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Foreword
Introduction
Block Scheduling
Four-Day
School Week
Year-Round
Education
The Northwest
Sampler
Conclusion
References
About This Issue
Previous Issues
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Four-Day School Week
What's It All About?
The motivating force behind a school changing to a four-day week is quite different than that which causes a school to adopt a block schedule. Faced with dwindling financial resources and declining enrollments, many small school districts have adopted a four-day school schedule (Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Koki, 1992; School Fits, 1983; Richberg & Sjorgren, 1983; Blankenship, 1984). By extending the time spent in school for four days, (by approximately 25 percent or 75 minutes per day) they are able to close the school on the fifth. Instead of cutting art, music, or other activities that often fall prey to budgetary shortfalls, the four-day week gives schools the opportunity to preserve these classes and still save money. Generally schools that use a four-day week are small, rural schools. In the Northwest, Oregon is the only state with schools using a four-day schedule. More than a dozen districts there currently observe a four-day week. Other states, including Washington, Idaho, and Montana do not have legislation that permits four-day week schedules.
Most often, schools that switch to a four-day week take either Friday or Monday off. Those choosing to close on Friday say that it is best because such a large portion of the student population misses school due to athletic events and other activities on this day. Those choosing to close school on Monday do so because gymnasiums often have to be lit and heated for Friday athletic events and activities, whereas few such activities occur on Mondays (Blankenship, 1984). Regardless of which day schools close, the decision to switch to a four-day week should be "based on clearly defined purposes and a recognition of both costs and benefits" (Richberg & Sjorgren, 1983).
What Are The Benefits of a
Four-Day Week?
Though financially motivated, most schools that adopt a four-day week have serendipitously discovered numerous benefits they didn't quite expect. Following is a list of the advantages of the four-day week that many schools have encountered for students, teachers, and the school in general.
Students and Teachers:
- Student drop-out rates decline (Litke, 1994; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987).
- Student disciplinary referrals decrease (Koki, 1992).
- Student achievement is generally not affected either positively or negatively (Nelson, 1983; Daly & Richburg, 1984).
- Student and teacher attendance improves (Blankenship, 1984; Litke, 1994; Koki, 1992; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Sagness & Salzman, 1993; Featherstone, 1991).
- Students and teachers benefit from less interrupted class time as a result of longer class periods and fewer transitions at all grade levels. This increases the efficiency of instruction (Blankenship, 1984; Koki, 1992; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Culbertson, 1982).
- Students and teachers share more positive attitudes about school. Consequently, there is a marked improvement in school morale (Blankenship, 1984; Litke, 1994; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987).
- School faculty has more time for quality staff development (often the day off is used for this purpose) (Blankenship, 1984; Litke, 1994).
- There is more time for participation in extracurricular activities and for personal business, such as doctor appointments (Litke, 1994; Koki, 1992; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Culbertson, 1982).
The School in General:
- Has significant savings on utility bills, substitute teacher pay, school buses, and building wear and tear (Blankenship, 1984; Richberg & Sjogren, 1983; Koki, 1992; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Culbertson, 1982; Sagness & Salzman, 1993; Featherstone, 1991).
- Can make up school days missed due to inclement weather on what would have been the fifth school day instead of at the end of the school year (Blankenship, 1984; Litke, 1994).
- Experiences fewer distractions; learning is less broken up by athletic events or other school activities (Blankenship, 1984; Sagness & Salzman, 1993; Featherstone, 1991).
What Are the Concerns?
Weighing both the advantages and the possible disadvantages of any new scheduling format is critical to making an informed decision. Some of the concerns associated with the four-day week that are important to note include:
- Child care issues: While some parents like the four-day week because they prefer having to find good child care one day a week, others dislike it for the very same reason and prefer to arrange for child care in smaller increments of time. Some schools have alleviated this concern by using high school students as baby-sitters for those in need (Blankenship, 1984).
- Primary-aged students: There is often concern as to how young students will respond to such a long school day. As a result, many schools structure the day so the afternoon is composed of less academic work than the morning, thus allowing students to have some "down time" (Blankenship, 1984).
- At-risk students: Some teachers feel that at-risk and special-needs students may have retention difficulties with an extra day off each week (Blankenship, 1984; Culbertson, 1982).
- School reform movement: Some educators are concerned that the four-day week may appear to be inconsistent with the new emphasis for more time in school (Blankenship, 1984).
- The four-day week will take more of a local community commitment than other schedule options as it can affect daily community routines as well as the childrens'.
Implementation Ideas
When contemplating the decision to move to a four-day week, keep in mind that it is a multistep process. Some suggested steps for implementation are:
- Become as familiar with the concepts and implications of a four-day week as possible. Read research and case studies. Talk to other administrators and teachers using this schedule.
- Survey the staff; they must be involved in the decision making process. If they aren't in favor of a four-day schedule, it will be difficult to proceed (Litke, 1994).
- Get the endorsement of the students, parents, and community in addition to approval from teachers and administration, since this change will affect all of them as well (Litke, 1994).
- Design the schedule to accommodate the needs of teachers and students. Make sure all changes stay within accreditation guidelines and teachers' contract requirements.
- Some restructuring and repacing of the curriculum will be necessary. Involve school staff; this will give them ownership of the process and also help them to feel more ready for the change. Provide ample time for staff development (Richberg & Sjogren, 1983; Featherstone, 1991).
- Once the schedule is in place, monitor its effects frequently. Keep communication open between administrators, teachers, students, and parents.
- Allow a sufficient trial period before making any final recommendations on the schedule (Blankenship, 1984).
- If possible, use the day off as an opportunity to provide students in need with enrichment activities or additional instruction (Koki, 1992).
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