A Case For Shortening The School Week

Year round education (YRE) is implemented in 436 U.S. school districts with very few complaints. In fact, school districts that have been participating in YRE and extended school days (ESD) are raving about the benefits in pupil's achievement level, their new found enthusiasm in learning, as well as the many programs that exist in the extended day promoting the decline in latch key children.

A lot of parents are shaking their heads at the consideration of a four-day school week, and a longer school day. Shorter school weeks or longer school days are reasonable solutions when there is a shortage of funding, or possible budget cuts coming to the school district. This solution has many mixed opinions from parents, teachers and school board members.

Though some people say that four days in a school week will help students in certain classes especially in math, this test only worked on 4th and 5th graders. So it is illogical to think that a four day week will help other grade levels. My main concern is that most kids will not be able to focus by the end of the day because the school days will be longer,and so there would be no point in trying to teach at the end of the day. I say this because we would have to start

Financial problems have arose in many schools. Many schools believe that “One day less means one day less of heating the school, fueling buses, feeding students and paying certain staff members” (Anderson). Little things like that can save schools a lot more money. More money means more equipment for learning and new schools objects. “An informational poll on edutopia.com indicates that 67% of over 2700 polled favor this as a solution to school districts financial hardship” (Hadfield). A lot of people want the four day week to be a “thing” so that financial problems can no longer be a problem. Teachers and schools would say “Their budgets has been stretched tighter than a drum and has finally reached a breaking point that cannot be ignored” (Occupy Theory). A sign that teacher and student are getting a bit tired of the stress being put on them because of financial problem. There are more benefits along with the resolution of financial problems and it is academics.

Industries such as business and medicine depend on extreme methods and forward thinking ideas. To be a successful enterprise, one must be willing to take risks and try new things. Within the last century, education has attempted to take a leap of faith by completely flipping the traditional school schedule and idea of summer vacation upside down. Just as with any idea, there are advantages and disadvantages as well as supporters and opponents. Each district must look at their own individual needs and evaluate the trials from schools that have gone before them to decide if year-round schooling would benefit their school.

A low income school in New Haven, Connecticut started the new year telling students they would be attending school until 4:15 P.M. four days a week. New Haven teachers in an unprecedented move allowed their teacher unions to take over the rewriting of their contracts. This provided the teacher with more freedom with curriculum and time management. Although the final outcome was beneficial the origins of the extended day was not welcomed.

Should schools go to a 4 day school week instead of 5 days? This has been a hot topic especially the states that don’t have as large of an economy. A poll where 2,700 random people were polled about 67% favoured a 4 day school week(university of Scranton). The reason why school districts are going to a 4 day school week is to save money and the states that you see switching to a 4 days are states that have economic problems such as Oklahoma. You won’t have to run the electricity or pay for buses. The only question is does it hurt students education but the statistics are showing that is clearly not the case one bit. 4 day school week would be better for schools without a doubt because you save money and kids will be more refreshed and not burned out also their behavior is showed to become better.

The overall logistics run much smoother in schools that have four day weeks compared to the five day week. “Some districts had experienced a decline in dropout rates, decreased disciplinary referrals, improved attendance, fewer class interruptions, more positive attitudes about school, and better staff development” (Yarbrough and Gilman 81). Another logistical benefit to having four day school week is that students have more time to get involved in extracurricular activities due to more availability

According to a report from the New York City district, a school that received funds for longer days fared better on standardized tests. This school had seven percent more students scoring at or above grade level in reading, when two other schools had increases of five and six percent. In math, three percent of students scored at or above grade level in a school with a longer day, compared with one percent for a low performing school and an average of one percent for other schools (Brett 1). This information is one example of many studies that illustrate that long school days have a great positive impact on school performance. The main school goals are improving students’ knowledge and building different skills that will help them in the future. Therefore, if longer school days support these educational goals, people should be concerned about improving schools by lengthening the day.

“States’ new budgets are providing less per-pupil funding for kindergarten through 12th grade than they did six years ago often far less. The reduced levels reflect not only the lingering effects of the 2007-09 recession but also continued austerity in many states, despite some improvements in overall state revenues, schools in around a third of the states are entering the new school year with less state funding than they had last year” (Leachman and Mai). In the United States, school funding has been significantly decreased, because of the limit of funding school districts are looking for solutions. One of the most talked about solutions is a four day school week.

One reason why four day school weeks are better than having longer school days is because it gives teachers more time to prepare for their lesson. In the article “Small, rural schools going to a four-day week of classes” it states that “‘Better-prepared teachers means better students, and that’s where the rubber meets the road.’” So, since the teachers are better prepared for class, students will be better. The teachers would plan everything out perfectly and make the most of the time students get in their class. Teachers could plan lessons ahead and

Did you know that over 40 schools have changed to a four day school week? (2) Switching to a four day school week can save millions of dollars. (4) Most schools nationwide that have transferred to a shorter week are seeing vigorous effects. (3) A four day school week provides benefits for everyone. (2) There are many improvements shown in academics and attendance. (3)

There are currently 21 states that feature schools that are actively operating on a four-day system. This has been a common trend that has steadily increased over the past two decades (Lake 1). Any child’s first reaction to the proposal of a four-day week would be overjoyed. To make these children's dreams come true, school systems must consider the advantages and disadvantages of a four-day school week. It’s not just about the students, but also about the school faculty, school administration, and parents. Of course, with every advantage there is also a disadvantage, but this is a positive essay full of positive points. Colby High School should change to a four-day school week because students will

Shortening the school day is a conversation popping up all across the United States stemming from reasons such as financial concerns to increased need of collaboration. In this case study, the school is only planning on shortening Wednesday’s with the intention of providing teachers with increased time for professional development. Some taxpayers may have concern regarding the initial tax dollars that would be required to fund the initiative due to the extended contact costs. While it must be acknowledged that there are many layers to this scenario, including Board of Education approval, district support, negotiations, etc., we can assume that many conversations will be needed before, during, and after this proposal. Therefore, effective communication will continue to serve as the lifeblood that runs and links the individual, group, and entire organization (slide set 1) even through this building initiative. Senior citizens, business community members, and parents will all need to be addressed sensitively and simultaneously in this administrator’s overarching goal of achieving support.

Most reasons why schools switch to a four day weeks is because they can’t afford it. So if a school who could afford it switched they could save tons of money and maybe even use it for more useful educating things. “Budget cuts in colorado prompted 14 schools to switch to four, longer school days. The district saved on busing costs and other daily expenses”. (says Lucy Shcouten author of article, “Why a four day school week means higher math scores”.) We should have a four day school week because schools could save a lot of money and use it for better academic purposes like computers and more resources for the the students and teachers. In low income school districts they can not afford to have students five days a week. They will save money daily expenses by not having students five days a week.