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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Amid a growing trend of four-day school weeks, a new review from University of Oregon researchers found shorter school weeks may not be beneficial for students.
During the review, researchers from UO’s HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Educational Practice analyzed 11 studies on the four-day school week and found little evidence that shorter weeks boosted academic performance, attendance, behavior or graduation rates.
“Districts often turn to four-day school weeks to address budget and staffing pressures, but the evidence suggests this change may come at a cost to students,” said Elizabeth Day, a research assistant professor at the HEDCO Institute and part of the team that produced the report. “There’s no consistent evidence that moving to a four-day schedule improves learning outcomes and in some cases, it may do the opposite.”
Researchers noted that the four-day school week is a growing trend in the United States – taking place in 2,100 schools across 850 school districts. According to UO, that schedule is more common in rural areas; however, a growing number of suburban and urban schools are considering the shorter weeks.
The review from UO paints a complex picture when it comes to impacts in rural versus non-rural schools, grade levels and student outcomes, researchers said.
Among the key findings, researchers found no statistically large positive effects for any student outcome — noting that four-day school weeks have been studied more in rural districts than non-rural districts.
In rural districts, researchers said the studies they reviewed offered mixed evidence. Researchers found that in rural districts, the four-day schedule decreases math and reading achievement for K-8 students.
However, rural high school students saw increased math scores and increased on-time and five-year graduation rates under the shortened schedule. At the same time, the four-day schedule decreased on-time progression and increased chronic absences for rural high schoolers, according to UO.
Meanwhile, in non-rural districts, researchers found the four-day schedule had little to no impact on K-8 student achievement. UO researchers also learned that non-rural high schoolers saw decreased math scores, and decreased on-time and five-year graduation rates, as well as increased absences.
In studies covering both rural and non-rural districts, UO researchers found most findings were negative. These findings include decreased math and reading achievement, increased absences and chronic absences, and decreased five-year graduation rates spanning K-12 grades.