Below are articles we've used so far to compile research about the pros and cons of the four day school week. Click on the article title to see the article online. If you get a redirection notice for the articles, click on the top link. These articles are arranged according to the primary studies on which they are commenting, and may include the primary studies themselves.
Visible Learning---Educational Research by John Hattie
"John Hattie on the Factors that Influence Learning in Schools" by John Hattie for Social Science Space, March 30, 2023.
John Hattie is an educational researcher from Australia who created a meta-analysis of hundreds of educational studies from around the world that he explains in his book Visible Learning to come up with lists of the most effective instructional practices. He says that his study "...found that, among six groups of factors influencing successful learning in schools--the student, home, school teacher, curricula and teaching--teachers seemed to have the strongest in-school effect." This means that teacher recruitment and retention should be major factors in decision-making by school districts. In addition to this article, here is a link to Hattie's website if you'd like to explore more.
And here is an interview with John Hattie where he mentions the four-day week.
This article states that one of the most important parts of student achievement is having a good/effective teacher.
Articles Featuring Studies from Oregon
"What the Research Tells us About Four Day School Weeks." by Emily Morton, April 14 2023
This article discusses how the detriments to student achievement are highest when the week is under 30 hours.
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"Four Day School Week Overview" June 28, 2023.
This article consists of the basics of what it takes to convert to a four-day school week.
"Impacts of the Four Day School Week" by Paul N. Thompson, et al. July 16, 2021
This article outlines the academic impacts of the four day school week. It delves into the idea that the four day school week has a detrimental effect on student achievement in rural areas, but less so in rural settings.
"Only a Matter of Time" by Paul N. Thompson, June 2021
This article shows the importance of keeping time at or above 32 hours during the school week. Schools that change to a 4-day school week must also make sure that they add minutes to their schedule to keep up with student achievement.
"Effects of Four-Day School Weeks on Student Achievement: Evidence from Oregon" by Paul N. Thompson, March 2019
This article also notes the negative effects from schools in Oregon in grades 3-8, It appears that reductions in time in school, which amount to three to four hours per week, largely drive these achievement declines.”
"ProofPoints..." By Jill Barshay, August 29, 2022
"...they found that four-day weeks weren’t great for academic achievement on average. The test scores of four-day students in grades three through eight grew slightly less during the school year compared to hundreds of thousands of students in those six states who continued to go to school five days a week...For schools that are considering a four-day week, the schedule matters. Some schools have been better at preserving instructional time, reallocating the hours across four longer days, Morton told me. Others have struggled to protect every minute of math and reading instruction. Longer hours can also tax young children’s attention spans. It’s a tradeoff." (This article also references New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming.)
Articles Featuring the RAND Study
"Does Four Equal Five?" by Rebecca Kilburn, et al., October 7, 2021
The Rand Study was compiled in 2021 on districts using a 4-day school week model. This is a primary document that a lot of other articles are using as a basis.
"Pros and Cons of the 4-Day School Week" January 8, 2024
This article summarizes both the positives and negatives of the four-day school week. Some benefits include an improved work/school life balance and improved teacher recruitment and retention. Some cons are equity concerns, impact on younger students, impacts to reading scores, and focus on extracurricular challenges.
"8 Pros and Cons of Shortening Your School Week to 4 Days" By Matt Zalaznick October 14, 2021
This article addresses both the pros and cons of a four-day school week. Positives listed include cost savings as well as a "job perk" for staff. Some negatives listed in the article were student achievement which did not grow as quickly after the implementation of the four-day school week.
Articles Featuring Data from Montana
"A Comparison of Student Achievement in Rural Schools with Four and Five Day Weeks" by Timothy W. Tharp, 2014
This dissertation from a study on Montana schools shows how early data increases from implementing a four-day school week, but ultimately declines.
Article Featuring Studies from Oklahoma
"Effects of Four-Day School Weeks on Adolescents: Examining Impacts of the Schedule on Academic Achievement, Attendance, and Behavior in High School." by Emily Morton, May 2021
This article summarizes the effects of a 4-day school on adolescents. It examines the impacts of the schedule on academic achievement and attendance rates of students on a 4-day school week.
Other Resources
"Cardinal Community School District shares lessons learned from 4-day school week"
Views from an school in Iowa on the four-day school week.
"The Four-Day School Week: Pros and Cons"
This article summarizes the pros and cons of a 4-day school week. Some pros include money-saving strategies, recruiting tools, and the fact that these district leaders are willing to concede quantity for quality. Some cons include childcare on the fifth day, funding teachers, and some older kids getting in trouble cause of no adult supervision.
"Understanding the Rise of the Four Day School Week" by the Strategic Communication Department of Missouri State, December 2, 2022
This article studies schools in Missouri where the four day school week has been growing in popularity. This article relies heavily on the work of Dr. Jon Turner. He says that benefits include: "Higher attendance rates among students, More time for teachers to plan, collaborate and train, Better 'work/life balance for teachers and students, and an extra day for students to seek opportunities, such as job shadowing, dual credit programs and volunteering." Some of his concerns include "reduced access to school lunches, more time over the weekend for students to forget what they learned, [and an] increased risk to children’s safety on the weekday without school."
"The Impact of Four-Day School Weeks and Fifth Day Programs on Delinquency and Problem Behaviors in Adolescents" by Emily Collins, 2019.
This study discusses the inconclusive data this exists to date on the 4-day school week. The conclusion of this study states that "this paper showed no significant changes in local juvenile crime rates or other school disciplinary measures as a result of changing to the four-day school week, although there were trends identified such that crime rates increased and school disciplinary actions decreased." The biggest takeaway from this article is that strong day-off programs centered around career exploration and mentoring negate the effects of juvenile crime on the off-day.
Coming Soon--Effects on Mental Health and the Four and Five Day School Week