Four-Day School Week

All across Iowa, four-day school weeks are gaining popularity as a potential way to boost student engagement and prepare students for a changing world, but it raises important questions and concerns about how this change would be accomplished. 

Many advantages come from four-day schedules. The Waco School District has had a four-day school week for approximately ten years and is highly regarded by the families in the district. While talking to Waco Superintendent Ken Crawford, he explained “We’re trying to prepare students for what post-high school looks like, what does society look like right now.” Crawford went on to describe how society and work life are changing, and fitting schedules to prepare students for what life looks like after high school was an important part of their decision to add a four-day school week. 

The Saydel School District shifted to the four-day schedule this year, and Superintendent Todd Martin observed how the school district is already seeing the benefits of this change. Martin described, “We heard that there was a lot of stress and anxiety, particularly after COVID and mental health things that were going on. So we were focused on social and emotional well-being for quite some time. People needed a little bit of extra time for their wellness and to balance their health and life. It gives us this moment where we can balance our lives and take a break.”

With an extra day off, students have more time to pursue extracurricular activities, family commitments or even part-time jobs, which can contribute to a well-rounded educational experience. Crawford stated “Having that extra day off where maybe [students] can sleep in a little bit more, but also spend more time with their family.” Crawford shared how grandparents tell him about how they enjoy the extra time they get to spend with their grandchildren. 

Another benefit of this schedule is that student mental health and attendance have seen a rise in districts with this policy. Since the Waco School District has had this schedule, they have seen boosts in mental health and overall student morale as well as attendance. Crawford explained, “We’ve really been pushing attendance the last two years. Our attendance is up to 95-96%.” 

Despite its benefits, the four-day school week also raises several questions and concerns. One major concern is the impact on scheduling. Crawford described, “We had a block schedule system, and we really liked [it], and we had to get rid of that. We had to go to a seven-period day.” Every scheduling, whether four-day school weeks, eight-day periods or block scheduling, has its negatives, but getting rid of block scheduling impacts Northwest High School which runs on this schedule. 

Another major issue is the impact on child care. For many families, especially those with working parents, finding care for children on the extra day off can be challenging. This concern is pressing for low-income families, who may not have the resources to secure alternative arrangements. 

When asked about how the district dealt with child care, Martin stated, “Childcare became a really big priority topic, and so we offered childcare to anybody that wants it. We’ll even staff it and make sure it’s available to [the community]. The ironic thing is whenever I checked on it, every Friday, we have fewer people than we normally have Monday through Thursday. So not only are fewer people taking advantage of it, but we’re seeing more people decide they don’t want it on Friday.” 

When talking to students, a concern was shared about how much would be packed into a day. Martin explained, “We’ve added an extra half an hour to the school day.” Martin described adding the thirty minutes to the school day to keep in line with Iowa’s 1,080 hours for school years. Martin described, “We calculated the hours out and built a schedule around it.” When asked about extracurricular activities impacting the school day, Martin answered,“We still have the normal Friday activities like Friday night football games.” Martin added that Saydel provides transportation to events and practices on Fridays if needed. 

The four-day school week presents an intriguing option for modern education, promising potential benefits in student engagement and teacher satisfaction. However, it also poses significant challenges, like child care and scheduling. Despite the considered negatives, more and more schools are switching to this schedule. This poses the question, should Northwest High School consider this option?