A four-day school week may be a great option to better learning environments throughout the entire nation.
In recent years, discussions about reducing workweeks and daily school hours have gained significant traction, growing into a noticeable trend in certain parts of the country. Numerous districts such as those in New Mexico, Idaho and Oregon have already embraced this schedule transformation and are reaping the benefits it offers.
Both Students and Staff members can feel burnt out and exhausted from the week after trying to be mentally attentive for 5 days straight. “It just makes me nervous I guess, and anxious, I really just want the school week to be over” says Dylan McFerrin, a student at Hillgrove high school, “I feel like a 4-day week might be better, A 3 day weekend gives our brain more time to relax and refresh and stuff” Dylan explains how the high school workload throughout the week can be grueling especially for a student who falls behind.
Not only is it statistically proven that the 4-day week can lower mental stress in work environments according to the business insider, but it also allows teens with jobs more time to work. 10th grader Avery Kelley states, “It would honestly help (teen work life) because there would be that opportunity to work during the day on Monday that isn’t available with the 5-day week” However, there are list of rising issues concerning the matter, one being childcare and how parents will look after younger children on that extra day off. Avery also shared her thoughts on this. She says, “I see how it could present some problems but since that is an at home issue parents could come up with a solution for that."
Another problem with the 4-day week is the potential education gap between students with a full week. Because there is less instructional time, students may not be on the same academic level as they’re peers simply because they’ve covered less material in the same amount of time. According to Education Next, studies show that for students with the new schedule math scores decrease by 6 percent of a standard deviation and reading scores by 4 percent of a standard deviation. Raalu Ekpechi another student at Hillgrove, presents a new idea that maybe features the best of both sides he says” I think maybe making the fifth day of the week an asynchronous day could be a good alternative” Looking at these ideas we can see how the 4-day school week can affect learning both good and bad.
In recent years, discussions about reducing workweeks and daily school hours have gained significant traction, growing into a noticeable trend in certain parts of the country. Numerous districts such as those in New Mexico, Idaho and Oregon have already embraced this schedule transformation and are reaping the benefits it offers.
Both Students and Staff members can feel burnt out and exhausted from the week after trying to be mentally attentive for 5 days straight. “It just makes me nervous I guess, and anxious, I really just want the school week to be over” says Dylan McFerrin, a student at Hillgrove high school, “I feel like a 4-day week might be better, A 3 day weekend gives our brain more time to relax and refresh and stuff” Dylan explains how the high school workload throughout the week can be grueling especially for a student who falls behind.
Not only is it statistically proven that the 4-day week can lower mental stress in work environments according to the business insider, but it also allows teens with jobs more time to work. 10th grader Avery Kelley states, “It would honestly help (teen work life) because there would be that opportunity to work during the day on Monday that isn’t available with the 5-day week” However, there are list of rising issues concerning the matter, one being childcare and how parents will look after younger children on that extra day off. Avery also shared her thoughts on this. She says, “I see how it could present some problems but since that is an at home issue parents could come up with a solution for that."
Another problem with the 4-day week is the potential education gap between students with a full week. Because there is less instructional time, students may not be on the same academic level as they’re peers simply because they’ve covered less material in the same amount of time. According to Education Next, studies show that for students with the new schedule math scores decrease by 6 percent of a standard deviation and reading scores by 4 percent of a standard deviation. Raalu Ekpechi another student at Hillgrove, presents a new idea that maybe features the best of both sides he says” I think maybe making the fifth day of the week an asynchronous day could be a good alternative” Looking at these ideas we can see how the 4-day school week can affect learning both good and bad.
