Academic Corner

Should Schools Adopt a Four-Day Schedule?

Hundreds of school districts are now giving students three-day weekends, but the schedule can come at a price.

If everybody works for the weekend, will everybody work harder for a longer weekend? I really don’t know, but I do know a new trend in education trend has been quietly growing. In 2010, about 120 school districts were on a four-day school week. The following year, 300 school districts were operating on a four-day week. The idea is to add about an hour and a half to the school day Monday through Thursdays, with schools closed on Fridays, to help reduce costs related to transportation, staffing, energy and even serving school lunches. But is the monetary savings worth the potential cost in student learning? According to the school districts participating in the four-day school week, there seems to be no loss or gain in student achievement. …

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