By Callie Wall - Morning Anchor
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 - 8:35am
Some public school kids could get an extra day off.
Cash-strapped school boards are considering a 4 day school week, that could save just as much money.
Some districts say they could save thousands by turning off lights, not serving lunch, and parking buses one day a week.
But a shorter week means longer school days, and teachers fear students can't concentrate.
"Kids are kids," says Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers. "There's only a certain amount of attention they're gonna have. When you actually try to double or triple up English or math, we know that they disconnect from that."
Seventeen states are currently trying out the four day school week, and at least one hundred school districts have tried them.
Since most districts already have programs that extend the school-day with tutoring and enrichment activities, many children are already used to a longer day. Extended day services are funded through monies received from private, state, or federal sources. Using these same funding sources, the fifth day could then be be used for academic interventions, make-up work or accelerated/enrichment classes.
This is an idea whose time has come.
The question is not whether or not the parents can afford daycare. The problem to be solved is how do schools pay for increasing costs with a limited budget? You can either cut programs, personnel or school days to realize savings. None of these are a good options, but there are no good options when you talk about cutting the educational opportunities for our children.
Well said. JTR
A four day school week will be great for both teachers and students and schools for three reasons. First, high school students could get a job and begin earning money during the three day weekend. Second, a four day work week will attract more teachers and more teachers to choose from will mean better teachers in the schools. Third, it will save the tax payers and the school district money by closing the school one day a week. Great idea!
Sounds like a bad idea to me. Kids have short attention spans. They will tune out after a while. Plus, there are many working parents that are able to avoid daycare because their kids are in school. Letting kids out on Fri (or Mon, whenever) means the parents will have to find a baby-sitter or daycare for 1 day a week. Seems like a bad idea.
Why not keep the length of the days the same & extend school further into the summer, leaving breaks more often during the summer for vacations & what not? This would make it easier for parents who are paying for day care to stretch their dollars throughout the year, than to come up with a huge amount during the summer months, when electric bills are already high and money is a strain.
That could be good or bad. My grandbabies already get tired of being at school so long then coming home to homework that lasts for a couple of hours or more.
This will really boost test scores. Kids can sleep through 3:30- 7:00pm math classes. Day care costs will go up for parents who have work.