Four-Day School Weeks

Background. In an effort to save energy and transportation costs, many school districts around the nation have adopted four-day school weeks, which generally use longer school days to account for all of the instruction time normally provided in a five-day school week.

For example, a 1999 report from the Colorado Department of Education noted that 36 districts, or 21 percent of the districts in Colorado, have adopted four-day school weeks. While four-day schedules have traditionally been more common among rural schools, a 1999 article in the School Administrator magazine noted that more urban or metropolitan schools districts have begun adopting four-day schedules.

So what is the impact of a four-day school week on student learning? On school budgets?

Impact on student learning. Research paints a mixed picture of the impact of four-day weeks on student outcomes. According to a 1992 analysis of research on four-day school weeks conducted by Pacific Region Education Lab, four-days weeks do not appear to have an adverse effect on student learning. In fact, several districts have reported gains in student achievement after implementing four-day weeks, perhaps due to students learning better with the longer, uninterrupted blocks of instruction created by four-day weeks.

Cost savings. According to the state of Colorado’s analysis cited earlier, districts can save up to 20% of their transportation, food service, and janitorial costs, as long as they “severely restrict or eliminate … activities … not conducted on regular school days.” A study of four-day weeks in Idaho found that overall savings of moving to four-day weeks tends to be around 1.6% of total fiscal budgets. While these savings may be relatively small, the School Administrator article noted that they nonetheless represent fairly significant dollar amounts (up to $400,000 in some larger districts), which can be reinvested into academic programs.

Potential benefits. The Idaho study reported less teacher and student absenteeism in schools with four-day weeks, presumably because teachers, parents, and students were able to schedule appointments and other commitments on their “free” day.

The Colorado study noted that “when districts are strict about reducing interruptions of instructional time, the quality of that time can increase.” Simply stated, if taught correctly, the longer class periods in a four-day schedule can allow students to engage in deeper learning. Moreover, teachers can use their “free” day to develop lesson plans or work together to implement school reform initiatives.

Potential drawbacks. Longer class periods require teachers to have well-prepared lessons that engage students and fully utilize the entire block of instruction time available. Thus, as noted in both the PREL and School Administrator reports, it is important that teachers receive proper professional development and guidance on how to design their lessons for longer classes.

The 1999 School Administrator article reported that in some states, such as Utah, concerns have been raised about districts essentially short-changing students by not fully accounting for all of the hours of classroom instruction provided in a regular 180-day schedule.

The Colorado study also found that some educators express concerns about longer days taking a toll on younger students—especially those who already have long bus rides to get to school. In addition, snow days or other school closures can result in 20 percent more missed instruction time than they do with a regular, five-day week.

Conclusions. Most researchers have concluded that when properly supported and implemented, four-day weeks can have no negative, and possibly even modestly positive, academic results. At the same time, schools can realize some savings in energy and transportation costs, which they can reinvest in teaching and learning activities.

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Sources:

Beesley, A. D., & Anderson, C. (2007). The Four Day School Week: Information and Recommendations. The Rural Educator, 29(1), 48–55.

Colorado Department of Education. The Four-Day School Week. Revised. Denver, CO: Author.

Koki, S. (1992). Modified School Schedules: A Look at Research and the Pacific. Honolulu, HI: Pacific Region Educational Lab (PREL).

Reeves, K. (1999). The four-day school week. The School Administrator.

Sagness, R. L., Salzman, S. A. (1993). Evaluation of the four-day school week in Idaho suburban schools. Paper presented to the annual of the Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association, Jackson, WY.