TEXAS, USA — Districts across the country are dealing with teacher shortages and as a result, some are turning to a four-day school week. According to the Wall Street Journal, that is despite objections from parents concerned about childcare and some evidence of lower test scores.
As of this year, education experts report at least 800 districts have made the switch nationwide including some here in Texas.
The motivation for the change is the belief that teachers will be more likely to stay with a school with a shortened schedule.
However, the results have been mixed. A pre-pandemic study by the Rand Corporation found that students on a four-day school week had slower gains in math and reading scores than their counterparts going five days a week.
According to reports, over 80 districts in Texas have now shifted to a shorter week. A bill was proposed in the last legislative session to make five-day school weeks mandatory, but it died in committee.
Most of the districts making the change are smaller and in more rural areas. According to the Texas Tribune, going to a four-day week became popular with those districts as a way to compete with the larger districts offering larger paychecks.