Should North Dakota Switch To A 4-Day School Week?

Ask just about any student and they will say less school is a good thing.  Heck, ask some teachers and staff the same question and they may just give you the same answer.

• AND may just ENTICE educators... put an end to the staffing shortages... Or at least definitely give North Dakota a second glance!

Sorry to disappoint the students thou, but the total time in the classroom does not change.  Just the way the time is spent during school can potentially be changed; hence moving from 4 days to 5.  Many smaller schools in Montana have already moved towards this style of teaching.  Most classes start at least 10 minutes early during a regular school day with the end of the year resulting in an extra week.

25% of schools in South Dakota have moved to a 4 day school week.  It is more common in rural areas where a larger number of the student body must travel large distances to attend classes.

Regardless of what type of school week is used, the cumulative hours at the end of the school year must be met.  Activities like sporting events are on a regular schedule.  Friday night football games are still held on Friday night.

Schools that have changed to a shorter week have proven to be to the delight of the most involved.  It certainly can be a more attractive alternative for educators to be working fewer days through the week, thus helping with staff shortages.

Any North Dakota school can apply for a reconfiguring of its standard school week by filling out this form.  North Dakota Century Code t15.1c06 states that at least 962 1/2 hours be provided for elementary students and at least 1050 hours be provided for middle and high school students.

So it seems like the perfect solution for North Dakota, right?  With all this said why aren't more of our schools on a 4-day school week?

It has been discussed at great length on many levels including our state legislators but it seems that is where it ends, simply as a tabled discussion.

As it turns out, only 12 schools in North Dakota have taken advantage of this option.  Medora for example uses Friday as an "extra" day, providing optional daycare services and more fun, extracurricular activities for families that can not leave children at home.

The options are still out there for schools to switch if they want to.  And at present, in North Dakota at least, it seems to be a topic where not everyone agrees.