For increasingly more Arkansas colleges, 4 days are higher than 5

When Andy Chisum took over three years in the past as superintendent of the Mayflower Faculty District he acknowledged immediately that one thing was very incorrect.

“Our trainer attrition price was terrible,” he mentioned.

The Mayflower district is surrounded by larger ones like Conway, Cabot and Pulaski County — districts that might supply greater salaries.

“At the moment, we have been paying the state minimal wage, which was $36,000. That’s all we might afford,” Chisum mentioned.

This was earlier than the passage of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, the Ok-12 schooling overhaul championed by Gov. Sarah Sanders, which raised the state’s minimal annual trainer’s wage to $50,000. (LEARNS additionally created a common faculty voucher program and made a protracted record of different modifications to schooling in Arkansas.)

“Our academics have been realizing in a short time that they may come right here straight out of faculty, get three to 4 years expertise, after which transfer quarter-hour down the highway and make $10,000 a yr extra,” Chisum mentioned.

That’s when Chisum gathered his faculty principals for a brainstorming session, and the thought of Mayflower’s four-day faculty week was born.

“Our thought course of was, ‘Would we somewhat have a median trainer in entrance of children 5 days per week or would we somewhat have a very good trainer in entrance of the children 4 days per week?’” Chisum mentioned.

The district is now wrapping up its second yr utilizing a four-day week. The trainer attrition price has dipped tremendously, Chisum mentioned, however the change has additionally led to different unexpected advantages. The college tradition appeared to enhance, self-discipline referrals dropped, scholar and trainer attendance charges elevated, and scholar check scores went up, he mentioned.

“The check scores have been just a little little bit of an anomaly as a result of lots of districts continued to drop. … We’re actually pleased with that. We have been hoping to only break even within the first yr,” Chisum mentioned.

The four-day faculty week idea has seen a growth of kinds in Arkansas and across the nation for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic modified the face of schooling. Within the 2019-20 yr, solely 4 colleges within the state have been working on a four-day schedule. By the 2023-24 faculty yr, that quantity had jumped to 89 — a greater than twentyfold enhance.

Nationally, the variety of faculty districts with a four-day faculty week has increased dramatically in recent years. Nearly 900 districts throughout the U.S. now achieve this.

Colleges that undertake an abbreviated faculty week sometimes add further hours to the remaining days to compensate. In Mayflower, the elementary faculty operates from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday via Friday, whereas the center faculty and highschool run from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Some analysis suggests a shorter faculty week might harm scholar efficiency, based on a review of recent studies by the Hechinger Report — typically considerably.

The jury can also be out on whether or not it truly improves trainer recruitment and retention. One study found that after two years of a four-day faculty week, retention was truly 3% to five% decrease in comparison with colleges with conventional schedules. However a survey printed in a Jan. 23 EducationWeek article indicated two-thirds of academics, principals and district leaders can be far more prepared to just accept a job supply from a district with a four-day faculty week.

Chisum mentioned he can attest to that personally and professionally. When potential workers have been requested what drew them to the Mayflower Faculty District, the bulk cited the four-day work week.

“I’d even be hard-pressed now to go to work for a district that’s not on a four-day schedule,” he mentioned.

In Northwest Arkansas, the Lincoln Faculty District is in its first yr of a four-day faculty week. Up to now, the superintendent says it’s a hit.

“Trainer retention, morale, employees and scholar attendance, and self-discipline improved,” Superintendent Mary Ann Spears mentioned.

Bismarck Faculty District Superintendent Susan Kissire mentioned there have been many elements that led to her district’s resolution to modify to a four-day faculty week two years in the past.

“After COVID, life had actually modified for households, and a four-day faculty week allowed extra time for households to be collectively,” Kissire mentioned. “It higher met the psychological well being wants of our college students. It additionally permits our highschool college students extra time to work, and that’s very helpful with us being in a high-poverty space.”

Bismarck, a rural district south of Scorching Springs, skilled a small monetary financial savings from operating one fewer day of bus routes, Kissire mentioned, however didn’t reduce salaries.

“The primary few months of final yr have been an adjustment for all of us. Nonetheless, I can’t think about ever going again to a conventional five-day week now,” Kissire mentioned. “I actually assume the scholars, mother and father and academics would revolt. Everybody is ready to see and really feel the advantages.”

Hector Faculty District, the smallest in Pope County, was “always shedding academics” to greater districts, Superintendent Mark Taylor mentioned. Shortening the college week has yielded spectacular outcomes, he mentioned.

“College students, mother and father and academics appear to essentially be comfortable. Our attendance numbers amongst highschool and elementary college students are each up from previous years,” Taylor mentioned. “Households discover it simpler to schedule appointments, household time and extracurricular actions with an extended weekend.” The district is “up about 55 college students from final yr.”

Parental assist can also be rising. A recent poll by PDK International, a gaggle that goals to recruit educators, confirmed the general public’s assist for a four-day week greater than doubled between 2003 and 2023, from 25% to 53%.

Marisa Alsup has a senior and a 3rd grader who attend the Man-Perkins Faculty District, which is north of Greenbrier in Faulkner County. Alsup mentioned she was hesitant at first when the college switched to a four-day week.

“It appeared prefer it could possibly be inconvenient for a lot of mother and father,” Alsup mentioned. “However, it really works out with my schedule. I don’t work Mondays. The women appear to essentially take pleasure in having a three-day weekend.”

Her daughters’ grades are glorious now, and so they appear happier, Alsup added.

“We did have points with our youthful one transitioning to this schedule at first,” she mentioned. “As soon as she acquired within the new groove, it was clean crusing.”

The opinions have been blended for Nicole Stevens, a mother or father and former trainer at Centerpoint Faculty District in Glenwood. When the district surveyed academics and employees two years in the past about altering to a four-day faculty week, she enthusiastically mentioned sure.

“I used to be in a position to full classes and provides college students time to complete assignments related to it and have little or no to no homework in a single class,” Stevens mentioned.

As a mother or father, although, there have been challenges. Generally the tip of the day would battle with sports activities and extracurricular actions, and people college students missed extra class time than regular due to the prolonged days, she mentioned.

“My youngsters take pleasure in it,” Stevens mentioned. “Nonetheless, for the littles, it’s too lengthy of a day.”

In December, she took her two youngest youngsters out of faculty and is now homeschooling. She left her three youngsters enrolled at Centerpoint Excessive Faculty.

However, in Mayflower, Chisum says the choice to maneuver to a four-day week has been overwhelmingly optimistic.

“It performed out like all the opposite districts in Arkansas mentioned it might,” the superintendent mentioned. “We talked to virtually a dozen districts after we have been attempting to resolve. They informed us it was a change and other people don’t like change, that there’s going to be resistance, there’s going to be pushback. However after you get it applied, persons are going to adore it and so they’re by no means going to need to return.”

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