What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Four Day Week

In a four day school week it would help kids physically by getting more rest so there healthier. they also help by they can also help by taking care of their body by making sure they are clean, so they don't feel rushed in the morning not taking a shower.

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

Four day school weeks have been discussed by many schools, and some schools already have them. Many say that the four day school week is good for students. It is also good for teachers and the whole school. There are improvements in the school financially. Financial problems is was most of a four day school week is about.

Imagine a school year that gave the students one week off after every quarter and every Friday off. Does this sound exciting and rich with possibilities? Then ask the superintendent of the school district to consider year round school with only four days per week.First, students would not forget what they learned over the long summer. Next, parents would not have to get day care except on Fridays instead of the whole summer. Finally, teachers and students would have better relationships as they spend more time together instead of being rushed. Let’s take a look at some proof.

This eventually leads to better standardized testing scores district wide. Merryville High School in Louisiana, “has seen average ACT scores school wide rise from 18.7 to 20 in just four years of having the four day schedule. Honor roll students in middle and high school have also doubled” (Chmelynski). Also, according to the table on page 82 of Yarbrough’s article, test scores on the CTBS improved after moving to the four day school week in both the 3rd and 9th grade levels that were tested (see last page of paper). These improvements do not just happen over a long period of time, school districts have seen immediate improvement in scores. “Webster County School district ranked 115th in Kentucky’s state test scores. The year after moving to a four day week, they improved to 61st” (Weldon 32). Not only are schools seeing improvement in test scores, but they are also seeing overall improvement in all aspects of their district.

However, when it comes right down to it, it is all about the test scores. Whether it is standardized tests or just regular tests in school, four day school weeks are just better when it comes to both. ACT is a major standardized test that can directly show how ready a student is for a post-secondary education. Students that took the ACT one year with a five day school week had an average score of 18.7 on the ACT. The next year, the same school switched to a four day school week the following year and saw the average score rise to 20 (Chmelynski). From 10 random school districts those that had a four day school week versus a five day school week had better average standardized test scores (Yarbrough and Gilman). It isn’t just the standardized test that see improvements. Regular in-class test scores have also improved as a result of the four-day school week. In-fact studies show that test scores in all major subject areas have improved drastically (Yarbrough and

The first session will be forty three days on with thirteen days off. The second will be forty five days on with eleven days off. The third will be forty nine days on with nine days off. The fourth will be forty three days with thirteen days off. Every four years there will be a longer break using the extra 56 days not used during the past years. This lets kids experience both types of schooling. During the school years kids, teachers, and staff will be interviewed on their opinion of the scheduling that year. Kids will be tested on intelligence while teachers will be tested on the convenience of when they taught. If their lessons were easier or harder during what part of the year and each year. The information can be analyzed to determine which type of schooling is the most effective.

One of the primary motivations for adopting the four-day week is financial savings for the school district. Anticipated savings are in transportation, food and food service workers, hourly workers and utilities. Savings on school buses and long-term building wear and tear have also been reported. After analyzing Colorado schools operating on four-day school weeks, (Dam) reports that transportation costs can be reduced by 20%. He goes on to say that in order to realize that level of savings, schools must severely limit transportation for activities or programs not conducted on regular school days. The capital, insurance, maintenance, and administrative costs remain relatively constant. Fuel, oil, salaries, and supervisory costs can be

Our school, Peetz High, is thinking about changing to have a four day school week. People are either strongly proposing this or strongly opposing this. Many are complaining that Peetz is the only school in our district with a five day week. Some say that it will mess with their schedule.

Most kids would go for a four day week. A four day week may be cheaper, but most things are rushed on a four day week. There are many disadvantages to a four day week compared to a five day week.

This paper includes a reference list of literature relating to the pros and cons of changing a five day school week to a four day school week. In general, the literature seems to indicate that most of the reasoning behind this change is to lower energy and fuel costs as well as cut budgets to an affordable rate. Academic progress is evaluated in some cases and discussion of what decisions have been made in the use of the fifth unscheduled day have been researched. Some suggest to use the “off” day for professional development as well as an opportunity to offer additional student extracurricular activities. The difficulty of finding childcare for the unscheduled school day seemed to be an issue that was more prevalent in suburban school districts rather than rural districts. Each individual school district had to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the shortened week and decide what worked best for their students, teachers, community.

Schools are so much a part of our society, so the accurate length of school days is extremely important. Public opinions on the length of the school days are different. There are a lot of parents and professors concerned that it is hard for children to go to school early in the morning and stay there the whole day. On the other side, some professors try to force students into a nine hour school day. Not so many years ago, school was a main part of my life, and the school days’ structure and length affected my social life and ability to study. From my own experience and some studies that I have seen, students benefit if school days are long.

“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.

Attendance is impacted in a positive way with a four day school week. With the research that has been done with attendance and those students who are enrolled in school which run on a four day school week schedule have seen improvement with attendance. They have seen an increased improvement in attendance with a four day school week, because many parents are able to schedule their child’s appointments on the days off from school. With having and increased attendance from that extra day off it means that students are able to get the most out of their schedule. Student are able to take advantage of the days that are available to them in the classroom and are also less likely to miss out on class

A typical eight-period school day would have eight forty-seven minute long classes with a thirty minute lunch and five minutes between each class period, lasting the whole school year (7). A typical four-period school day would have four ninety-two minute long classes with a thirty minute lunch and seven minutes between each class period (7). The first four classes go from the middle of August to around the middle of January, then the next four go from the middle of January to the end of May.