Many schools are thinking about switching to a 4 day per week schedule. School leaders say it would save money along with cutting down on student absenteeism. This idea would add at least one extra hour to the school day. Most of the students and teachers love this idea but will it benefit learning in the long run?
As far as I can tell there has been no studies looking at student achievement with a four day per week schedule. “...nearly 1 in 7 school boards nationwide is considering whether to drop a day, according to a recent survey by the American Association of School Administrators.” *
Most experts believe that the school year should be extended with students spending more hours in class. The class day may already be too long for the younger students.
This brings up some questions that should be asked: Can families afford to hire babysitters for that one day a week that students are off? Can young students attend after school activities after an extra long school day? Would it give older students more time to get in trouble without a day of supervision?
I believe that this idea will catch on across the nation. However, this educational format might just be another idea that is appealing at first but over time might be instructionally weak. Remember the open-classrooms and block scheduling? Teachers be prepared for change but it might be short-lived.
*Time Magazine, August 14,2008
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1832864,00.html
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I have to agree with your assessment on this one. With the economy the way it is, we will continue to see extreme cases of the dollar driving curricular decisions, which is very unfortunate. I think that like most things, if we want education to be strong, we will have to sacrifice a little to get there. I agree that some students (particularly at young ages or students with ADHD and similar diagnoses) are already having trouble with the length of the school day; to increase its length will only worsen the problem. Instead, I feel that the day either needs to be shorter, or needs a longer break period in the middle of it. Then, add on to the school year (in the fall). I really like the 45-15 schedule, and other similar year-round school calendars.
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