Could A 4-Day School Week Work Without A 4-Day Workweek?

"In a report conducted by the Guardian, the proposal of a four-day week for schools was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Parents cited everything from their children's mental health to not worrying so much about absences as reasons for the four-day week to work. Teachers even loved the idea, noting that if the fifth day of the week were simply a teacher workday, it would free up their weekends from school and teaching tasks, allowing them to actually get a much-needed (and deserved) break."

"Extra time added to the beginning or the end of the day - roughly 50 minutes - would help offset one missing day of instruction, reported the NWEA. Kids would have more free time for extracurriculars (and simply being a kid) with a three-day weekend, and research has found that schools that operate on a four-day week report lower bullying rates and an increase in the amount of sleep students get."

A four-day school week drew strong support from parents and teachers for benefits including student mental health, reduced absence worries, and better teacher weekends. Implementing the schedule would likely require roughly 50 additional minutes added to the start or end of each school day to make up for lost instructional time. Schools that operate on a four-day week report lower bullying rates, increased student sleep, and some districts report financial savings. Rural areas may see improved teacher retention. Working parents face childcare and schedule alignment challenges that complicate implementation logistics.

Read at Scary Mommy