Education

[phkrause]

More schools are adopting 4-day weeks. For parents, the challenge is day 5 Hundreds of schools around the country have adopted four-day weeks in recent years. Districts cite cost savings and advantages for teacher recruitment, although some have questioned the effects on students who already missed out on significant learning during the pandemic. Read more.

Why this matters: In more than 13,000 school districts nationwide, nearly 900 operate on a truncated schedule, up from 662 in 2019 and around 100 in 1999, said Paul Thompson, an Oregon State University associate professor of economics.   For parents, there is an added complication and cost of arranging childcare for an extra weekday. While surveys show parents approve overall, support wanes among those with younger children.   The effect on academics is murky, although Thompson said some studies show the schedule doesn’t hurt test scores if the other four school days are lengthened.

Related coverage ➤ Wave of teacher absences forcing Vegas-area school closures deemed an illegal strike, judge finds Children hit hardest by the pandemic are now the big kids at school. Many still need reading help Test scores show American students slipping further behind despite recovery efforts

[phkrause]

Public school is the place to teach the contention of democracy, not censor it

Fights over public education in Virginia and other states that propose to divert resources from public schools or limit the ideas students can explore threaten democracy at its roots. I am a Fairfax County, Va., public school teacher and a parent. I teach courses on government, American history, and law in society. As such, I am a civics teacher and I take seriously my job to teach young people how to engage effectively as citizens in our democracy.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/10/14/public-school-is-the-place-to-teach-the-contention-of-democracy-not-censor-it/?