Four-day school Weeks might sound like a dream to many people whose school days are over now. After the emergence of COVID-19 and the remote structures, four-day work weeks became a familiar scenario to many. However, does that mean it will be effective for the modern education system as well? According to a recent report, more than 1600 schools have already implemented this four days a week idea, and the number has increased to 2100 schools by last year, 2024. Are shorter school weeks a viable option for the students? Let’s find out.
How Does It Work?
There is no fixed way for this transformation, and so, the routine of the four days might appear very different than the regular routines. In this case, Mondays or Fridays are usually considered as a week-off to let students and teachers work on their personal development. There is no day ‘lost’ rather being used in a more balanced and productive way.
Advantages of Four-Day School Weeks
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Easy Teacher Hiring
It has been harsh for the teachers to work more hours in a low salary. However, four working days a week offer them more work life balanced and satisfaction which makes it easier for recruiting them. It also helped to improve retention rate for the hire teachers in the schools.
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Cost-Effective Values
One of the crucial benefits of the four-day shift is that it can reduce expenses greatly. Starting from transportation to overall operations, one productive school day means a lot of expenses which is reduced via this new schedule. A district in Colorado has saved 2% of its initial budget by applying this method.
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Free Time for Students and Educators
Schools can educate students but they still have a lot of works to do starting from homework, assignments, extra-curricular and there are also personal needs. Four days a week offer more free time for the students and help them work their personal development needs. Similarly, it can help teachers spend more personal time than long work hours.
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Less Bullying in School
According a report in 2019, schools that have embarked on the four-days routine have received 39% less cases of bullying than the tradition 5 days a week routine structure.
Considerations for Implementation
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Inequalities
One less day in school means the student has be engaged in something on that day and in the families where parents are also working for 5 days, might find it difficult to take care of their children on that day. It also changes the whole routine style of expenses.
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Longer School Days
Since the schools are trying to squeeze in a day of learning in school into four other days, it can increase the daily time spent in school. School days can get longer with up to two to three hours more by adding 10 to 15 minutes extra in the classes. This can be very challenging issues for students as they cannot do overtime like the adults. The needs of neurodivergent and specially abled kids should be considered too.
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No Positive Impact on Learning
The four days a week do not reduce the syllabus, but only a day from the week. It does not have any positive changes the learning curve of students till now. While some students find it helpful, others have fallen behind than the students who are still studying in a 5-day week routine.
Final Thoughts
There is no clear consensus of the data that shows positive changes in the education system due to the four-day routine. With more surveys and analysis, a shorter school week can considered as an alternative for implementation.
