Alarm clocks ring on Monday mornings as students drag themselves out of bed for school, groggy and dreading the day ahead. Five days a week, nine months a year, the Madison school bell rings at 8:10 a.m. and again at 2:55 p.m.. But what would happen if the dreaded bell rang only eight times a week, instead of 10? Would student productivity increase, or would large issues arise with their ability to survive the school day?

Schools across the United States have begun implementing a four-day school week. Many counties, particularly after the pandemic, have seen a shortage of staff in schools. The idea of a four-day week has become popularized among teachers across the country due to the benefits of their work and private lives. This is because they would be provided with more time to prepare for their classes and would have to commute to work less often. The shorter school week would also save money on things such as school lunches, buses and staff pay.

With a shorter school week, students have more time to focus on completing homework and studying in addition to recreational activities. Many students have extracurricular activities which cause them to miss school for tournaments and games. With the four-day school week, students are allotted time to travel to their tournaments, resulting in better school attendance.

Additionally, teachers will have better satisfaction with their job and will have more time to plan their lessons. They will also have more time to grade students’ work. Teachers have a job that takes a lot of commitment and time, so with the extra day, teachers can have more time to prioritize their own personal life.

The idea of the four-day week may sound appealing with all the pros, but even with its advantages, there will still be cons to this shorter schedule.

Because many students have two working parents, issues with childcare for younger siblings will arise. Childcare is expensive and meant for toddlers and kids not in school yet, so if the four-day school week is implemented, schools will need to offer an extra day of childcare similar to SACC, a childcare program for elementary school students. If SACC were to occur for an extended period of time, the workers would be required to work for longer hours, thus increasing their pay rates. In addition, the money required to keep the electricity in the building on, food provided to the children and pay given to the workers to compensate for their longer hours would negate the lesser cost of a four day week.

Another drawback of the four-day school week is for students who depend on school lunch. Food insecure students won’t have access to sufficient food on the off day, and may not have a sufficient meal. With a lack of food, new issues such as trouble with the ability of focus can arise. The lack of focus can further lead to a decrease in students’ grades, as less focus equates to less ability to succeed in class.

The four-day school week does make the week shorter, but it also makes the school day longer. With longer school days, there is less time for students to do their extracurricular activities and sports. Longer school days may also leave students burnt out.

The four-day school week may be beneficial for more rural areas with fewer students, but not for all areas. The four-day school week benefits rural areas because it saves on costs and teacher recruitment. While the idea may sound appealing and a solution to problems schools face across the United States, in the long run there will be many drawbacks.