More Research and News

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

“More rural school districts turn to four-day week,” The Daily Yonder, October 15, 2025. https://dailyyonder.com/more-rural-school-districts-turn-to-four-day-week/2025/10/15/

“Southern Boone community hears from administrators, teachers of four-day week districts,” Columbia Missourian. https://www.columbiamissourian.com/boonecountyjournal/news/southern-boone-community-hears-from-administrators-teachers-of-four-day-week-districts/article_d7d8dc7d-4f14-48ae-aae9-8b64a63afe55.html

"Does Shortening the School Week Impact Student Performance? Evidence from the Four-Day School Week" by Anderson, D. Mark & Walker, Mary Beth. 2015. Education Finance and Policy. https://direct.mit.edu/edfp/article/10/3/314/10123/Does-Shortening-the-School-Week-Impact-Student

"School Year Length and Student Performance: Evidence from the Four-Day School Week" by Hansen, Benjamin. 2011. Education Economics. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09645292.2010.543375

"Four-Day School Weeks and Student Achievement: Evidence from Oklahoma" by Thompson, Paul & Walraven, Charlie. 2016. The Journal of Education Research. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00220671.2015.1125836

"Research Brief: A Review of the Evidence on Four-Day School Weeks" by Donis-Keller, Christine & Silvernail, David. 2009. University of Southern Maine. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cepare_research/3

"The Four-Day School Week: Impact on Student Academic Performance" by Hewitt, Paul M. & Denny, George. 2011. Rural Educator. https://journals.library.msstate.edu/index.php/ruraled/article/view/450

"Four-Day School Weeks in Rural Settings: A Comparative Case Study" by Morton, Bethany. 2021. The Rural Educator.https://journals.library.msstate.edu/index.php/ruraled/article/view/922

"Shortened School Weeks and Student Outcomes" by Fitzpatrick, Maria D. 2019. Education Next.https://www.educationnext.org/four-day-school-weeks-impact-student-outcomes/

"Effects of Four-Day School Weeks on High School Student Achievement and Behavior" by Ward, Jason. 2019. RAND Education and Labor. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3245.html

Policy Reports & Research Briefs

"Vocabulary interventions for children with developmental language disorder: A systematic review. Frontiers". https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1517311/full 

"Does a Four-Day School Week Benefit Students?" by Day, Golfen, Grant, & Trevino. June 2025. HEDCO Institute, University of Oregon. https://hedcoinstitute.uoregon.edu/sites/default/files/2025-06/does-a-four-day-school-week-benefit-students-hedco.pdf

"Exploring Four-Day School Week Adoption in Texas" by Neng Priyanti, Fiza Miraj, & Toni Templeton. February 2025. University of Houston. https://uh.edu/education/research/institutes-centers/erc/reports-publications/4dsw-working-paper---final.pdf

"The Four-Day School Week: Nine Key Findings" by Griffith, Michael. 2023. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/four-day-school-week

"Trends in Four-Day School Weeks: Evidence from Research" by Thompson, Paul. 2021. EdWorkingPaper. https://edworkingpapers.com/ai21-398

"Four-Day School Weeks in Rural America: Implications and Tradeoffs" by Morton, Bethany. 2020. Rural Schools Collaborative. https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/research/four-day-school-weeks

"Four-Day School Week: State Policies and Implementation" by Education Commission of the States. 2019. ECS Report. https://www.ecs.org/four-day-school-week-policies/

"Four-Day School Week: 2019 Report to the Legislature" by Colorado Department of Education. 2019. https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/fourdayweekreport2019

"What Do We Know About the Four-Day School Week?" by RAND Corporation. 2019. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3245.html

"Four-Day School Weeks in Missouri: Evidence and Policy" by PRiME Center (St. Louis University). 2022. https://www.primecenter.org/publications/four-day-school-week-missouri

"A Time for Change: The Four-Day School Week Movement" by Bellwether Education Partners. 2019. https://bellwethereducation.org/publication/time-change-four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Weeks in Rural Minnesota" by Center for Rural Policy and Development. 2018. https://www.ruralmn.org/four-day-school-week-study

"Four-Day School Weeks and State Legislative Trends" by National Conference of State Legislatures. 2017. https://www.ncsl.org/research/education/four-day-school-week

"Fiscal Impacts of Four-Day School Weeks" by Walker, Mary Beth. 2016. Georgia State University Policy Brief. https://aysps.gsu.edu/four-day-school-week-fiscal-impact

"Four-Day School Week Research and Policy Briefs" by Missouri State University. 2016. https://education.missouristate.edu/four-day-school-week

"Rethinking School Schedules: The Four-Day School Week" by New America. 2015. https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/rethinking-school-schedules/

"Community Perspectives on the Four-Day School Week" by Arkansas Public Policy Panel. 2015. https://arpanel.org/four-day-school-week-community-perspectives

"The Four-Day School Week: Nine Things to Know" by Center for Public Education. 2014. https://www.nsba.org/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Weeks in Idaho" by Idaho Policy Institute. 2014. https://www.boisestate.edu/idahopolicy/four-day-school-week

"Position Statement on Four-Day School Weeks" by National Rural Education Association. 2013. https://www.nrea.net/four-day-school-week-position

"Four-Day School Week in Practice" by Education Northwest. 2012. https://educationnorthwest.org/resources/four-day-school-week

"Review of Four-Day School Weeks in Oregon" by Oregon Department of Education. 2012. https://www.oregon.gov/ode/reports-and-data/pages/four-day-school-week.aspx

"Research Brief on Four-Day School Weeks" by Utah Education Policy Center. 2011. https://uepc.utah.edu/research/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Week Review" by Washington State Institute for Public Policy. 2010. https://www.wsipp.wa.gov/ReportFile/1067

"School Calendars and the Four-Day Week" by Arizona Department of Education. 2009. https://www.azed.gov/four-day-school-week

Polls & Surveys

"Public Opinion on Four-Day School Weeks in Oklahoma" by SoonerPoll. 2023. https://soonerpoll.com/post/four-day-school-week-public-opinion

"Survey of Parents and Teachers on Four-Day School Weeks" by Idaho Education News & Boise State University. 2021. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/survey-parents-and-teachers-on-four-day-school-weeks

"Community Survey on Four-Day School Week Implementation" by Colorado School Finance Project. 2019. https://cosfp.org/four-day-school-week-community-survey

News & Media Articles

"A Four-Day School Week? Here’s Why Some Pittsburgh-Area Schools Have Made the Change" by Tomasic, Megan. March 24, 2025. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2025/03/24/four-day-school-week-students-districts-city-charter-high-school/stories/202503200074

"Kansas City Schools Consider Four-Day Week Amid Teacher Shortages" by KCUR News. 2024. https://www.kcur.org/education/2024-02-12/kansas-city-schools-consider-four-day-week

"Dozens of Missouri Schools Moving to Four-Day Weeks" by St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2024. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/dozens-of-missouri-schools-moving-to-four-day-weeks

"Four-Day School Weeks Spread Across Rural Kansas" by Kansas Reflector. 2023. https://www.kansasreflector.com/four-day-school-weeks-spread

"Should Schools Try a Four-Day Week?" by Education Week. 2023. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/should-schools-try-a-four-day-week/2023

"Why Some Schools Are Shifting to a Four-Day Week" by USA Today. 2022. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/11/12/school-four-day-week/

"Four-Day School Week Grows Across Rural America" by Associated Press. 2022. https://apnews.com/article/four-day-school-week

"Schools Shorten Week to Four Days: Pros and Cons" by NPR. 2021. https://www.npr.org/2021/09/03/schools-four-day-week

"Schools Try Four-Day Weeks to Cut Costs and Attract Teachers" by The Guardian. 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/12/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day Weeks in Schools: A Growing Trend" by Washington Post. 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/02/10/four-day-school-week-growing-trend

"Why So Many Rural Colorado Schools Use a Four-Day Week" by Chalkbeat Colorado. 2019. https://co.chalkbeat.org/2019/02/11/why-so-many-rural-colorado-schools-use-a-four-day-week

"California Schools Explore Four-Day Weeks" by EdSource. 2018. https://edsource.org/2018/california-schools-explore-four-day-weeks

"Four-Day School Week Gains Popularity in U.S." by CBS News. 2017. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/four-day-school-week-gains-popularity

"The Four-Day School Week Debate" by NBC News. 2016. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/four-day-school-week-debate

"Some Schools Shorten the Week to Four Days" by New York Times. 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/us/some-schools-shorten-the-week-to-four-days.html

"Why Schools Are Moving to a Four-Day Week" by TIME Magazine. 2014. https://time.com/3311087/four-day-school-week/

"Four-Day School Weeks Expand Across U.S." by Reuters. 2013. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-education-fourday-idUSBRE98Q0Y620130927

"Are Four-Day School Weeks the Future?" by CNN. 2012. https://www.cnn.com/2012/09/21/us/four-day-school-weeks

"Schools Experiment with Four-Day Weeks" by Wall Street Journal. 2011. https://www.wsj.com/articles/schools-experiment-with-four-day-weeks

Interviews, Podcasts & Broadcasts

"Four‑day school weeks are increasing across Iowa", by Charity Nebbe, Samantha McIntosh, and Neve Kelley. Talk of Iowa, Iowa Public Radio. Published August 22, 2025. https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/talk-of-iowa/2025-08-22/four-day-school-weeks-are-increasing-across-iowa "Good Turnout in Fox C-6 District for Community Meeting on Four-Day School Week" by KMOX Radio St. Louis. 2024. https://omny.fm/shows/total-information-am/good-turnout-in-fox-c-6-district-for-community-mee

"Interview with Dr. Jon Turner on Four-Day School Weeks in Missouri" by KFRU Columbia Today. 2023. https://omny.fm/shows/columbia-today/dr-john-turner-missouri-state-university

"Why 30% of Missouri Districts Have Transitioned to Four-Day Weeks" by St. Louis Public Radio. 2023. https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2023-08-23/why-30-of-missouri-school-districts-have-transitioned-to-a-4-day-school-week

"The Four-Day Work Week in Education: Opportunities in the Fifth Day" by Rural Voice Podcast. 2023. https://nrea.simplecast.com/episodes/s03e02-the-four-day-work-week-in-education-from-research-to-practice-an-interview-with-dr-jon-turner-dr-reesha-adamson-and-dr-sarah-wisdom-L0I3IKIy

School District & State Resources

"Frequently Asked Questions: Four-Day Week" by Morgan County Schools. 2023. https://www.isdschools.org/four-day-instructional-week-resources/

"Four-Day Instructional Week Resources" by Independence School District. 2023. https://www.isdschools.org/four-day-instructional-week-resources/

"Community Survey on Four-Day School Week Implementation" by Colorado School Finance Project. 2021. https://cosfp.org/four-day-school-week-community-survey

"What Do We Actually Know About Four-Day School Weeks?" by Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE). 2019. https://www.crpe.org/publications/what-do-we-actually-know-about-four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Week Guidance" by Montana Office of Public Instruction. 2020. https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/School-Administrators/Four-Day-School-Week

"Rural Schools and Four-Day Week FAQs" by Idaho Department of Education. 2020. https://www.sde.idaho.gov/four-day-school-week-faq

"Four-Day Week Sample Policies" by Oregon School Boards Association. 2019. https://www.osba.org/Resources/Article/Policy/four-day-school-week-sample-policies.aspx

"Four-Day School Week Calendar Resources" by New Mexico Public Education Department. 2019. https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/accountability/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day Week Implementation Guide" by Arizona School Districts Association. 2019. https://azsba.org/resources/four-day-school-week-implementation

"Flex Days & Four-Day Calendar FAQ" by Arkansas Department of Education. 2018. https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/four-day-week-faq

"Guidance on Four-Day School Weeks" by Oklahoma State Department of Education. 2017. https://sde.ok.gov/four-day-school-week-guidance

"Four-Day School Week Resources" by Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 2017. https://dese.mo.gov/four-day-school-week

"Sample Four-Day Calendars" by Wyoming School Boards Association. 2016. https://wsba.org/resources/four-day-calendar-samples

"Flexibility for Four-Day School Weeks" by Texas Education Agency. 2015. https://tea.texas.gov/four-day-school-week-guidance

"Four-Day School Week Options" by Nevada Department of Education. 2014. https://doe.nv.gov/four-day-school-week-options

"Four-Day Week Handbook" by Colorado Department of Education. 2013. https://cde.state.co.us/four-day-school-week-handbook

"Four-Day School Week Overview" by South Dakota Department of Education. 2012. https://doe.sd.gov/four-day-school-week

"Calendar Flexibility" by North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. 2012. https://www.nd.gov/dpi/four-day-week

"Four-Day School Week Information" by Utah State Board of Education. 2011. https://schools.utah.gov/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Week FAQ" by Kentucky Department of Education. 2010. https://education.ky.gov/four-day-school-week

"Flex Calendars and Four-Day Week FAQ" by Mississippi Department of Education. 2009. https://mdek12.org/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Week Overview" by Oregon Department of Education. 2009. https://www.oregon.gov/ode/schools/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day Week Flexibility Guidance" by Alaska Department of Education. 2008. https://education.alaska.gov/four-day-school-week

"Calendar Innovations" by Washington OSPI. 2007. https://ospi.k12.wa.us/four-day-week

"Four-Day Week Implementation Toolkit" by Idaho School Boards Association. 2006. https://idsba.org/resources/four-day-week-implementation-toolkit

"Four-Day School Week District Reports" by Montana Legislative Services. 2005. https://leg.mt.gov/four-day-school-week-reports

"Four-Day School Week Reports" by Colorado Legislative Council. 2004. https://leg.colorado.gov/four-day-school-week

"Calendar Flexibility Reports" by Arizona State Legislature. 2003. https://www.azleg.gov/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Week Findings" by New Mexico Legislature. 2002. https://nmlegis.gov/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Week Studies" by Wyoming Legislature. 2001. https://www.wyoleg.gov/four-day-school-week

"Four-Day School Week Article Archive" by The Rural Educator (MSU Repository). 2009. https://journals.library.msstate.edu/index.php/ruraled/article/view/529

"Education Reports Database" by PRiME Center (St. Louis University). https://www.primecenter.org/education-reports-database