checklist (1 Page): This PDF file contains a color coded checklist that will help students edit and revise their rough drafts. The color coded system allows students to see what they have included in their rough draft and what components they may be missing. This also makes it super simple for teachers to identify what students are missing and give appropriate academic feedback.

• There are also three freebies included in this download.

-A picture of an strong argument anchor chart

-PEEL Writing Strategy Digital Image (Could be used as a digital anchor chart)

-PEEL Writing Strategy Freebie from my store

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please be sure to download the preview file to see exactly what you are getting when you purchase this product!

Created by Stephanie Harpole, The Creative Classroom © 2016

All rights reserved by author.

Permission to copy for single classroom use only.

Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only.

▶️ Connect with The Creative Classroom:

➜ Sign up HERE for The Creative Classroom's EMAIL LIST for exclusive freebies, tips, and more!

➜ PINTEREST

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Check out these other Argumentative Writing Resources from The Creative Classroom:

☞ School Uniforms Argumentative Writing Performance Task

☞ Video Games and Violence Argumentative Writing Performance Task

☞ Year Round Schools Argumentative Writing Performance Task

☞ Tablets vs. Textbooks Argumentative Writing Performance Task

Questions & Answers

The creative classroom.

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think