As of March 15, 2024, 83 school districts in Texas have approved a four-day school week. Many people don’t agree with the changes that are being made but many others enjoy the change and are trying to encourage others to follow in their footsteps and do the same.
One way school districts have seen changes since the switch is improved academic performance, with a shorter week resulting in increased student engagement and focus. ”I believe that 4-day weeks should be implemented into our school because it will improve our mental focus and social lives.” ” I also believe with the extra day off the students will be more willing to come to school all four days”, said freshman Thailor Moore. A shorter week can lead to higher student engagement and focus during the four days they are in school, potentially leading to better academic outcomes.
Although four-day weeks have proved to show major improvements, there have also been a lot of downfalls as well. Many believe that an extra day off may be beneficial for teachers as it will enable them to rest and better prepare for the upcoming school week. This will enhance the quality of their instruction and increase their job satisfaction. “As a teacher, we are required by the state to cover an extensive amount of curriculum. Doing so is already difficult when there are days in the school calendar devoted to testing, athletic or scholastic events, etc. Cutting the school week to four days only would make the task even more difficult for teachers to cover the amount of curriculum required and it would be a larger burden for students, as teachers would have to assign more work to play catch up,” said English teacher Natalie Capulong.
There are a lot of students at our school who have ideas and opinions regarding Kilgore having four-day school weeks. While some students think it wouldn’t help us, others think it’s a great concept and hope the board will give it some thought. “I believe we should have a 4-day week because it would give students and teachers more time to themselves,” said freshman Emma Butts.
Students in middle and high school are most likely to spend the fifth day at home or at someone else’s house, just as those in elementary school. They can catch up on sleep, work on homework, do chores, and socialize with friends during their free time. So what do you think? Should your district move to four-day weeks?
