Four day school weeks are becoming a necessity for some rural school districts that lack funding. What are the pros and cons of longer school days? It is important to consider all of the factors before making a decision. The disadvantage is that more time does not equate to more learning. How does it impact your success? Other pros and cons exist in the school lunch debate. For school districts following the 4-day school week, the Thanksgiving holiday usually receives a full week off instead of the final two days of the week. It can help teachers and students better manage the process of learning. Teachers will have more leisure time to spend with their family as a result of the reduced school days. Many school Over the course of their first year on this new schedule, they reported that the frequency of discipline referrals for their students dropped by 73%. The longer school days of a 4-day week make it almost impossible for teens to find a job after school. It is possible that children will be better prepared to concentrate when it matters because they will have more opportunities to move around and avoid being distracted by classroom rules. Since students receive dedicated 1:1 teaching for all core subjects, they don't need to bother spending time on topics that aren't on their instructional level. If practicums can be included with small group discussions, the retention rate can top 90% for some students. Saving on utilities school buses, and long term building wear and tear. We must ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn by improving the effectiveness of our schools and ensuring that all children have access to them. Home Pros and Cons 20 Major Pros and Cons of a 4 Day School Week. Spread the loveAre you looking for strategies to help students who cannot fasten their own clothes? Long summers are known to cause "summer slide," or the decline of academic skills and knowledge over the course of the extended vacation. When larger school districts attempt this kind of schedule, they find few, if any, benefits coming from their actions. This has been a hot topic especially the states that dont have as large of an economy. It can also be difficult to monitor, as students may be able to find ways to sneak in a recess break even when they are supposed to be punished. His conclusion was that the best way to solve poverty was to educate the children in public schools. Spread the loveThis program assesses 15-year-old students schooling in countries that form part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Savings on school buses and long-term building wear and tear have also been reported. 1. The Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative has already benefited 19 schools and over 10,000 students. To avoid this issue, many school districts have considered shifting to a 4-day school week. Cons of a Longer School Day Does Not Ensure Higher Achievement Some studies have been done that show that longer instruction time can improve achievement, but those results depend on things like classroom environment, quality of instruction, student prior knowledge and ability. There is a variety of emotional and behavioral problems, depression, alcohol use, and impaired cognitive function that can contribute to this. Pro: An extended school day provides more flexibility for parents, eliminating the need for after-school care. Students spend less time on the bus. The University of New Mexico Newsroom: Research Study Yields Unexpected Conclusion About Longer School Years. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. Advantage: More time to devote to learning. These school districts are typically in isolated regions, are rural, and have a student body that is fewer than 500 students. The Pros and Cons of Year-Round Schools. Students are engaged more fully when their school schedule is expanded, and they learn more efficiently when they are exposed to a more stimulating environment. It is a program for mostly rural and small school districts. on those days off. Also, there have been studies that found that special populations do not thrive under this configuration. These 300 would have to find some alternative to school on Fridays if the Moniteau County R-1 School Districts schedule changed from a five day week to a four day week. Most students, especially younger ones, find that the traditional school schedule is already too long. Financial problems is was most of a four day school week is about. A 4 day work week would promote an equal workplace as employees would be able to spend more time with their families and better juggle care and work commitments. The current school schedule is a major downgrade from the 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM distance learning schedule. To compare, a regular semester generally lasts 16-18 weeks. Their students were more focused because they were more rested, which equated to fewer classroom disruptions. Dr. Kelly Meier earned her doctorate from Minnesota State Mankato in Educational Leadership. Pros and cons of a four day working week. There are some drawbacks to shorter school days, as well. In the Article by Lisa Lewis, it also talks about how delaying school by 1 hour produces the same benefit as shrinking class size by one-third or replacing a teacher in the 50th percentile of effectiveness with one in the 84th percentile.(Lewis). 2. The Oakridge School District in Oregon reported that their test scores improved when they shifted to this alternative schedule as well. This solution has many mixed opinions from parents, teachers and. List of the Major Cons of a 4-Day School Week 1. Con: Not all students need one-on-one assistance, and some may even experience boredom or burnout from the extended school day. They also said students can gain more time for fun and still receive an excellent education. The Alaska school year averaged about 180 days in length, and the school day was 6.48 hours long. 5. The disadvantage is that more time does not equate to more learning. Pro: Education is a priority, and funding should not hold back efforts to provide more effective academic preparation for students. The most popular is a 32-hour work week, which means people work 8 hours per day, 4 hours in a week. With short school days, students can devote a fair share of time to other meaningful areas in their life, such as socializing and simply being a kid. But the extra money hasn't gone into teachers' salaries, which have dropped on average from . Students will have extra time outside of school to devote to other essential elements of their life as a result of this change. Spread the loveThis term describes a manner of classifying gifted students to place them in properly segmented classrooms. By 2013, a dramatic improvement in scores was credited to the extended learning time. While some research has shown that increasing the amount of time spent in class can boost student accomplishment, these findings have been influenced by factors such as the classroom atmosphere, the quality of instruction, and students prior knowledge and abilities. An understandable concern for parents, teachers, and students about the 4-day school week is the extended time required to be at school during the day. (Lewis) In Bonneville, Idaho the school started later in the day which resulted in absences dropping 15%. Programs like student tutoring or sports, teacher/parent meetings, staff development, and building maintenance still happen on the fifth day, which negates many of the cost-savings opportunities that the 4-day schedule appears to offer. An eight-hour day is pretty undesirable for elementary-aged kids. Schools are able to switch to a four-day week by simply increasing the length of their school day. Sara Blackwell teaches Employment Law at University of South Florida in Tampa and she is a published author. According to new research, the four-day week is a popular way for parents and students to spend quality time together. A low income school in New Haven, Connecticut started the new year telling students they would be attending school until 4:15 P.M. four days a week. 1. As you can see, there are a lot of pros and cons to the 4-day school week, but in terms of its long-term effect on academic outcomes, the jury is still out. You wont have to run the electricity or pay for buses. There are a few potential drawbacks to shorter school days. recess has numerous benefits, including assisting students in reducing aggression and improving learning. It has been so problematic that in Colorado, some urban districts which switched to a 4-day school week have gone back to the traditional scheduling instead. There tends to be less student exhaustion, which allows them to focus more on the learning process. A poll where 2,700 random people were polled about 67% favoured a 4 day school week(university of Scranton). Shorter days can only be seen as a positive thing and would benefit students, teacher, and administrators. Staff recruitment is easier with the 4-day school week for school districts. Some students believe that having a four-day school week allows them to get more rest and to be in a less stressful atmosphere than they would otherwise have. Here are a few: 1. Parents can drop-off their kids in the morning, then pick them up in the afternoon, without worrying about work. This occurs because a large number of students are moving around the school campus. . Our individualized learning setup at the Tenney School allows us to offer more instruction in a shorter amount of time. Another potential drawback is that shorter school days could lead to more after-school activities, which could be a problem for working parents. Shorter, intense courses in which a semesters worth of content is delivered at an expedited rate were deemed to be more successful by students in a recent study by academics at the University of Texas at Austin. teams may need to practice, professional development sessions may convene, etc. Advantage: More time for other subjects. 6. Who Sang For Troy In High School Musical? Opportunity to relax and really immerse yourself in the experience. 5. Going to the 4-day schedule can create scheduling conflicts with other districts, particularly with sporting events, performances, and groups like 4-H. Year-round education (YRE) is being considered or adopted by some districts. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Extended School Days. New Haven teachers in an unprecedented move allowed their teacher unions to take over the rewriting of their contracts. Spread the loveThe International Baccalaureate Program is a very intensive pre-college program in which when students get involved, they get college credit. But slowly over the nation, schools are switching to a four day school week. Do students learn better in shorter classes? Instead, an investment should be made in improving teaching strategies and new technology that could transform the learning process. One is that students might not have enough time to receive all the instruction they need in a particular subject. Adds flexibility to teachers schedules. Spread the loveFor the past few decades, our countrys educational system has seen both struggle and tremendous change. Schools can save up to 20% on some budget-line expenses with a 4-day week. . School Evaluation For Special Education What Parents Need to Know, Effectively Educating Diverse Student Populations: Strategies That Work - Applead Hofu, The Importance Of Sight Words In Early Reading GoGreenva.org, Online Education in Chennai - Birla Brainiacs, Advancing Technology Education in Rural High Schools Across - The Tech Edvocate - VSAY .IN. Each community has unique needs which must be met, so there is the possibility of a 4-day week being useful to some districts, but not others. It was a kneejerk response to dwindling education budgets and the belief that schools could save a ton of money by operating Monday through Thursday, which in theory would lower their operating expenses. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Signup for The Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in P-20 education news and opinion delivered to your email address! If the schools made 40 minute periods, the students could learn just as much as they would in a 50 minute period.One of the biggest benefits of this system is the financial savings. Increases student attendance. Rural school districts and small school districts benefit the most from a 4-day schedule because of their natural isolation. Each community has unique needs which must be met, so there is the possibility of a 4-day week being useful to some districts, but not others. The average time for school that is scheduled in a 4-day week is either 7:30am-5pm or 8am-5:30pm. 1. This provided the teacher with more freedom with curriculum and time management. Students are still getting the same amount of instruction in terms of minutes, just in a shorter number of days. The reason why school districts are going to a 4 day school week is to save money and the states that you see switching to a 4 days are states that have economic problems such as Oklahoma. The Agrarian calendar is rooted in the past. Getting to school on-time or making it out for the bus is a constant battle. Granby School District in Colorado shifted to a 4-day schedule for their 1,100 students. There are many changes with switching the school days. 1. Does precision really make a program successful? The Peach County School District in Georgia saw that their graduation rates slowly increased year after year when they switched to a 4-day school week. The schools who did switch the expenses reduced by 20%, transportation would reduce also by 20%, and the average district could have saving of 5.43% total budget. Those human beings that seem larger than life and almost achieve Godlike status. Most students, especially younger ones, find that the traditional school schedule is already too long. You still have to go to practice, and dont forget the piles of homework that need done. Required fields are marked *, on Why School Days Should Be Shorter? This added The challenges of implementing such a schedule for parents, administrators, and even some teachers have caused some Colorado school districts to return to the traditional schedule instead of the alternative 4-day schedule. In Alabama, the school year lasts 180 days and the school day lasts 7.03 hours. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages to each. It involves increasing communication and various forms of interaction between people of different nations, ethnicities and cultures. flexibility is why they are such staunch proponents of the 4-day school schedule. But you see with shorter school days youd have more spare time to complete school work. You should approach these strategies with your childs teacher instead of punishing him or her. It starts too early, ends too late, and occurs far too often. NEA Today: A 9 to 5 School Day: Are Longer Hours Better for Students and Educators? After analyzing Colorado schools operating on four-day school weeks, (Dam) reports that transportation costs can be reduced by 20%. Some of the pros of year-round schooling include: 1 . Four day school weeks have been discussed by many schools, and some schools already have them. My main concern is that most kids will not be able to focus by the end of the day because the school days will be longer,and so there would be no point in trying to teach at the end of the day. The trade-off for a shorter week is a longer school day. Students follow the same type of pattern. 18 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of the Payback Period, 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Leasing a Car, 19 Advantages and Disadvantages of Debt Financing, 24 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of a C Corporation, 16 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Mediation, 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gated Community, 17 Big Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups, 17 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Corporate Bonds, 19 Major Advantages and Disadvantages of Annuities, 17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising. The Chattooga County School District in Georgia shifted to a 4-day school week. When it comes to school, we most likely understand what its like to go to school all year. The 4-day schedule eliminates one full driving day for the transportation department. Having students to fit 5 days' worth of classroom time into 4 days would make for a tiring schedule, where many of the younger school children would find it very difficult to focus on their study for such long periods. They dont usually run wild on the last day of school, instead working, making phone calls, or spending time with family. The. In general, taking away recess as punishment may be seen as unfair or too harsh, especially for young children. Spread the loveTo be twice-exceptional is to be exceptionally gifted in some academic aspects while being below average compared to peers in other aspects. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, students are less active when they are not allowed to recess during the school day due to bad classroom behavior. The final class ends 1-2 hours before the work day ends for most parents. Year-round schooling has been proposed as a better option for students than a traditional 9-month schedule. flexibility to teachers schedules and as a result, makes their jobs more Longer school days make no sense when there is so much else we could be doing with our time. 6. According to the vast majority of states, spanking your child is against the law. Some research indicates there may be slight academic benefits to extending the school day. If you are arrested for spanking your child, you may face charges of assault, battery, child abuse, or domestic violence. This schedule cycles consistently throughout the year while making minor adjustments for major holidays and teacher workdays.
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