4-day school weeks gain popularity across US

4-day school weeks gain popularity across US

news.yahoo.com

Peach County is one of more than 120 school districts across the country where students attend school just four days a week, a cost-saving tactic gaining popularity among cash-strapped districts struggling to make ends meet. The 4,000-student district started shaving a day off its weekly school calendar last year to help fill a $1 million budget shortfall.

It was that or lay off 39 teachers the week before school started, said Superintendent Susan Clark.

"We're treading water," Clark said

(visit the link for the full news article)


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Although the source article was not specific about where the money is being saved, I suspect it is mostly in cost savings of having to pay fewer substitute teachers, and utilities. It does say the school day is a little bit longer, although does not say if the hours spent in the class room are the same as a five day school week. For this particular school district the article says test scores went up. The article goes on to say that every district has not had the same success so some have gone back to a five day school week.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Thanks for the post RedGolem!

After reading the article, I am convinced the notion is a good one. One school saved 400,000 dollars, that is significant. I like the idea of teachers and students getting more rest and the fact that teachers and students can better prepare themselves for classes.
With so many families needing help around the house too, with their elders or any other responsibilities, this may be helpful.

I wonder if the decision affects their funding from the Govmnt any?
I also wonder how many days kids in other parts of the world attend classes.

Personally I think an extra day of R/R is good for everyone.

Peace

school makes money student are happy
but what about the parents??
lol

reply to post by icecold7

Haha! I bet they find some new chores to be attended to.

reply to post by RedGolem


No, no, no! If anything, the school week should be extended to 7 days, for the two working parent households, so the parents can get a rest!

The above was a joke!

Really, I don't see a problem with it, as long as the function of children learning the same thing in 4 days, versus 5 comes out the same.

reply to post by RedGolem


What a short sighted solution! The North American education system, specifically in the United States, could already be considered to be severly lacking, especially when comparing the system with countries such as Finland, or Switzerland.

North American schools is already far to condensed, the courses lack detail, and it's become quite obvious with the reputation the US has for education.


But I guess with the attempt at immigration reform there could be many labour jobs opening up for these poorly educated people. That's what it, just great foresight! -.-

In my opinion, this is going totally in the wrong direction. European countries have (or had?) six day school weeks.

As the world gets more and more complicated, kids need more time to learn, not less.

Also more free time is not a good thing. Used to be in the "old days" when kids worked their butts off 7 days a week on the farm or business, they learned responsibility and didn't have so much time to waste and get into trouble.

Where did we get this idea that childhood is supposed to be all about play and goofing off? It's not that way for most of the world, nor is it that way in the animal kingdom. You learn and acquire the skills you need to be a successful adult, or you die.

I think this is great, but should be expanded to the rest of society as a whole. Americans... as often as the world calls us "lazy", actually are among the most overworked people in the world aside from South Koreans. We recieve a pittance of vacation and holiday time compared to most of Europe, and many here don't even use their vacation time they accrue because of pressures from their workplace to ensure that production doesn't get affected from vacationing workers.

I am a huge proponent of a standardized 4-10 workweek in the US. The idea of the 8 hour day protecting workers is crap considering most every worker who clocks an 8 is actually working more than 8 hours to get that workday completed. I am a licensed professional working in the consultant engineering business. As a result, my workday is mostly structured with two goals in mind.
1. Get the project completed. (I am mostly pvertime exempt except on federal contracts, so my compensation is pretty much fixed regardless of how many candles I burn to complete my work)
2. Be available on the client's schedule.

In regards to #1, I am a deadline dynamo, as are many in my profession. Most "overtime" work can be traced back to poor planing and is, thus, very correctable. So a 10 hour, 4 day workweek wouldn't affect me negatively at all. With respect to #2, the clients (mostly state and local DOTs and agencies) would need to make the switch to the 4 day week and I guarantee we would switch as well. It just makes so much more sense to do it that way.

The thing preventing everyone from adopting this change is ultimately (of course) corporate money and federal money. Profits are percieved to take a hit from the extra day off each week as people won't be buying their morning coffees, using as much electricity and gas, etc. This is shortsighted as I would expect retail sales to increase on that extra day off, more people would travel and spend, and power consumption in residences would increase as well.

It is very important that both school and subsequent employment are no longer measured by the amount of time spent but by the effectiveness/results. If an employee or student reaches a goal it doesnt matter how much time he spent. Sitting off time is like being a prisoner.

Sure put more financial strain on working parents.

This will do nothing but cost more for the public, now instead of two days paying for daycare, it'll now be three which can cost a family upwards of $100 extra every week for two working parents. Just great.

BTW, I have two teens it won't affect me, but it will effect my children later on. This stinks on ice!

[edit on 5-6-2010 by ldyserenity]

reply to post by ldyserenity


I understand your concerns, but I have to ask you if you are viewing school as a place of learning and achievements or as a glorified daycare with benefits?

Please don't consider this to be a sexist comment, because it is not meant to be. However, it really does seem that the shift in America towards the woman working outside the home rather than being a homemaker in the 50's has caused many of the economic problems we are facing in this nation today. With the rise of dual income homes also came a dramatic rise in unit prices, rise in latchkey children (leading to a dramatic rise in juvenile delinquency), and, honestly, a rise in single parent homes. I do not know what the answer is, but it seems to me that these gender role changes came at a hefty price.

Even less education = more dumbed down sheeple who stay asleep. Bravo!

Finland, or Switzerland

Finland and Switzerland are not world powers, in fact they are not even 2nd rate regional powers. They are nothing. So much for their brilliant educational system ...

The United States on the other hand is THE dominant world power and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

As for 4 day school weeks, several Long Island school districts have briefly experimented with the concept. The biggest object is the teacher's unions who don't favor improvements like this because it will lead to less pay

[edit on 5-6-2010 by ChrisF231]

More time in school does not equal a better education. I graduated in 2003, and the bulk of my time spent in school was severely wasted. Long "study hall" periods where you just sat around and did nothing. Classroom curriculum that was largely wasted and skipped over, spending way too much time on minute details, etc.

Most of the time, the teachers just didn't care anyway. The majority of my teachers in high school were on strike, for the entirety of my stay. So not only did the education planning suck, but the teachers really did not care.

Furthermore, the entire US school structure is filled with petty political crap. A social caste system if you will, of teachers taking care of students whose parents they know of, or teachers giving a pat on the back of the "athletes" (if you could call them that most of the time) etc.

Anyway, everyone has their own story. I don't see this program taking off across the United States, because most people are too conservative about the issue, and quite ignorant regarding the time/efficiency aspect of American schooling..

I think most of school is useless. Let's say 60% of it.

Reduce by 5 years the average length of studies and add 1 year of compulsary work placement in 12 differents jobs (like fishing,agriculture, jobs that would makes you self sufficient) .

I'm doing a "master" and I think there are so many time lost and subjects that exist just for time to be spent.

This is an illusion to think that school makes everything ... I have seen from my own experience that it's not the case. School is way too overrated. I think reducing the importance of school in a country will forces companies to uses other ways of selection, thus making a less stressfull system more based on actual skill. I hope so at least.



[edit on 5-6-2010 by ickylevel]

reply to post by Skyfloating


I agree but it's not as if the school system is stellar to begin with. As is said in the article, the school week is being shortened as a solution to monetary problems.

If the board cannot afford to even stay open more than 4 days a week, are they going to be able to pay their teachers a fair salary? Will said salary attract new minds, and those who want to teach, or just those who have no other job option?

While time spent may not be a direct indication of the quality of education, I believe that teachers are.

Basically, four days a week should not be necessary. I support putting more money in to the education system, thus allowing for more days with open doors and higher pay for bright minded educators.

This problem should not be fixed by shortening the school week, it should be fixed with more funds being made available to school boards.

reply to post by ChrisF231


lol. Yes, the United States, with their sub par education, is in agreatplace at the moment.

What is "world power" anyway? Being able to claim resource on any piece of land, regardless of previous ownership?

I feel that it comes down to the parents to strive and make a concerted effort to want to educate their children instead of relying solely on the school system to teach their kids.

Going to public or private school is just a means to an end which is to graduate. In order for the youth to actually learn anything, they need to have the staunch support to learn from an older generation, parent's and guardians would give the best effects.

Originally posted by burdman30ott6
reply to post by ldyserenity

 

I understand your concerns, but I have to ask you if you are viewing school as a place of learning and achievements or as a glorified daycare with benefits?

Please don't consider this to be a sexist comment, because it is not meant to be. However, it really does seem that the shift in America towards the woman working outside the home rather than being a homemaker in the 50's has caused many of the economic problems we are facing in this nation today. With the rise of dual income homes also came a dramatic rise in unit prices, rise in latchkey children (leading to a dramatic rise in juvenile delinquency), and, honestly, a rise in single parent homes. I do not know what the answer is, but it seems to me that these gender role changes came at a hefty price.

Well, like I said it really won't affect me, per se. But Yes I think they need to be in all the time they can, because the system is not doing it's job to begin with, there is more dropouts now than ever. I think an overhaul is needed, but this seems to be a good way to further the education problems already relevent in todays society.
I think they should spend as much time with the children as needed and less is not more in this case.
Not that I see it as a glorified daycare, but if you're still paying the same taxes and your children are costing more to you and less to the public school system, then it seems like the government is getting the benefits yet again. I mean it's ok if they're going to lower taxes to adjust for the money they are saving by lessening the school week. Predominately countries that do better have 6 and 7 day school weeks and summer long school programs so they go all year. It isn't any surprise our children are being left behind and it's likely to get worse if the four day school week takes affect.