This is from: Alexandra Rose Long (Alli)

Hi guys,
I found a really good article about childcare issues plus pros and cons of a four day school week.
It is more of an overview than specific information.

Here it is:







Scheduling Alternatives: Options for Student Success
Four-Day School Week

What's It All About?
The motivating force behind a school changing to a four-day week is quite different than that which causes a school to adopt a block schedule. Faced with dwindling financial resources and declining enrollments, many small school districts have adopted a four-day school schedule (Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Koki, 1992; School Fits, 1983; Richberg & Sjorgren, 1983; Blankenship, 1984). By extending the time spent in school for four days, (by approximately 25 percent or 75 minutes per day) they are able to close the school on the fifth. Instead of cutting art, music, or other activities that often fall prey to budgetary shortfalls, the four-day week gives schools the opportunity to preserve these classes and still save money. Generally schools that use a four-day week are small, rural schools. In the Northwest, Oregon is the only state with schools using a four-day schedule. More than a dozen districts there currently observe a four-day week. Other states, including Washington, Idaho, and Montana do not have legislation that permits four-day week schedules.
Most often, schools that switch to a four-day week take either Friday or Monday off. Those choosing to close on Friday say that it is best because such a large portion of the student population misses school due to athletic events and other activities on this day. Those choosing to close school on Monday do so because gymnasiums often have to be lit and heated for Friday athletic events and activities, whereas few such activities occur on Mondays (Blankenship, 1984). Regardless of which day schools close, the decision to switch to a four-day week should be "based on clearly defined purposes and a recognition of both costs and benefits" (Richberg & Sjorgren, 1983).
What Are The Benefits of a Four-Day Week?
Though financially motivated, most schools that adopt a four-day week have serendipitously discovered numerous benefits they didn't quite expect. Following is a list of the advantages of the four-day week that many schools have encountered for students, teachers, and the school in general.
Students and Teachers:
Student drop-out rates decline (Litke, 1994; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987).
Student disciplinary referrals decrease (Koki, 1992).
Student achievement is generally not affected either positively or negatively (Nelson, 1983; Daly & Richburg, 1984).
Student and teacher attendance improves (Blankenship, 1984; Litke, 1994; Koki, 1992; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Sagness & Salzman, 1993; Featherstone, 1991).
Students and teachers benefit from less interrupted class time as a result of longer class periods and fewer transitions at all grade levels. This increases the efficiency of instruction (Blankenship, 1984; Koki, 1992; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Culbertson, 1982).
Students and teachers share more positive attitudes about school. Consequently, there is a marked improvement in school morale (Blankenship, 1984; Litke, 1994; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987).
School faculty has more time for quality staff development (often the day off is used for this purpose) (Blankenship, 1984; Litke, 1994).
There is more time for participation in extracurricular activities and for personal business, such as doctor appointments (Litke, 1994; Koki, 1992; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Culbertson, 1982).
The School in General:
Has significant savings on utility bills, substitute teacher pay, school buses, and building wear and tear (Blankenship, 1984; Richberg & Sjogren, 1983; Koki, 1992; Grau & Shaughnessy, 1987; Culbertson, 1982; Sagness & Salzman, 1993; Featherstone, 1991).
Can make up school days missed due to inclement weather on what would have been the fifth school day instead of at the end of the school year (Blankenship, 1984; Litke, 1994).
Experiences fewer distractions; learning is less broken up by athletic events or other school activities (Blankenship, 1984; Sagness & Salzman, 1993; Featherstone, 1991).
What Are the Concerns?
Weighing both the advantages and the possible disadvantages of any new scheduling format is critical to making an informed decision. Some of the concerns associated with the four-day week that are important to note include:
Child care issues: While some parents like the four-day week because they prefer having to find good child care one day a week, others dislike it for the very same reason and prefer to arrange for child care in smaller increments of time. Some schools have alleviated this concern by using high school students as baby-sitters for those in need (Blankenship, 1984).
Primary-aged students: There is often concern as to how young students will respond to such a long school day. As a result, many schools structure the day so the afternoon is composed of less academic work than the morning, thus allowing students to have some "down time" (Blankenship, 1984).
At-risk students: Some teachers feel that at-risk and special-needs students may have retention difficulties with an extra day off each week (Blankenship, 1984; Culbertson, 1982).
School reform movement: Some educators are concerned that the four-day week may appear to be inconsistent with the new emphasis for more time in school (Blankenship, 1984).
The four-day week will take more of a local community commitment than other schedule options as it can affect daily community routines as well as the childrens'.
Implementation Ideas
When contemplating the decision to move to a four-day week, keep in mind that it is a multistep process. Some suggested steps for implementation are:

Become as familiar with the concepts and implications of a four-day week as possible. Read research and case studies. Talk to other administrators and teachers using this schedule.

Survey the staff; they must be involved in the decision making process. If they aren't in favor of a four-day schedule, it will be difficult to proceed (Litke, 1994).

Get the endorsement of the students, parents, and community in addition to approval from teachers and administration, since this change will affect all of them as well (Litke, 1994).

Design the schedule to accommodate the needs of teachers and students. Make sure all changes stay within accreditation guidelines and teachers' contract requirements.

Some restructuring and repacing of the curriculum will be necessary. Involve school staff; this will give them ownership of the process and also help them to feel more ready for the change. Provide ample time for staff development (Richberg & Sjogren, 1983; Featherstone, 1991).

Once the schedule is in place, monitor its effects frequently. Keep communication open between administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

Allow a sufficient trial period before making any final recommendations on the schedule (Blankenship, 1984).

If possible, use the day off as an opportunity to provide students in need with enrichment activities or additional instruction (Koki, 1992).


Scheduling Alternatives: Options for Student Success
Year-Round Education

What's It All About?
Communities are often motivated to select year-round calendars due to booming student enrollment and a lack of funding to construct new school buildings. Even though year-round education may seem like an educational innovation, it has actually been around for quite some time. At the beginning of this century, population centers such as New York and Baltimore were sites of year-round education programs. A shift in societal needs, coupled with a largely agrarian society, altered the school calendar and made it what it is today (White, 1995; Dlugosh, 1994; Bradford, 1993). Because we are no longer bound to agrarian calendars, many educators now feel that rearranging or even extending the school year can increase opportunities and better achievement for all students (White, 1995). There are about a dozen districts divided among the Northwest states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington that have at least one school currently using a year-round/modified calendar, but it is not a widespread trend at this time.
To fully appreciate year-round education, it helps to understand some of the different formats it can accommodate. Generally, on a year-round calendar, students attend school for a prescribed length of time (this can be 45, 60, or 90 days), and then have a vacation, often referred to as an intercession. This break commonly lasts 15 days, but can be as long as 20, 30, or even 40 days. Some of the more common configurations are: 45 days on—15 days off, 60-15 (with most of July off), 60-20, and 90-30 (Serifs, 1990). Student tracks are another important aspect of year-round systems. Tracks are the groups students are divided into which share the same schedule rotation. A school can have up to four or possibly even more tracks, and as few as one, though it is the staggered rotation of multiple tracks that enable schools to combat overcrowding.
What are the Benefits of Year-Round Education?
Today, year-round scheduling is used largely to combat severe overcrowding as an alternative to expensive building plans that can cost taxpayers millions of dollars, though this is not always the case (Schnieder & Townley, 1992; Levine & Ornstein, 1993). Some districts choose year-round calendars because of the benefits it has for students. As with other schedule changes, educators have found that there are numerous advantages associated with year-round calendars. The following list details the common benefits of year-round programs to students, teachers, and the community.
Students:
Benefit from a more continuous learning pattern, and a reduced need for review (Serifs, 1990; Dlugosh, 1994; Bradford, 1993; Morse, 1992; Levine & Ornstein, 1993; O'Neil & Adamson, 1993).
Can benefit from optional remediation programs offered during intercessions as opposed to lengthy repetition during regular session that might put them behind other students. Intercessions can also provide a means for enrichment activities for all students (Serifs, 1990; Dlugosh, 1994; Bradford, 1993).
May have a marked improvement in their overall school performance, especially if they come from a home environ ment that does not reinforce school learning (Morse, 1992).
Often feel more enthusiastic and motivated about school (O'Neil & Adamson, 1993).
Teachers:
Experience less burnout and fatigue, just as students do, as a result of the shorter instructional cycles (Levine & Ornstein, 1993).
Are absent from school less (Serifs, 1990; Goldman, 1990).
Spend less time reviewing material they have already taught.
Can earn extra income by teaching during the intercessions (Serifs, 1990; Levine & Ornstein, 1993).
The School and Community:
Save money by choosing the year-round model over new construction, and can increase the school capacity by 25 percent (Serifs, 1990; Dlugosh, 1994; O'Neil & Adamson, 1993).
Experience less vandalism that can occur during long summer breaks (Serifs, 1990).
See less incidence of juvenile delinquency (Serifs, 1990).
What Are the Concerns?
Of the three scheduling alternatives discussed in this booklet, year-round schedules are probably the most challenging to implement. Saving money by maximizing school building utilization should not be the sole motivation behind adopting a year-round schedule (Glines, 1987). Implementing a year-round calendar is a complicated process that requires the commitment not only from school staff and students, but from parents and the community as well. The whole community surrounding a year-round school or district will be affected. In order for educators to convince parents and the community that a year-round model should be implemented, they will need to counter many old arguments about time in school and present logical, compelling reasons about the benefits of modifying the traditional school calendar (Dlugosh, 1994). Just as important as knowing the benefits, however, is knowing about possible difficulties. Educators must be fully aware of the complications often associated with year-round scheduling in order to communicate effectively with the community and to create a successful program. Some of these are outlined in the following list:
The initial cost of setting up a year-round program may be high. Renovations, such as extra storage and air conditioning, are a must in order for the program to run smoothly (Serifs, 1990).
Some of the savings resulting from year-round programs will be offset by increased district costs, such as more school office staff or additional teaching staff (Serifs, 1990).
There will be less time for large-scale cleaning and maintenance (Serifs, 1990).
There will be more wear and tear on the building (Serifs, 1990).
The scheduling process itself is quite complex and will need careful management (Goldman, 1990).
Unless the school is using a single track plan, every school function that occurs, including parent conferences, faculty meetings, and open houses, will have to be done more than once because one segment of the school population will always be gone (Goldman, 1990; Moore, 1992).
Careful coordination with district specialist services (i.e., speech therapists, occupational therapists, or other consultants) will be necessary, as most of them do not normally work with students over the summer (Moore, 1992).
Parents may become frustrated if their children do not have common vacation times (Levine & Ornstein, 1993; O'Neil & Adamson, 1993).
Multiple-track systems require extensive packing between sessions as classrooms are often shared (O'Neil & Adamson, 1993).
Continuing education coursework may be difficult for teachers to pursue.
Implementation Ideas
Because of the complexity of implementing a year-round schedule, it is important to be aware of several suggested steps. They are as follows:

Become familiar with research and information on year-round calendars. Visit other year-round schools. Find out as much as possible about the pros and cons, and how these relate to current district needs.

Involve all local education stakeholders in the decision making process. This should include teachers, students, parents, classified staff, and the community. Keeping them informed throughout the process will minimize conflict (Serifs, 1990; Bradford, 1993; Schnieder & Townley, 1992).

Remember that it is most critical to have the support of teachers; if they are not in favor of the decision, there is little probability that it will be successful (Schnieder & Townley, 1992).

When designing the actual schedule, consider the following (White, 1995):
The configuration of the calendar; will it be 45-15, 60-15, or something else?
The number of student tracks that will work best with the chosen configuration
The number of holidays during the year
The unique needs of the school and community; build a schedule that best suits them

Provide ample time for staff development. The year-round schedule will require extensive changes in everything from facilities logistics to the pacing of classes (Serifs, 1990).

Be prepared to deal with curricula concerns such as course sequencing and continuity, and student remediation and enrichment (Serifs, 1990).

If possible, make the program voluntary during its initial stages. Also, let parents have a say in what track their children will be in; give them as many choices as possible (Serifs, 1990; Bradford, 1993).

Assure that the new schedule is in line with accreditation and teacher contract requirements.

Monitor the program continuously; be flexible and attentive to the needs of all involved.

Do not rush implementation and do not make any hasty evaluations. Accurate assessment of the program will take time (Serifs, 1990).


This document's URL is: http://www.nwrel.org/request/feb97/article5.html
© 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
Date of Last Update: 09/19/2001 Email WebmasterTel. 503.275.9500
This document's URL is: http://www.nwrel.org/request/feb97/article4.html
© 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
Date of Last Update: 09/19/2001 Email WebmasterTel. 503.275.9500
Scheduling Alternatives: Options for Student Success
The Northwest Sampler
Several schools' alternative methods of scheduling are described on the following pages. They are located in the Northwest states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. These programs are just a few of the many excellent ones found in the region and throughout the country. The programs vary widely in scope. Some have been in existence for several years, while others are fledgling efforts. Included for each site is location and contact information, observed outcomes as a result of the scheduling, a description of the program, and tips directly from these educators for others looking to implement similar changes in their schools.


Posted by: Alli Long