As some workplaces begin to look into the advantages (and disadvantages) of a four-day workweek, a school board in Louisiana is experimenting with a shortened school week.
Students in the Acadia Parish of Crowley, La., will attend classes from Tuesday through Friday this year, beginning on Sept. 4. That will follow three five-day weeks, which are meant to work out issues and establish routines.
Many parents in the district are reportedly unhappy, in part because the decision will result in higher childcare costs, right as many employers are demanding that workers return to the office. Some parents are also concerned the shortened week could cause children to suffer academically.
Louisiana’s school system is ranked 49th in the nation in both school quality and student success by Scholaroo, which distributes annual rankings. The state has some of the lowest graduation rates and highest dropout rates.
The superintendent of the parish, though, says part of the reason for the move was to hang on to teachers, as a national shortage of those professionals grows.
“There is a nationwide issue with teacher and employee recruitment, keeping people on the job, making sure people are happy on their jobs or some of the factors that lead to us considering a four-day workweek,” Scott Richard told KADN.
The four-day workweek has been gaining supporters in recent years. Earlier this year, the results of the world’s largest trial of the program showed workers were just as productive as they were during a five-day week. The nonprofit that ran the pilot program called it a “resounding success on virtually every dimension.”
Louisiana isn’t the only state experimenting with a four-day school week. Approximately 850 districts are on a four-day schedule this year, compared to 650 in 2020.
The impact on students (and parents) varies. Some schools are making the school days slightly longer, to accommodate state-mandated instructional time. And some districts are offering cash to assist with childcare payments to needy families.
“Most school districts choose a shorter week to cut costs due to budget constraints,” wrote the National Conference of State Legislatures in a brief about the four-day school week. “While large-scale research has yet to be performed, some state-specific studies have been published. The results are mixed; one study of students in Colorado showed a statistically significant improvement in math scores among students on a four-day schedule, while a similar study found no significant differences in student performance.”
No research has shown a drop in test scores or student attendance.