It was a Monday in September, but with school closed, the three children in the Pruente household had nowhere to go. Callahan, 13, bent over her back as 7-year-old Hudson played with balloons and 10-year-old Keegan played the piano.
Like a growing number of students across the US, Pruente’s children live on a four-day school schedule, a change initiated this fall by their district in Independence, Missouri.
To kids, it’s great. “I have three days off from school!” Hudson exclaimed.
But their mother, Brandi Pruente, who teaches French in a neighboring district in suburban Kansas City, was frustrated that she found herself hunting for activities to entertain her children and turn off electronics while she worked five days a week.
“I feel like I’m back in a COVID shutdown,” he said.
Hundreds of school systems across the country have adopted the four-day week in recent years, mostly in the rural and western US. Districts cite cost savings and advantages for teacher hiring, though some question the impact on students who have missed significant learning during the pandemic.
Hundreds of school systems across the country have adopted the four-day week in recent years.AFP via Getty Images
For parents, there is also the added complication, and cost, of arranging childcare for that extra weekday. While the survey showed parents approving overall, support waned among those with younger children.
On Monday, Brandi Pruente was at home because Hudson had a mysterious rash on her arm. Almost every week, the eldest son would be in charge, with the occasional help from the grandparents. She’s not interested in paying for the $30-a-day childcare option the district offers. Multiplied by several children, it adds up.
“I want my children to be in an educational environment,” she said, “and I don’t want to pay someone to take care of them.”
Even so, childcare provided by the district is not so easy because it is not available in every school. And in other four-day districts, so many parents adjusted their work schedules or asked family to help that day care was discontinued because of low enrollment.
For parents, there is also the added complication and cost of arranging childcare for that extra weekday. AFP via Getty Images
This is of particular concern to parents with younger children and those with disabilities can make finding childcare an additional challenge.
Of the more than 13,000 school districts nationwide, nearly 900 operate on a cut schedule, up from 662 in 2019 and slightly more than 100 in 1999, said Paul Thompson, associate professor of economics at Oregon State University.
This practice has occurred mostly in rural communities, where families often have parents living at home or grandparents nearby. But Independence, best known for its association with President Harry Truman, is rural, with 14,000 students, including about 70% who qualify for government-subsidized meals.
The district offers meals on Mondays, but not at every school. Starting in October, struggling students will be able to come to school on Mondays for extra help. Superintendent Dale Herl said discussions with officials in other districts convinced him parents would consider child care for other students.
“You have to go back and see, you know, what do parents do in the summer? What do they do, you know, spring break or Christmas break?” he said, adding that schools already have working days off for events such as teacher conferences.
In Missouri, the number of counties that routinely get three-day weekends has more than doubled since the pandemic hit, from 12% to 30%. Some Missouri lawmakers have pushed back, arguing that students need more time with teachers. One legislative proposal that failed would have allowed students in four-day districts to transfer to or attend private schools, with their home districts picking up the tab.
Some are switching to shortened schedules to save money. An analysis by the State Economic Commission found such savings to be modest, amounting to 0.4% to 2.5% of their annual budget.
Some are turning to shortened schedules to save money.AFP via Getty Images
For most school systems including Independence, which extends the other four school days, the hope is to improve teacher recruitment and retention. Some school systems that make the switch compete with districts that can afford to pay up to $15,000 more, with just 15 minutes added to the commute, said Jon Turner, Missouri State University associate professor of education.
But when one district switches to a shortened school week, it gains a recruiting advantage over others.
Other districts soon followed, making shortened schedules a “Band-Aid” solution to diminishing returns, Missouri Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven said.
This practice has occurred mostly in rural communities, where families often have parents living at home or grandparents nearby. Getty Images
“If everyone becomes a four-day school week,” he said, “that’s no longer a recruiting strategy.”
In some communities, a four-day week is better for families. In north-central Montana’s Turner district, the Friday holiday avoids situations like basketball games played in the district three hours or more away that leave only a small number of students in school, Superintendent Tony Warren said.
The change also provides one more day to work on family farms in districts with fewer than 50 students, Warren said, though he’s now also seeing some larger districts adopt the schedule.
“They made the transition to a four-day week because all the districts around them had adopted a four-day week,” he said.
Of the more than 13,000 school districts nationwide, nearly 900 are operating on a cut schedule, up from 662 in 2019.Getty Images
The impact on academics is murky, although some studies show the schedule doesn’t affect test scores if the other four school days are extended to fill the time, Thompson said.
However, the Rand Corporation found that achievement differences in four-day districts, while initially difficult to detect, became apparent over several years.
That worries Karyn Lewis of the research organization NWEA, whose recent study found that students are not making up all the academic fields they lost during the pandemic.
“Now is not the time to do anything that threatens the amount of instruction children receive,” he said.
When one district switches to a shortened school week, it gains a recruiting advantage over others.Getty Images
At Kemerdekaan, the hope is that the soon-to-be-started outside day program for struggling students will help them catch up with their classmates. Older students, meanwhile, can take classes at community colleges.
Only a few large districts have adopted a four-day week. District 27M north of Denver made the switch in 2018 after several failed efforts to raise taxes to increase teacher pay. With surrounding districts able to pay more, teacher turnover has become a problem.
Superintendent Will Pierce said the district’s own survey now shows nearly 80% of parents and 85% of teachers support the schedule. “Quality of life is what they report,” he said.
The demand for daycare isn’t great, with fewer than 300 children using the daycare program in the district of 20,000 students, he said.
Still, a study published this year found test scores declined slightly in the 27M district, and home values also took a hit compared to neighboring districts.
“Voters need to think about trade-offs,” said Frank James Perrone, one of the study’s authors and an Indiana University assistant professor of educational leadership.
Teacher retirements have decreased in Independence and job applications have increased since the schedule change. And that’s all good, Brandi Pruente admits.
“But,” he added, “it can’t be at the expense of the county’s community or family.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
