As the second semester comes to a close, many students are feeling the stress of AP exams and finals. However, spring break was a wonderful way to rest and prepare for the few stressful weeks before summer. But not all of our breaks are evenly distributed, leading to some more stressful months where many students experience burnout.
One such month is October, which has no breaks or three-day weekends. The first semester is at its peak for many students as assignments begin to pile up and quizzes and tests become more rigorous. Seniors are working to submit their college applications by the early admission deadlines, and the weather is getting colder by the day, which could lead some students to struggle to keep up with all the changes.
The months of April and May present a similar challenge for many students. After spring break, students are dealing with the final quarter of the school year, which brings stress, not just from finals, but also from AP exams and CAASPP testing for the juniors. Seniors are making college decisions and figuring out what the next chapter of their lives holds. The months are packed with tireless preparation and anxiety for what’s to come. And yet, after spring break, there is only one long weekend.
One idea that is casually thrown around is the move to four-day school weeks. Countries like Poland and Australia that offer their workers four-day workweeks have begun to test and implement this schedule for student, and many schools in the US are also beginning to explore alternative options to school work weeks.
The first concerns are, of course, related to productivity: will shorter weeks but longer days cause more stress and burnout? Will certain benchmarks for time and course content be met? Will necessary staff meetings and student collaboration go unplanned due to lack of time?
However, if planned correctly, a four-day school week could benefit students more. The extended weekend could give students more time to recharge, while also concentrating on their extracurriculars or homework at a relaxed pace.
In one study done in Colorado schools, test scores in math and reading were monitored over a four-year period, during which the school week was changed from five days to four days. The number of students earning proficient math and reading scores increased by almost 10% when students were given four-day school weeks.
In yet another study by Rand Corp, a nonprofit global research institute, both qualitative and quantitative data was collected on students in schools using four-day weeks in Idaho, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Among the positive qualitative findings, there were improvements in student attendance, school climate and behavioral and emotional well-being.
However, the appeal of four-day school weeks cannot overshadow the possible problems of inequity. Many families rely on school as a form of childcare while parents are working. To have consistent four-day weeks would mean that parents have to find childcare for their children on their workdays, which is oftentimes expensive. Moreover, some low-income families rely on school for breakfast and lunch meals. School being out of session for an extra day each week would leave families with more food insecurity and less access to meals.
The issue boils down to giving students ample breaks to recharge without inconveniencing families during a regular week. We must take into account students’ mental health and family situations when considering a solution. This can be achieved by simply giving students a few three-day weekends in months like April, May and October, which often have very few—if any—long weekends or breaks.
If we consider taking the first week of summer break and redistributing the four days off throughout the two semesters, we could greatly decrease the amount of stress that students feel. By moving the last week of school to after the Memorial Day long weekend, we can give students time before finals to finish up any studying and to mentally prepare for the week ahead.
These four days that would normally be the first days of summer can be interspersed into three-day weekends in October, April and May—two in the fall semester and two in the spring semester. By redistributing one week of summer to the rest of the school year, students will have more spread-out breaks to re-energize before critical periods in the semester.
The current OPHS schedule can be improved to alleviate student’s stress and burnout in the most critical months of the semester. We must consider redistributing our days off. Sacrificing four days of summer break to do so could be the simple compromise implemented to change the entire energy of the school year.
