Imagine students becoming stressed with the abundant amount of homework they have to accomplish, complaining about the lack of time and fun enjoyable tasks they have to leave out. Currently, District 211 has a five day school week but having a four day school week eradicates these problems, which could have a positive mental and physical effect. Currently, the four day school week is being used in more than 120 school districts across the country, in states including including New Hampshire, Colorado, and New Mexico. Use of the four day school week also extends to several provinces in Canada, France, and Britain. Considering the amount of districts that are executing a four day school week it is most reasonable to assume that they have significant Less absences will increase the chance and opportunity for learning and will miss out on major assignments that will take much time to catch up on. According to some school districts ," Teachers and student absences have decreased with the four-day school week. The reason that the decrease of teachers and students' absences is logical because that one extra day will help them finish what they need to in the right amount of time. Another issue that can be prevented with a fours day of school is the increasing drop out rate and disciplinary referrals in high school. Having disciplinary referrals could cause a bad impression on teachers and colleges. Students tend to learn better when they don't miss school. . To summarize, having less absences, tardies and referrals could lead to a brighter educational environment with more stimulated and contributing Relaxation could improve a students ability to think and therefore enhance their chance of excelling at their academics. According to an Indiana school,"Having one weekday off of school each week allows more flexibility for teachers and students." Students have an extra day to make sure that they do all their studies and still get extra time to do extra curricular activities. This also prevents homework and studying excuses students might make as a result of lack of time and abundant amount of homework. A five day week of school gives students a hard time as they have to adjust both activities and studies in 2 days. As a result of a five day school week students get less time to spend with their families, but with a four day school week they could spend more with family and still have everything finished and be prepared. Concluding from these chain of events, an implementation of a four day school week will result in a students academic growth. Overall, schools with a four-day school week have major benefits dealing with all kind of problems. Not only will a four-day school week improve financial concerns, stress and attendance, but it will also encourage students to participate in extracurricular activities . School District 211 should consider all of these benefits and make the switch to a four day school
The BC Ministry of Education recently allowed for flexibility in how school districts choose to organize their school calendars. BC School Districts currently follow a traditional school year calendar with students attending school approximately 190 days, most with a two week break in winter and spring and two months off during the summer months. “This model was very practical when the school calendar was designed to accommodate children with the needs of an agricultural economy” (qtd in Webb 5), and can be “described by some as outdated and irrelevant in today’s society” (Winter 401). A balanced school year calendar, also referred to as a modified school year and year round school, would maintain the same number of instructional days, but would evenly distribute breaks throughout the year. The literature and research available on the balanced school year is mostly American, with a few Canadian sources. This research indicates that those in support of this type of calendar see many benefits, but the most strongly supported with evidence is the reduction of summer learning loss experienced by students, especially for English as a second language (ESL) and low income students. For those who oppose the balanced school year, some believe summer learning loss does not exist and some strongly argue that changing the school calendar is only warranted with proof of increased academic achievement for students.
Back in the olden days, schools were originally put on a schedule in which students would spend the majority of the year in school, and 2-3 months off for summer break. The purpose of this was so that children could be home for the summer to help their parents run family farms. Today, due to progressive industrialization of farming, modernized farming equipment, and decrease in family farms, the need for children to be home during the summer to help run family farms is minute if not obsolete; because of this many schools across the United States have transitioned to year-round schooling (“Summer”). Contrary to belief, year round schooling does not usually mean more school days. Currently most year-round schools adhere to the 180 day school year. Instead of the traditional lengthy summer vacation, year-round schools distribute the 180 days throughout the entire year while allowing for shorter breaks. Common scheduling for year-round schools includes cycles of 2-3 months in school followed by 2-3 week breaks (“Research Spotlight...
Students now have the opportunity to work another day to save for their future. The four-day school week also provides much more time for these children to spend and enjoy time with friends, and family, as well as enjoying extracurricular activities. There is a lovely environment for the children at the school and an extra day for the instructors to gain knowledge and a better understanding of their curriculum. The schools will be saving a varying amount of money that could be used in case of an emergency with money of any kind. Whether it is an emergency funding program, or money to fund an extracurricular activity. In conclusion, the four-day school week has proven itself to be a very effective form of education that Colby Public Schools most certainly should switch to within the coming
Family vacations, pool memberships, and corn de-tasseling; these have been the experiences of traditional Midwestern summers. For centuries young American children have attended school during the winter months, during farming off seasons when their families could afford to be without them. Families have grown accustomed to a traditional school calendar that provides time for bonding throughout the year. Students have grown accustomed to an eight week break during the summer months where they are allowed to refresh their minds before returning for a new school year. Unfortunately, these traditional experiences and practices are now in jeopardy. In today’s race to improve student achievement, traditional school calendars have become a point of contention. Today more and more school districts and parents alike have begun to debate the pros and cons of an alternative school calendar.
Now days, normal American students go to school 5 days in a week. However, some places over the United States operate 4 days of school week system. Those school surprisingly observe positive changes. Therefore, American schools should operate 4 days of school week because schools can save their budget costs, and students can have more time to enjoy outdoor activities, pursue additional educational goals and improve academic achievement since students are in less stressful environment.
If Springfield where to try this they would save money. The district would be saving money on food. You may be thinking will my child's grade suffer? No, Many schools have switched and grades were the same and students god better grades in math. Peach county and Georgia tried a four day school week and the only thing that happened was they saved money, test scores went up, less absences, and a higher graduation rate.
School can be known as a dreadful reality of everyday life for a countless number of people. Students and teachers all over the country are constantly looking forward to the next day off of school. Often times students find every excuse to miss school, even if it’s just for a couple of hours. Having to go to school five days in a row with only a two day break is a lot to handle for most people. Many schools are converting from a five-day school week to a four-day school week for many different reasons. Colby Public Schools needs to implement a four day school week because it helps lower the stress levels of students and teachers, improves overall attendance, and saves excess amounts of money.
School provides a lot of work. There are eight total classes in a semester, and sometimes it can be hard to keep up with everything that school asks of its students. Because of all the work, students tend to ignore the requirements school has. (For example, students will ignore due dates or study suggestions.) However, taking Fridays off (and replacing the days with extra weeks of school) will provide success for the students.
...on what they have learned by attending more days in school but not getting burned out on a traditional nine month school schedule. A few short breaks allows the mind to rest but not forget everything they have worked hard to achieve educational greatness. American society will achieve great things if the education system takes a step in all schools operating on a year round calendar.
Students test scores are slipping because of 4-day school weeks.I believe we shouldn’t have a 4-day school week because studies have shown that schools with 4-day school weeks test scores have declined in 2012 and even more in 2013.Teachers from every school with 4-day school weeks say that kids don’t pay attention because they add 30 minutes to each class time during the 4-day school week.Courtney Fisher is a second grade teacher.She says that the students seem tired all the time and eat much more in class.
Most schools which operate year round have adopted the balanced or 45/15 calendar, which switches between nine weeks of school and three week breaks. Other schools use the similarly structured 60/20 or 90/30 calendars which simply lengthen both the learning periods and vacations(Chittom 2). As simple as each plan seems, none preserves the mental health of students. “It only takes about 3 weeks for stress to start creating more lasting problem such as depression and decreased motivation in teenagers,” notes Dr. Sofia Jalilie, a pediatrician in the Bay Area, during an interview. Because of rigorous academic expectations, along with pressure for grades, choosing colleges and a future career, the high school environment can be considered stressful. As shown by three popular systems, year round calendars give students a resting opportunity only, at minimum, after six weeks, which, from Dr. Jalilie's words, is enough time for the students’ brains to be damaged. This effect on students reveals a disadvantage of the year round system because in high schools, mental health and student stress are already large concerns. Meanwhile, supporters of year round calendars claim that they aid students by preventing summer learning loss, the popular theory that students forget most of the information learned in the prior school year during summer break(Von Drehle). Those who believe in the term link no summer to better academic performance. However, in a comparison of test scores throughout North Carolina, a school with diversity in its school calendars, "achievement scores were no greater among students from year-round schools as students from traditional schools"(Chittom 4). Standardized tests are considered one of the best ways to compare students. The year round schools' failure to be superior shows summer learning loss to be inaccurate and demonstrates that making students attend
Summer breaks are way too long and children forget a lot of information throughout the summer break. A lot of that valuable time teachers spent is lost in only a few months. Not only is the teachers time lost but also the child’s, during the fall teachers spend time reviewing from the previous year (Nair, n.d.). Educationalists noted that during a modified or year-long school year students are expected to forget less the information they acquired because they experience not as many interruptions. Children may not experience loss of knowledge with a year-long school year. The year-long school calendar in fact, has the same amount of school days than a regular school calendar, but the breaks are spread out throughout the year. Therefore, when the breaks are spread out the children and teachers experience less burnout from school. These breaks are called intercessions (Ballinger, 2008). Kids have 4-6 weeks off of school during the summer instead of 2-3 months and the findings are positive (Bennecke, 2010). There are three different options for a year-long school calendar. The first option is a 45-15 calendar, 45 days of instruction followed by 15 days of vacation/ intercession. The second option is the 60-20 calendar, 60 days in school followed by 20 days’ vacation/ intercession. Finally, the third option is the 45-10 calendar, 45 days of instruction followed by 10 days of vacation/ intersession
There are many opinions and studies about reforming school days. Some people are concerned that longer school days would bring more difficulties. However, there are numerous studies and practical examples that prove that we improve students’ performance by lengthening school days. Finally, the economy and our society will benefit from expanding school days.
School should be four days a week with an extra hour added to each school day because it would save money for the school system, increase student motivation, stimulate the economy, and promote student achievement. There has been a decrease in education due to the small amount of resources, causing classrooms to be bigger and children not being able to extend their knowledge. Even though the economy has been falling, each school district has been working hard to promote student education, which could mean trading a traditional school schedule for a four-day school week. Replacing a normal school schedule for the four day school week can raise the school budget tremendously. (Hart, Demand Media).
Day or School Year: A Systematic Review of Research." Sage 80.3 (2010): 401- 36. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.