Election 2024 and public education - What if we expected this of high school graduates?

 

by Peter Huidekoper, Jr. – Oct. 31, 2024

How U.S. elections might look someday, if we teach to these standards.

   I was discussing the American electorate, as seen in this Presidential campaign, with a friend and former colleague. She taught for over 40 years. In her mid-80’s, she remains engaged with political campaigns in her community. Her observation this fall has stayed with me.

   “That we find ourselves in this situation reflects the failure of public education in America.”

   Today’s voters, most of them, graduated from our K-12 system. Can they distinguish statements based on evidence from outright lies? Can they recognize efforts to rewrite history? Can they detect and challenge disinformation campaigns from Russia and China—from domestic sources too? And no matter their party affiliation, can they acknowledge that a violent attack on the nation’s Capitol was not “a day of love”?

   Here is a simple reminder of what we claim to teach, what we hope students have learned, by the end of 12^th grade. All examples taken from what we have created and approved: our Colorado Academic Standards. No “what if” involved. This is what we expect of our graduates.

   Ambitious? Yes. But all the more necessary, in light of what we have seen this year. Critical, in fact, if future campaigns are not to be as dishonest and disheartening as this one.

 

From our Colorado Academic Standards

A small example of what we expect students can do by the time they graduate

 

Reading

4. Read a wide range of informational texts to build knowledge and to better understand the human experience.  “Students Can”- two examples:

- Analyze 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (for example: The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features by the end of 12th grade.

- Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (for example: in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (for example: The Federalist Papers, presidential addresses) by the end of 12th grade.

 

Writing

6. Craft arguments using techniques specific to the genre.  “Students Can”- two examples:

- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

- Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

 

Social Studies: Section 4, Civics.

·       Analyze the origins, structures, and functions of governments to evaluate the impact on citizens and the global society.”     -   “Students Can”- three examples:

- Analyze the processes for amending the Constitutions of Colorado and the United States and the significant changes that have occurred to those documents including both the Colorado and the United States’ Bills of Rights.

- Describe the role and development of the founding documents of Colorado and the United States from their inception to modern day. Including but not limited to: … the Declaration of Independence, the Constitutions of the United States and Colorado, the Federalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights.

- Evaluate the role of the judicial system in protecting life, liberty, and property for all persons in the United States.

 

·       Express an understanding of how civic participation affects policy by applying the rights and responsibilities of a citizen.    -   “Students Can” – four examples:  

- Evaluate traditional and non-traditional types of media (both historic and modern), including social media for reliability, credibility, and how they may influence government policy and public opinion.

Colorado Essential Skills: 1. Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis. 2. Participate effectively in civic life. 3. Analyze both how and why media messages are constructed, and for what purposes…

- Evaluate opportunities for people to participate in and influence government through interest groups and social movements. For example: The tactics and strategies of nonviolent resistance championed by Dr. Martin Luther King in response to the Jim Crow laws of that era, or the Indigenous land rights movement.

- Analyze the impact of state and federal policies on campaigns and elections. For example: PACs, campaign finance, gerrymandering/redistricting, state and federal voting laws and regulations, Colorado’s voting laws, and the Federal Election Commission.

- Analyze and explain the importance of the principles of democracy and the inherent competition among values. For example: freedom and security, individual rights and common good, general welfare, and rights and responsibilities.

 

From a list of Inquiry Questions* for high school students (in the Civics Standards)        - What are the rights and responsibilities of people in the United States?        - What is the role of the Electoral College in electing the U.S. President?        - What current issues surround voting rights at the local, state, and national level?        - How have the courts interpreted and modified civil rights and civil liberties over time?

* “The sample questions that are intended to promote deeper thinking, reflection and refined understandings precisely related to the grade level expectation.’’ (CDE – Academic Standards) 

**.

   Some will say it sounds like too much. Do any Colorado schools actually meet such high expectations?

   But by expecting too little we have helped create the current state of affairs. Of course public education is not the sole cause. Nevertheless, schools and teachers have a critical role to play in preparing citizens. In succumbing to a range of other priorities, we have fallen short.

   These standards offer hope. If we made a real effort to meet these targets, I see two huge benefits: Our students would gain the knowledge and skills essential to maintain a healthy democracy. And tomorrow’s campaigns would look nothing like the election of 2024.

AV #278 - Proposal regarding 4-day school week: Ensure all Colorado schools offer at least 160 days of school. No waivers for anything less.

 

Introduction - Two proposals regarding the four-day school week in Colorado 

   In 2024 we have a new understanding of the impact of the four-day school week on our students. (Page two: Three recent reports indicate the four-day week has a negative impact on student outcomes.) The legislature and the Colorado Department of Education must take note. In light of what we have learned, we need to update and perhaps significantly change policies that have allowed this unusual school calendar to grow unchecked for decades.

   Another View #278 and #279 offers two proposals, each motivated by what we know today that we did not know several years ago. In 2018, one can argue, District 27J and Pueblo 60 had insufficient evidence to believe the four-day week might have a detrimental effect on their students. (See box, below*.) We cannot say that today.

   This chart (the numbers are rounded) shows how current state policy has enabled the persistent growth of this trend in Colorado. Across the country, after Missouri, we have the second highest number of districts operating primarily on a four-day week. Triple the number since 1994. Forty more since 2014. 

1980-1992 data from CDE’s “The Four-Day School Week Information Manual,” (Revised July 2019) http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/fourdayschoolweekmanual. 1994-2024 data from CDE[i] and Keystone reports.

 

   My first proposal (AV #278) addresses a little-noted result of our four-day week schedule. It means that students in most Colorado districts attend school fewer than 150 days. My research finds, on average, our larger districts meet with students 172 days; our four-day districts see their students only 147 days. Does each offer the same quality of education? Is this equitable? Who can say we are not shortchanging students in our four-day week districts? 

   And when we compare 147 days to the 180-day schedule in most states….

   My second proposal (AV #279) examines the current policy when districts seek approval to remain on the four-day week. I suggest we connect this process to state accountability and the annual review of district performance. At present CDE’s Office of Field Services raises no objections when a district asks to stay on the shorter week/year, even when CDE’s Accountability Office has placed the same district on Performance Watch. In 2024 we realize there can be a correlation between lower student achievement and/or growth and the four-day school week. I propose CDE’s two offices work together to provide a new level of accountability when districts on Performance Watch seek to stay on the shorter week/year. 

*In 2018 District 27J and Pueblo 60 decided to shift all their schools to a four-day school week, beginning in the 2018-19 school year. This added another 55 Colorado schools (and roughly 46,000 students) to the number on the shorter week and shorter school year. In 2024 close to 120,000 Colorado students attend schools on a four-day week.

  

Three recent reports indicate the four-day week has a negative impact on student outcomes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            (Bold mine)

 (August 2024) - “Doing Less with Less: How a four-day school week affects student learning and the teacher workforce,” Keystone Policy Center, by Gottlieb, Lagana, and Schoales. https://www.keystone.org/doing-less-with-less-how-a-four-day-school-week-affects-student-learning-and-the-teacher-workforce/  

 On student achievement and growth:

               Page 8 – Colorado data                                                                                                      

   “While proficiency is strongly correlated with demographics, student growth is less so. When looking at student growth data and comparing four- and five-day districts the evidence suggests that students in five-day districts are making more progress towards the standards than those in four-day districts, though neither group is making sufficient progress to reach mastery. Five-day districts have significantly higher Median Growth Percentiles than four-day districts, a trend that was similar in 2022 and in 2019 was true for math and to a smaller degree in ELA.”

Page 19 - Policy implications and recommendations

   “One of Colorado’s overarching policy goals in public education is to prepare students for life after high school, be that higher education, vocational training, or employment. But, as the data and perspectives presented in this report show, the trend toward four-day school weeks in Colorado does not provide a net benefit to the state’s public school students….”

 **

(2021) RAND – “Does Four Equal Five? Implementation and Outcomes of the Four-Day School Week,” https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA373-1.html - Oct. 2021 

(2023) - This opinion piece was written by several of those who wrote the RAND report, above. It originally appeared in The74 on April 4, 2023. “The Four Day School Week: Are the Pros Worth the Cons?” by Christopher Joseph Doss, Andrea Phillips, and M. Rebecca Kilburn.  https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2023/04/the-four-day-school-week-are-the-pros-worth-the-cons.html                                                                                                                                                                       

“… there is increasing evidence that, by and large, a four-day school week causes student achievement to suffer. To study the policy's effects, we looked at a variety of outcomes in six states—Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota—…. We compared achievement in English and math in grades 3 through 8 in schools that adopted the four-day school week against that of their five-day-a-week peers. We found that students in four-day school week districts fell behind a little every year. Though these changes were small, they accumulated. We estimate that after eight years, the damage to student achievement will about equal that caused, according to some estimates, by the pandemic. The potential long-term learning deficit in student achievement from the four-day school week is, our findings suggest, not trivial.

**

(2023) “A Multi-State, Student-Level Analysis of the Effects of the Four-Day School Week on Student Achievement and Growth,” by Emily Morton, Paul Thompson, and Megan Kuhfeld, EdWorking Papers, Annenberg Institute/Brown University. https://edworkingpapers.com/ai22-630

“… We estimate significant negative effects of the schedule on spring reading achievement      (-0.07 SD) and fall-to-spring achievement gains in math and reading (-0.06 SD in both). The negative effects of the schedule are disproportionately larger in non-rural schools than rural schools and for female students, and they may grow over time. Policymakers and practitioners will need to weigh the policy’s demonstrated negative average effects on achievement in their decisions regarding how and if to implement a four-day week.”

**

If the four-day school week won’t change in many communities, let’s ask about the shorter school year – offering only 147 days of school. Is this the best we can do?

       Proposal: Ensure all Colorado schools offer at least 160 days of school. No waivers for anything less.                                                                                                              

   What we have learned in 2024 about the impact of the four-day school week on student outcomes might keep more Colorado districts from adopting this structure. But in communities where it has become a way of life, the latest research will not be enough to persuade them to return to five days.

   I suggest we reframe the question for the 120-plus Colorado districts on a four-day week schedule. It is not: Does the four-day school week work well in your community? Most would answer yes. For many, it is all they have known. We understand several reasons for this choice: the hour-long bus rides each way, teacher retention and recruitment, budget shortfalls. We get it.

   Here is a more useful question for these districts: Does the 147-day schedule provide your students “a high-quality education”[ii]? And here is a question for all of us in Colorado: Is this the best we can do?

Student contact days Academy 20 -   177 Huerfano Re-1 – 142 Aguilar - 141

  Without a waiver, state law says that Colorado districts must offer a minimum 160 days of school. (Until 1985 Colorado required 180 days of school [iii].) Addendum A reveals how our current school year compares to the rest of the country. Most states have 180 days of school.

   My study of the annual calendar from 40 Colorado districts on a four-day week shows that, on average, they have 146.5 “student contact days” a year (Addendum B). In contrast, our ten largest districts average 172.3 days of school (Addendum C). A difference of almost 26 days. That old, loaded term, “separate but equal,” comes to mind. Not equal. Not at all.

   A difference of 33 days, when compared to the annual calendar in over 30 states. How is this OK?   

   We overlook these differences when we focus solely on the four-day SCHOOL WEEK.

   I believe we can approve of the four-day school week – provided we understand that students need to be in school, to have “student contact days,” many more days than is currently the case. My modest proposal says 160 days. Maybe add a 5^th day every third week. Maybe extend the school year well into June. Or a little of both. However it is done, I propose we find a way to expect schools to be in session at least 160 days a year. No waivers for anything less.

   (Please know I take no satsfaction in asking for so little. Nevertheless, it would be a step forward.)

 

The debate in Idaho

   This proposal comes from seeing how Idaho, another state with many four-day school districts, is discussing and debating the issue. Kevin Richert, senior reporter for Idaho Education News, is digging into the topic there. His overview sounded much like our story in Colorado:

   For state leaders, the four-day issue poses a political and policy problem.

   The four-day schedule is so widely supported, and so woven into the fabric of dozens of communities, that it is as hard to unwind at the state level as it is at local level. In a state where political leaders routinely espouse local control, second-guessing school schedules is even more politically dicey.[iv]

   Richert quoted from an opinion piece “lambasting the national four-day school trend,” written by Paul T. Hill and Gloria Heyward of the Center for Reinventing Public Education back in 2017.

   If the four-day schedule [Richert wrote] is a contagion, as Hill and Heyward suggest, it is a virulent one…. In Butte County the four-day schedule has been in place for more than two decades … “There would be a rebellion if we were to return to a five-day week,” Butte County School District trustee Karen Pyron warned a House committee hearing in February.

 Sound familiar? But with evidence mounting that this structure is not serving students well, what do we do?  

                          

“… parents mention that they appreciate the additional family time and perceive other benefits of the schedule for their children, and they overwhelmingly indicate that they would choose to keep a four-day schedule over switching back to a five-day schedule.” [v]

  

                                                   Paying attention to the SCHOOL YEAR 

   It is impressive to see Idaho’s state leaders tackle such an essential feature of its education landscape.

 

      Idaho’s Gov. Brad Little and State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield have made it clear they oppose the four-day school week. Last winter the Governor and legislators proposed a bill “that appeared to suggest school would forfeit their share of facilities money if they chose to adopt a four-day calendar.” Supporters of the four-day week rallied against it.     

   Here Richert’s article invites us to consider a possible third way. Idaho looks at the SCHOOL YEAR.

              Little and lawmakers [passed a bill] that would allow four-day schools to qualify for facilities funding, provided they meet state requirements for classroom hours or instructional days.

              The upshot: Some four-day schools might need to add another week or more to their calendar next year, in order to reach the state’s 152-day instruction requirement. But the law doesn’t phase out existing four-day schools — or forbid new ones.                                                 (Bold mine)

 

Does “equal time” in school lead to an equally strong education? 

    Some will point out that, for Colorado districts to receive a waiver when offering fewer than 160 days of school, they must show the state Department of Education that their schedule meets the minimum number of “classroom hours” (Addendum D). They achieve this by having eight-hour school days, often running from 8 am to 4 pm. But the argument—if we offer “equal time in school” students will receive the same quality of education—is not convincing. (See Addendum E).  

   If we debate the merits of the shorter week, per se, I doubt much will change. I see more promise in asking if the shorter school year serves our students well. Let’s face up to how the four-day school week plays out in our state: 120 districts offer roughly 26 fewer days of instruction than is the norm for most Colorado students. How is this fair? We must do better than this. 

   My modest proposal does not challenge the four-day SCHOOL WEEK. It would simply ensure that every school offers at least 160 days of instruction.

 **

    

Addendum A – Across the nation, how many days in the school year? A comparison.

 

State*	# of days
**Kansas    -   Gr. K-11 – 186/ Gr. 12 – 181			In a rating of “the best public education systems” in the U.S., 10 of the top 13 states had 180 days of school. https://districtadministration.com/which-states-boast-the-best-public-school-systems-wallethub-reports/
Illinois	185
North Carolina	185
Alabama	180
Alaska	180			#1 Massachusetts
Arizona	180			#2 Connecticut
California	180			#3 New Jersey
Connecticut	180			#5 Virginia
District of Columbia	180			#6 New Hampshire
Florida	180			#8 Maryland
Georgia	180			#9 Florida
Hawaii	180			#10 Indiana
Indiana	180			#11 Utah
**Iowa	180			#12 New York
Maine	180
Maryland	180			#4 - Wisconsin; #7 - Nebraska; #10 - North Dakota – see below.
Massachusetts	180
**Michigan	180
Mississippi	180		13 other states with no state-wide minimum
Nevada	180		Delaware	Not specified in state policy.
New Hampshire	180		Nebraska	Not specified in state policy.
New Jersey	180		New Mexico	Not specified in state policy.
New York	180		North Dakota	Not specified in state policy.
**Oklahoma	180		Oregon	Not specified in state policy.
Pennsylvania	180		Texas	Not specified in state policy.
**Rhode Island	180		Wisconsin	Not specified in state policy.
South Carolina	180		Arkansas	Set by the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas.
Tennessee	180		Idaho	Set by the board of trustees of each school district.
Utah	180		Missouri	No minimum school days are required.
Virginia	180		Ohio	Set by the board of education of each city.
**Washington -Gr. 1-12 180 days/K 180.5 days			South Dakota	Set by local school board.
West Virginia	180		Montana	Set by the trustees of a school district.
**Louisiana	177
Vermont	175
Wyoming	175
Kentucky	170
Minnesota     Gr. 1-11 – 165/   K – 850 hrs.
Colorado	160
* From Education Commission of the State- https://reports.ecs.org/comparisons/instructional-time-policies-2023-02
**Like Colorado, minimum # of hours of instruction required, between 1,000 & 1,100 hours. But they meet 177-185 days.

 

Addendum B - “Student Contact Days” – Average 146.5

40 Colorado school districts on a “Reduced Calendar” (all on a four-day school week)

 Districts use various terms: Teacher-Pupil Days; Student Days; Student Attendance Days; Instructional Days. Numbers come from district calendars on their website or in my communication with the districts.

District	# of student contact days
1.      Aguilar	143
2.      Akron	149
3.      Alamosa	148
4.      Arickaree R2	144
5.      Bayfield	148
6.      Bennett	148
7.      Big Sandy	147
8.      Burlington	MS/HS 144  -  Elem 142
9.       Calhan RJ-1	146
10.    Centennial	147
11.    Center	147
12.    Cheyenne County RE-5	144
13.    Custer	146
14.    Deer Trail	144
15.    District 27J	150
16.    Dolores County	MS/HS 142.5–Elem 140.5
17.    East Grand	145
18.    East Otero (La Junta)	MH 143  –  Elem 141
19.   Edison 54JT	148
20.   Ellicott	144
21.   Fort Morgan	151
22.   Garfield 16	H 153 –M 151– Elem 150
23.   Hanover	146
24.   Hayden	143
25.   Haxten	149
26.   Holyoke	150
27.   Huerfano	142
28.   Ignacio	146
29.   Lamar	146
30.   Las Animas	148
31.   Mancos	144
32.   Moffat	143
33.   Montezuma-Cortez	MS/HS 148  -  Elem 146
34.   Otis	148
35.   Peyton	148
36.   Platte Canyon	152
37.   Pueblo 60	150
38.   Vilas	143
39.   Weld RE-1	153.5
40.   West Grand	145
AVERAGE	146.5

 

Addendum C - “Student contact days”

Colorado, New Mexico, the United States

 

Colorado’s 10 largest districts – all over 25,000 students 

	Student Contact Days*	Enrollment 2023-24
Denver County 1	174	88,235
Jefferson County R-1	171	76,172
Douglas County Re 1	173	61,964
Cherry Creek 5	Elem/MS – 172 – HS – 176	52,419
Adams-Arapahoe 28J	168	39,148
Adams 12 Five Star Schools	Elem/MS – 165 – HS- 166	34,998
St Vrain Valley RE1J	174	32,506
Poudre R-1	Elem–173              MS/HS–176	29,914
Boulder Valley Re-2	172	28,362
Academy 20	177	26,607
Average	172.3

*Dates from 24-25 calendar on district websites or from phone calls with district offices.

    In New Mexico the gap between the 5-day school week and the 4-day week came to 22 days. But note the average number of days in New Mexico for schools on a four-day week, compared to the average I found for 31 districts in Colorado.

2016-17	2017-18	Decrease
(5-Day School Week)	(4-Day School Week)	-22 days
176	154

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-four-day-school-week-debate-video/2018/08

    In Colorado the gap is greater and the average school year in our four-day districts is shorter.

(5-Day School Week) 10 biggest districts	(4-Day School Week) 40 districts	Gap
172.3	146.5	25.8 days

 

    In the United States:

“Nationally, the average school start time among four-day school week schools is 7:56 AM, the average school day lasts seven hours and forty-six minutes, and the average number of student instructional days is 148.”

“Are All Four-Day School Weeks Created Equal? A National Assessment of Four-Day School Week Policy Adoption and Implementation,” by Paul N. Thompson, Katherine Gunter, John M. Schuna, Jr., Emily J. Tomayko, Oct. 2021, https://direct.mit.edu/edfp/article/16/4/558/97130/Are-All-Four-Day-School-Weeks-Created-Equal-A

Addendum D – Reporting to CDE – meeting “minimum teacher-pupil contact” during the year

from CDE – 2023-2024 Data Pipeline Directory

Individual School Information: # of Elem. Hours Scheduled	Cannot be fewer than 990 for elementary	Number
Individual School Information: # of Secondary. Hours Scheduled	Cannot be fewer than 1080 for secondary	Number

http://www.cde.state.co.us/datapipeline/2024-2025-directory-file-layouts-and-definitions

from CDE: Status of Reduced Academic Calendar Approvals in Colorado

The law does require any district offering less than 160 days of school to obtain prior permission from the Commissioner of Education. One of the duties of local school boards is:

C.R.S 22-32-109 (n) (I) To determine, prior to the end of a school year, the length of time which the schools of the district shall be in session during the next following school year, but in no event shall said schools be scheduled to have less than one thousand eighty hours of planned teacher-pupil instruction and teacher- pupil contact during the school year for secondary school pupils in high school, middle school, or junior high school or less than nine hundred ninety hours of such instruction and contact for elementary school pupils or less than four- hundred-fifty hours of such instruction for a half-day kindergarten program. In no case shall a school be in session for fewer than one hundred sixty days without the specific prior approval of the commissioner of education.                                                    (Bold mine)

          All schools must continue to meet or exceed the instructional hours that are required by  

          statute for elementary, middle, and high school schedules.

http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/reducedacademiccalendar

 

Addendum E – Does “equal time” in school lead to an equally strong education?

                a.         Research – on equal time

   At the Colorado Department of Education’s website on Reduced Academic Calendar Information, we find links to two research papers. One of them, published by the Institute of Education Sciences, included this statement:                                                                            (Bold mine for all quotes)

“Relative to five-day schedules, 4DSW districts tended to have shorter school years and longer school days, and they typically offered less instructional time overall. A research team led by Paul Thompson, University of Oregon, assembled the most comprehensive dataset available on nationwide implementation of the 4DSW.”

“Reduced calendar years: How are they implemented and how do they affect students, teachers, and communities?” Institute of Education Sciences, Jan. 2024, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eR47lbvl5Cfd8qctDYJ83TTRdaF07mBR/view

  Thompson, professor of Economics at Oregon State University, has done extensive research on the impact of the four-day school week on student achievement. He has found different outcomes based in part on the amount of instructional time given to students on a four-day week. One of his studies found a negative impact on learning, overall, but he made a key distinction.

From the Abstract:                                                                                                                     

We find reductions in both math and English/language arts achievement when examining four-day school weeks nationally, but these aggregate effects appear to be masking important heterogeneity due to differences in overall time in school across districts. When stratifying four-day week districts into districts with low, middle, and high levels of time in school, we find statistically significant negative effects on math achievement for four-day school week districts with low time in school, but no statistically significant effects for four-day school week districts with middle or high time in school. Our findings suggest that maintaining sufficient overall time in school should be a key consideration for school districts contemplating four-day school week adoption.

“Only a matter of time? The role of time in school on four-day school week achievement impacts,” Economics of Education Review, by Paul N. Thompson and Jason Ward, Feb. 2022, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775721001138?via%3Dihub

 

From the full study - “Adequate time may negate potential negative achievement”    

“… our results suggest that providing adequate instructional time in conjunction with the four-day school week should be a key focus of policymakers interested in adopting these four-day school week schedules. Adequate time in school may negate potential negative achievement impacts inherent to the four-day school week schedule (e.g., weekend learning loss; earlier school start times). Low time in school in conjunction with the four-day school week appears to be extremely problematic for academic achievement and school districts and states should be cognizant of these negative consequences.”

Econstor, June 2021, https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/236492/1/dp14461.pdf

 

b.        An anecdotal response to the research (from one who taught for 18 years):

   Teachers and parents are likely to see a significant problem with the argument that offering “the same amount of instructional time” in four days rather than five will produce equal learning outcomes. Only counting the total amount of time in school fails to look at how well students learn—at certain times of the day; specifically, how well do they focus and learn after they have already been in school for six hours, with two hours to go. These issues are especially relevant (see section d, below) for young students and for students with special needs.

   Colorado schools on a four-day week are in session roughly eight hours. Here are six sample times (opening bell to closing bell) from four-day schools around the state:  

7:30 – 3:35  /   7:45 – 4:05  /  7:50 – 4:10  /  8:00 – 3:47  /  8:00 - 4:00  /   8:00 – 4:10  /  8:30 – 4:20 

   Strong research from the halls of academe might not get at a question teachers and parents would raise:

   How many boys and girls focus and engage and learn as well between 2 pm and 4 pm as they do in the morning?

   All of us can recall our own experience in school and our struggle to be as attentive and alert late in the school day. We admire the ability of many boys and girls who give their best to their teachers and the subject matter after six hours in school, with two more hours still ahead. And yet we doubt most are learning as well as they could in the morning. And these classes between 2 pm and 4 pm take place four days a week. Eight hours a week. 

Two specific points:

1.        Most elementary schools speak of reading and math as their two “most important subjects” and invariably schedule reading and math classes in the morning. It is telling that principals and teachers believe their students will be most capable of tackling these two key subjects early in the school day. Does anyone in our four-day elementary schools teach reading and math between 2 pm and 4 pm? If not, aren’t there good reasons for that?

2.        We are all paying close attention to reports about the lack of focus when students have their cellphones in class. We, the adults, are creating policies to address this concern. Why?

Because it is our responsibility to help students focus as well as possible during class time.

   In that same vein, we must ask ourselves if, by creating this unusual structure—the eight-hour school day—we are helping our students focus as well as they can when in a more traditional 6- to 6 ½ hour school day.

 

                                                     c.      My own attempt at “research”

   On school and district websites on the four-day week, one can find some academic schedules that respond to a few of the concerns, above. In looking at school schedules, I see more hands-on classes late in the day, such as welding, engineering, art, music, drama. Also, classes called “advisory” or “exploratory.”

   I had hoped to learn more by sending out the following note to 11 districts.

   I am writing to a number of Colorado schools and districts on the four-day week schedule to try to learn more about the longer school day. I have been to several schools and have seen how it works. I have not been to your district. I hope you might be able to tell me a little about the classes or subjects that are taught in the final part of your school days.
   A question many raise about the longer day is what subjects/content students are able to engage in well late in the school day – the final hours, specifically. It would help to learn if that is a concern for you, and if so, how you address it.
   I am not asking for more than a paragraph to explain what classes/content/sessions you offer late in the school day.

  In most cases, where I was able to find a school or district’s Bell Schedule, I added a note like this:

   At xxx, I am asking about the last two periods in the xxx schedule – Period 7 – 2:12-3:09 and Period 7 – 3:13-4:10. 

or            At xxx, I am asking about the 6th and 7th hour:

2:23 - 3:20 and

3:23 - 4:18 for grades 6-8.

 

  Unfortunately, I did not hear back from anyone.

 

d.         Other comments on that LOOONNNGGG day for our kids.

 

1.     Barbara McLachlan is chair of Colorado’s House Education Committee. In the summer of 2019 she told The Colorado Sun that it was “time for Colorado to do a comprehensive study of its own now that a majority of districts have made the switch. [She said:] ‘I want to know how they reorganize their day; if the kids and teachers are exhausted at the end of that longer, 10-hour day; how sports fit in there.’”                                                       (Bold mine)   

 

“Colorado made kindergarten a priority. But when it comes to four-day school weeks, lawmakers don’t see a problem,” The Colorado Sun, Brian Eason, Aug. 29, 2019.

https://coloradosun.com/2019/08/29/four-day-schools-politics/

 

 

2.      Karen Cheser, Superintendent, Durango School District 9-R

 

“Durango’s goal is to have its graduates attain grade-level proficiency or higher in all subject areas, and also acquire the district’s ‘portrait of a graduate’ competencies like agile thinking and confident communicating. Decreasing the number of days kids are in school and making those days longer ‘isn’t the appropriate setting for students to be able to acquire those skills and competencies,’ in Cheser’s view.”                                               (Bold mine)

“Doing Less with Less: How a four-day school week affects student learning and the teacher workforce,” Keystone Policy Center, by Gottlieb, Lagana, and Schoales. https://www.keystone.org/doing-less-with-less-how-a-four-day-school-week-affects-student-learning-and-the-teacher-workforce/  

 

 

3.     Philip Qualman, Superintendent, Eagle County School District

“… districts that are doing four-day, I understand that they’re meeting the hour requirement just like five-day districts are, but I think that there’s only so much content that you can expect students to learn in a day and to try to jam it all into fewer days, I think practically it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Four-day school weeks have exploded across Colorado districts — and are setting students back,” The Colorado Sun, by Erica Breunlin, Aug. 14, 2024, https://coloradosun.com/2024/08/14/four-day-school-weeks-colorado-results/#:~:text

 

4.     “Pros and Cons of the Four-Day Week” 

 

“However, opponents argue that longer school days can be difficult for students, especially those in elementary grades.”

 

“Four-Day School Week Overview, NCSL”, June 28, 2023.

https://www.ncsl.org/education/four-day-school-week-overview.

 

 

Endnotes

[i] “Historical Approved Districts For Reduced Academic Calendar,” Colorado Department of Education. http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/reducedacademiccalendar_approvedschooldistricts

[ii] Many organizations and education advocates – representing a range of perspectives – use this term or a variation of it. I quote from The Center for American Progress, one nonprofit that uses these exact six words. See “A Quality Education for Every Child,” July 2019, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/quality-education-every-child/

[iii] From 180 days (in 1985) to 1,080 hours to 160 days, or less – Colorado Department of Education

History                                                                                                                         (Bold mine)      

“In 1980, the Colorado legislature allowed districts to pilot alternative schedules…  The law specified several criteria which had to be addressed prior to approval. An annual report was required. 

“In 1980, three districts were approved for what was referred to as a four-day week. By 1981, twelve districts had been approved.

“In 1985, the Colorado legislature changed the required school year from 180 days to 1080 hours.

  

  “In 1988, the legislature passed a provision that required any district scheduling less than 160 days of school to obtain permission from the Commissioner. In 1990, a formal application process was instituted by CDE.”

CDE – “Reduced Academic Calendar Information” - https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/reducedacademiccalendar

[iv] “A popular unknown: Shortening the school week expands across Idaho,” Idaho Education News, by Kevin Richert,  Sept. 26, 2024, https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/a-popular-unknown-shortening-the-school-week-expands-across-idaho/

                     

[v] “Four-day school week: Research suggests impacts of a condensed schedule vary by student group, school type,” The Journalist’s Resource, by  Denise-Marie Ordway, July 15, 2024, https://journalistsresource.org/education/four-day-school-week-research/