4-day school week’s popularity could backfire on rural schools

SHANNON LONGWORTH: “ON MONDAYS, AT WEEPING WATER HIGH SCHOOL, THE HALLWAYS ARE EMPTY, ROOMS ARE DARK, AND CHAIRS ARE ON DESKS –

THAT’S BECAUSE STUDENTS WON’T ARRIVE UNTIL TUESDAY.”

KEVIN REIMAN: “THIS IS OUR FIRST FULL YEAR OF A FOUR DAY SCHOOL WEEK, WE STARTED THE TRANSITION LAST MAY”

KEVIN REIMAN IS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF WEEPING WATER SCHOOL DISTRICT IN EASTERN NEBRASKA. WITH 30 STUDENTS IN EACH GRADE, THIS RURAL SCHOOL HAS TRANSITIONED TO SHORTER WEEKS.

REIMAN: “I BROUGHT IT TO THE BOARD AS THIS IS A POSSIBLE WAY FOR US TO RETAIN AND RECRUIT TEACHERS, BECAUSE WE CAN’T COMPETE AGAINST THE BIG SCHOOLS AND THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES.”

TURNS OUT – IT WORKED.

TEACHER APPLICATIONS INCREASED THIS YEAR.

EVEN FOR SUBJECTS THAT’RE TYPICALLY HARDEST-TO-FILL–LIKE MATH.

REIMAN: “LAST YEAR, I WAS LUCKY TO GET ONE OR TWO APPLICANTS. I WAS UP TO FIVE OR SIX THIS YEAR.”

LONGWORTH: WHILE THE SHORTENED SCHOOL WEEK SUCCESSFULLY ATTRACTED CANDIDATES, IT DIDN’T COME WITHOUT CHALLENGES.

REIMAN: “I THINK THE BIGGEST ISSUE THAT WE HAD GOING INTO IT WAS WE INCREASED OUR DAY BY 20 MINUTES, AND SO IT ENDS UP BEING ABOUT 10 DAYS LESS.” / “WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME, THOSE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS REPACING ALL OF OUR COURSES BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO GET MORE CONTENT IN FEWER DAYS.”

REIMAN SAYS WEEPING WATER DIDN’T HAVE MUCH OF AN ISSUE WITH PARENTS NEEDING CHILDCARE, AS HIGH SCHOOLERS ARE ABLE TO BABYSIT YOUNGER CHILDREN…AND THE SCHOOL OFFERS A CARE PROGRAM ON MONDAYS WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

STUDENTS WHO RELIED ON A SCHOOL-PROVIDED LUNCH FOR THAT FIFTH DAY CAN PARTICIPATE IN A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES A BACKPACK FULL OF FOOD FOR THE THREE-DAY WEEKEND.

BY MOST ACCOUNTS – THE FOUR DAY SCHOOL WEEK IN WEEPING WATER HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN ATTRACTING TEACHERS AND THE CONCEPT IS CATCHING ON ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

850 DISTRICTS ARE DOING IT–UP FROM 650 IN 2019, ACCORDING TO THE FOUR DAY SCHOOL WEEK POLICY GROUP AT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY.

AND IT SEEMS MORE SCHOOLS IN METROPOLITAN AREAS ARE CONSIDERING THE SWITCH.

DR. CHRIS FIEDLER IS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE 27J SCHOOL DISTRICT IN BRIGHTON, COLORADO…ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF DENVER.

THEY MADE THE TRANSITION IN 2018 AFTER STRUGGLING TO HIRE TEACHERS.

CHRIS FIEDLER: “WE ARE AN EXTREMELY FAST GROWING DISTRICT, WE HIRE BETWEEN 150 AND 200 NEW TEACHERS A YEAR. SO IT MATTERS, RIGHT?” /

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“WE WERE AT A FINANCIAL DISADVANTAGE TO GET THE BEST ADULTS TO COME WORK WITH OUR KIDS BECAUSE OF OUR FUNDING.”

LONGWORTH: FIEDLER SAYS THE FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK HAS BEEN A SUCCESS DESPITE PARENTS’ INITIAL SKEPTICISM. IT’S GIVEN 27J A COMPETITIVE EDGE WITH RECRUITMENT.

FIEDLER: “I DON’T WANT ANYONE AROUND US TO MAKE THAT MOVE. RIGHT? BECAUSE EVENTUALLY IF EVERYONE’S ON A FOUR DAY WEEK THAT IS NOT AN ADVANTAGE FOR US AND I YOU KNOW, BE PROPONENT OF PUBLIC YET I WANT ALL ALL KIDS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. BUT I’VE GOT A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO RUN AND I WANT THE BEST TEACHERS FOR OUR KIDS ARE 27J.”

LONGWORTH: AS MORE URBAN SCHOOLS SHOW INTEREST IN THE SHORTENED SCHOOL WEEK AS A RECRUITMENT TACTIC, IT WILL NOT ONLY CREATE MORE COMPETITION IN THOSE HIGHLY POPULATED AREAS, BUT IT COULD ALSO ELIMINATE THE INCENTIVE FOR TEACHERS TO GO TO THOSE MORE RURAL SCHOOLS.

RESEARCHERS IN THE FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK POLICY GROUP SAY THE SHORTER WEEK ALSO HURTS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RESEARCH BY CHECKING OUT MY PREVIOUS REPORTING.