Report fuels four-day week debate

• By JORDAN BLUM
• Advocate Capitol news bureau
• Published: Aug 13, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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The trend of the four-day school week is growing in Louisiana and nationwide — especially in rural areas — but the concept is not catching on in larger areas such as Baton Rouge, local and state education officials agree.

A new Southern Regional Education Board “Focus on the School Calendar” report released this week explores the pros and cons of the four-day school week and essentially concludes that the known outcomes are inconclusive.

“There is a decided lack of evidence that the four-day week helps or hurts student achievement — anecdotal information seems to point merely to a ‘lack of harm’ where student achievement is concerned,” according to the report.

New Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Executive Director Amy Westbrook implemented a four-day week while heading St. Helena Parish schools two years ago in order to attract more highly qualified teachers.

Most schools make the switch to longer days, but shorter weeks, to save on utility and transportation costs. Westbrook said the switch has been a resounding success — attracting more good teachers, saving money and improving student performance.

“I don’t know what the trend will be,” Westbrook said. “But for a rural parish, I think it’s worth investigating.”

A major key, she said, has been offering class options during the Monday off day as well as more “course recovery” classes and more after-school tutoring.

East Baton Rouge Parish School Superintendent Charlotte Placide said the plan raises too many concerns about hurting the instruction quality and addressing child-care needs if students do not attend classes on Mondays.

“Child care is a large piece of the education puzzle these days because so many parents are working now,” Placide said.

Apart from St. Helena, East Feliciana and Caldwell parishes also have a four-day school week. Caldwell just switched this year for cost savings. 

A handful of other districts use a four-day week only for some of their schools. Last year, 43 schools in seven districts in the state used the four-day system, according to the report.

In East Feliciana Parish, which also switched to a four-day week two years ago, the new Superintendent Doug Beauchamp recently decried falling test scores and a lack of financial savings. But the district’s School Board voted to continue the four-day week anyway.

Other districts such as Evangeline and Avoyelles parishes previously attempted a four-day week, but ultimately decided against it.