4-day school week gains momentum

[jimmy olsen]

Yeah, color me skeptical.

4-day school week gains momentum
Shorter week is seen as way for districts to save
   
updated 8:12 p.m. ET, Thurs., March. 12, 2009

TAMPA, Florida - With U.S. school districts strapped for cash, more are considering a schedule that delights students and makes working parents cringe: Class only four days a week.

By extending school hours and eliminating a day of classes each week, education officials say they could save busloads of money on transportation and utilities.

Introduced by New Mexico during the 1970s oil crisis, the abbreviated school week is gaining fresh momentum in states and districts hurt by the economic downturn. Select districts in about 17 states already follow a four-day week and legislators in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Missouri and Washington have introduced similar proposals.
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"It's happening primarily because of the economic situation," said Gale Gaines, vice president for state services at the Southern Regional Education Board. "Schools and districts are trying to work as efficiently as possible."

While there's still debate about how much districts will save, proponents say the shortened week can improve attendance and teacher retention. As for academics, studies have shown the four-day schedule does not hinder student achievement, and may even help improve test scores.

Change involves adding another hour
Some districts have even reported fewer disciplinary referrals and more classroom participation.

"It's hard to get to the why, of course, because so many things affect student achievement," said Andrea D. Beesley of Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Denver.

State laws govern how many days students must attend class each year. In places where four-day weeks are allowed, districts are required to hold an equivalent number of instructional hours. That typically means adding just over an hour of class each day.

Critics worry, however, about burdening working parents with extra child care costs, and question whether students — especially younger ones in elementary school — can handle a longer school day without getting tired.

Since the early 1970s, the four-day school week has primarily been adopted by small, rural districts that shuttle students long distances.

Many districts in Colorado already do
The idea has especially taken hold in the Mountain states; in Colorado alone, about 60 districts are on a four-day school week this year. A 2006 Colorado Department of Education report on the four-day week said the initial reason for making the switch has generally been financial.

These days, rural districts aren't the only one considering the switch.

In South Florida, the Broward County school district, just north of Miami, is considering the four-day week for its high schools.

Officials in districts that have four-day school weeks caution that it falls short of being a magic bullet for school budgets. For example, even though a school may be without students, utilities must be kept on because it's still a gathering place for the community and athletic competitions.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

[The Nickname Who Was Thursday]

I think they're in the pocket of the day care industry.

[Josquius]

Too late for me
And too Florida of course.

[Grey Fox]

4 days work week

[saskganesh]

a 4 day week means you almost have time for two jobs!

[Vince]

They should cut busing instead.  Kids these days don't appreciate the value of walking 5 miles to school in the snow anymore. 

[Martinus]

They should cut busing instead.  Kids these days don't appreciate the value of walking 5 miles to school in the snow anymore.

They should also make sure every time kids have to walk to and from school, it's always uphill (both ways) and during a snow storm.

[Neil]

Why not just cancel school altogether?  The only school that American kids actually need is on Sunday anyways.

[HVC]

damn lazy teachers :p

[Martinus]

On second thought, I think it's a smart move. The shorter the kids are exposed to the likes of Tim and grumbler, the better for their development.

[Neil]

On second thought, I think it's a smart move. The shorter the kids are exposed to the likes of Tim and grumbler, the better for their development.

What makes you say that?  Tim and grumbler are good, dependable folks.  Tim's Patriotardism is worrying, but because he lives within Boston's sportosphere, the kids he teaches are already fucked up in that respect.

[Fireblade]

My school is trying that out in the summer. Having Fridays off would be cool, but the downside is that I have to be here 10 and a half hours a day instead of 8 and a half.

[Ed Anger]

As Fireblade says, more hours in each day. I know I wanted to spend 8+ hours in a school back when I was a teenager instead of 6.

Fucking school.

[Monoriu]

School is just a glorified day-care centre.

[Neil]

School is just a glorified day-care centre.

But, thanks to the wonders of taxation, it's one that you pay for!