It’s commonly discussed between students and even teachers that four-day school weeks would be better than the regular five-day school week, but how many people have stopped to consider the negative impacts of cutting back a day of school? Having an extra day off might sound appealing, but it won’t seem as attractive when several other consequences are considered.
Many people forget that one less day of school means extending students’ time in school each day. According to Linq.com, a four-day school week could add up to 90 minutes to the school day. Longer school days can be draining and lead students to lose motivation quicker than the regular shorter intervals.
Another issue could be a parent or guardian’s work week clashing with their student’s schedule. Families could struggle to make childcare arrangements on the students’ extra day off, or if they work at home, it could be difficult to focus while caring for their student. Greenlight.com says that some families may also rely on school-provided meals. On top of more power inevitably being used with an extra person at home, without a day of food from schools, low-income parents could struggle with money.
Extracurricular activities could also be complicated. Longer school days would mean that extracurriculars would take place later in the day. This could also become an issue if sports teams have a game or meet with a school that has a different schedule. This could result in many students being unable to participate in activities that could look good on their college resumes or get the extra help they might need.
Journalistsresource.org states that although four-day school weeks have drawn in many job applicants, the effect has been negative on students. There was a new analysis that showed students who had a four-day school week made less progress in a school year than students with a five-day school week.
Overall, a four-day school week might sound ideal, but it creates more complications than benefits. An extra day off from school is not worth potentially losing education or making after-school activities less accessible.
