Four-day school week good for educators, students says survey

Ash Grove R-IV School District went to a four-day hybrid school week system starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The new system has had some encouraging side-effects on the student population.
 
Overall, however, the new system has coincided with a decrease across the board in test scoring. This is also a problem across the state and in other districts.
 
The four-day schedule as a whole has been seen positively by both parents and educators according to district Superintendent Shane Medlin, and also a staff survey that was unveiled earlier this year at a board of education meeting.
 
Teachers at Ash Grove stated in the survey that overall, they feel more positively about the four-day school week, and has led to more engaged students. It has also helped educators feel more rested and productive. 
 
This aligns with an account from Kelsey Epperson, an elementary art teacher at Ash Grove, who was part of the committee that presented the survey. She said that in her experience the four-day system has been a big plus to educators.
 
“It’s been really nice to have that extra day a week to get some work done,” she said.
 
Per the study, 84.6 percent of staff were neutral to satisfied with the current structure according to the survey.

Better behavior
Teachers noticed that students had a better attitude, appeared more rested, and had more energy, though students were often tired at the end of the day due to increased educational hours from Tuesday through Friday. Overall, the effects noted by the survey were positive, however.
 
This aligns with research from the school which saw an increase in attendance under the new system. 
 
Test scores decline may be unrelated
Test scores, however, could paint a different picture according to Medlin. While scores have not yet been publicly released, the district is expecting a drop in scores. They are not alone in this, as Medlin reports that this dip coincides with a larger trend across the area and the state. 
He attributes Ash Grove’s potential testing shortfall, not to the new calendar, but to the implementation of a new English language arts curriculum and a new math resource.
 
“There is often an ‘implementation dip’ as teachers learn and implement the new curriculum, said Medlin. “As a district, we would need to look at trends over the next three years to accurately measure the impact of the calendar change on student learning.
 
 
Monday child care ending
Child care was one of the main points of criticism for the implementation of the four-day school week as parents could be left without a place to send their children on Mondays if school was not in session. This was remedied with a child care program hosted by the district that remained operational on Mondays. 
 
The service was actually not utilized often, said Medlin. In fact, it was so seldom used that the school will be discontinuing the program in the coming school year. Only a handful of students participated on average according to the superintendent. This, in combination with dwindling state support meant the service would end.
 
“The district offered childcare on Mondays last year,” said Medlin. “This was not utilized by as many as was expected with only 6-8 students participating on average.  This is being discontinued for the coming school year.  As we have communicated with other 4-day week districts, this has been the pattern they have experienced as well. Overall, we have seen a decrease in students participating in after school childcare and this was mirrored by our Monday numbers.”
 
In implementing the new schedule, the school has not seen any savings, but this was expected, said Medlin. The district did purchase fewer gallons of fuel during the school year, but overall fuel costs still rose by about $7,000. Other areas demanded more money of the school as well, he stated.
 
“Even with the change in calendar days, staff salary and hourly rates did not decline due to the state increase in the minimum wage and teacher salary legislation,” he said.
 
The district will continue on with its four-day calendar as school is back in session on Tuesday, Aug. 25.