Some Utah schools have narrowed in on a new method to save money, recruit more teachers and prevent burnout: the four-day school week.
On Oct. 17. 2024, the Garfield County School District Board of Education voted unanimously to pursue the transition to a four-day week.
“There was 100% consensus that this is best for kids, better for the community, best for parents and children being with their families,” Garfield School District Superintendent John Dodds said.
According to the Utah State Board of Education, Utah now has 23 schools that have switched to the four-day model.
The four-day school week was originally introduced in the 1970s and gained a brief surge of new adopters in response to the 2008 recession, according to EducationWeek. However, the number of schools that have implemented the four-day schedule has gone up 400% since the 2020 pandemic.
Most school districts cite cost savings and teacher recruitment as the main reasons for making the switch, although data showing that the four-day schedule can actually help schools accomplish these aims are currently unsupported, according to EducationWeek.
Other reasons include more family time on the weekends, additional rest time for students and a way to help combat teacher burnout.
Emmeline Padula's son Calvin is in his second year at Elk Creek Elementary on a four-day school week schedule.
"We love it. It feels less stressful, and it's given us an extra day for appointments or family time," Emmeline Padula said.
The majority of participating schools are small and usually located in remote, rural areas. Since these towns generally have a smaller tax base to work from, they often have lower teacher salaries.
The shortened schedule is one way for them to compete with larger school districts that can offer higher salaries.
Jennica Beckstrom, principal at Tintic High School in Eureka, Utah, said they have been following the 4-day schedule for more than 5 years now.
It's been a very positive experience for the students, parents and staff, she said. The Tintic School District superintendent recently completed the process to continue using the shortened schedule, which needs to be reviewed every three years.
“The biggest benefit is students are in class more, learning from the teachers. Students and parents have loved the four-day school week,” Beckstrom said.
A recent survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center suggested that as many as two-thirds of educators would be more willing to accept a job offer from a district offering a four-day schedule.
The shortened schedule can have a negative impact on students, especially if administrators aren’t finding creative ways to make up for the loss in class time.
Although the smaller schools aren’t experiencing a noticeable change, larger schools that have adopted the four-day schedule have noted a decline in academic achievement, according to EducationWeek.
Researchers who have studied the results of the four-day school week urged educators and administrators to find ways to make up the lost hours to avoid an academic decline. This can be accomplished by lengthening school days, incorporating some online education or providing enrichment activity opportunities on the fifth day.
Schools that are wanting to transition to a shortened model are required to submit a formal waiver request to the Utah State Board of Education.