The Four-Day School Week
Will the education sector follow the current corporate trend?
The four-day working week is catching on and it’s easy to see why. The expectation is that employees will produce the same output for the same pay while working fewer days per week. Companies who scale back to four days thus aim to achieve higher productivity with less burnout, and ultimately lower turnover. Employers can also broaden the talent pool by attracting additional workers back into a workforce that offers more flexibility.
Successful implementation of this new, shorter working week takes thoughtful planning and careful communication. Incentives must be aligned with the new working patterns, and client service and connectivity should not suffer as a result. While that “extra” working day often gives employees an opportunity to think longer-term about work, it seems that this may happen subconsciously anyway if the fifth weekday is spent on personal tasks as opposed to professional ones.
In the education sector there has been talk of implementing a shorter school week as well. The main drivers are cost savings, less social issues, and a more refreshed student and teacher population. The studies are mixed but educational attainment does not seem to improve, and often declines over time with the four-day model. In fact, this shorter week seems to appeal mainly to rural families who appreciate an extra day for chores and travel to far off services such as medical providers.
For the average child in an an urban or suburban area, schools provide a lot more than just formal education. They offer structure, socialisiation and for many families are the primary source of nutrition. An extra day at home would only put pressure on parents to fill the gap with structured activities and additional homework. Those children without adequate support and supervision outside of school may end up falling behind.
Further, schools offer several more weeks of annual vacation time than employers do. This time off allows children to pursue sport, music, hobbies and work. It also provides opportunities for travel, rest and social time with friends and family.
I am in favour of managing the curriculum in a way that prevents student and teacher burnout, but I also strongly believe that the routine, socialisation and pastoral care provided by schools far outweighs the opportunity to stay home.
One less school day a week would be particularly challenging for those parents who have not moved to a four-day working week. However, for those lucky parents who move to a four-day working week while their children are in school for five days, you are living the dream!
