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

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The hallways are empty, rooms are dark and chairs are on top of desks at Weeping Water High School on Mondays. Students do not arrive until Tuesday.

Weeping Water Public Schools in eastern Nebraska is one of a growing number of districts across the country that have switched to a four-day school week. The move is seen as a way to attract and retain teachers, who are increasingly in demand.

Kevin Reiman, the superintendent of Weeping Water Public Schools, said the decision to switch to a four-day week was made after the district struggled to hire teachers.

“We were at a financial disadvantage to get the best adults to come work with our kids because of our funding,” Reiman said. “We thought this would be a way to level the playing field.”

The switch to a four-day week has been successful in attracting teachers, Reiman said. The district has seen an increase in the number of applications for teaching positions, and teachers are now more likely to stay in the district for longer periods of time.

However, the four-day school week is not without its challenges. Reiman said the district has had to increase the length of the school day to make up for some of the fifth day. Because the district still loses some teaching time, teachers have had to make some changes to the curriculum to ensure that students are still learning the same amount of material each year.

The four-day school week is becoming increasingly popular across the country. According to the Four-Day School Week Policy group at Oregon State University, there are now over 850 school districts in the United States that have transitioned to the shorter week. In 2019, there were 650, according to the researchers.

It seems more school districts in metropolitan areas are considering switching to a four-day school week. Dr. Chris Fiedler, the superintendent of 27J Schools in Brighton, Colorado, said his district transitioned to the shorter school week in 2018 after struggling to hire teachers.

“We are an extremely fast growing district,” Fiedler said. “We hire between 150 and 200 new teachers a year. So it matters, right?”

Fiedler said the four-day school week has been a success for the district in terms of teacher recruitment.

“I don’t want anyone around us to make that move,” Fiedler said. “Because eventually, if everyone’s on a four-day week, that is not an advantage for us.”

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 said the shorter week also hurts student achievement.

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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.