by Harriet Lee

Created on: August 22, 2010

Schools in all districts, and states are struggling to improve the education given to increase student learning and achievement. Currently, the 180 six-hour-day calendar used in most schools is not based on the needs and learning styles of students, but rather on a 19th-century agrarian system (Farbman & Kaplan, 2005).

A growing number of school districts across the United States are moving to a four-day week, for the schooling of children.  This is being done, in the hope of helping close the gaping budget holes, but critics fear this could seriously jeopardize student's education.  However, there is little research that suggests or evidences that there is an adverse impact on students, who attend school for longer days but shorter weeks.  

The four-day school week is not new idea, but until fairly recently, it has only been used by small schools located in rural districts. A few rural Colorado school districts implemented four-day schooling weeks in the 1980s for financial reasons. Now about a third of the state's 178 districts operate on a four-day calendar.

Four-day weeks in education have been in place for decades in states like New Mexico, Idaho and Wyoming and initially came about as states were looking to combat growing energy prices. Last week, Pueblo School District 70 in Colorado said it would adopt the schedule next school year for approximately 8,000 students.

Obvious concerns from parents are childcare issues, for working parents it is creating a mass of uncertainty with complicating working hours with their children’s schooling.

Across the States, a small number of schools and districts are modifying or extending the academic year. The Massachusetts 2020 initiative has provided resources for several dozen schools to increase the number of academic learning days they offer from 180 to approximately 200.

The extension of 20 days will still mean that students in the United States spend fewer hours in education than students in other countries. England’s school year runs 220 days. Japanese students spend 242 days in school and the typical German school is open for 240 days. Students in Singapore attend year-round schooling for 280 days per year.

Other examples of, the lengthening of school days, include low-performing schools that have lengthened the school day in an encouraging effort to improve educational standards.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which has revealed poor student achievement inadequacies nationwide, particularly in urban school districts, is contributing to the trend of lengthening the school day.

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