Imagine a world where the weekend immediately starts as the last the school bell rings on Thursday, and the children use Friday to broaden their horizons outside the classroom.

That concept is already a reality for students in some school districts as they dip their toes into the experimental change. As workplaces continue to flirt with the idea of ​​shaving a day off each week, some may wonder if the five-day school week is also outdated.

But what is the real rationale behind the change?

Fox News Digital spoke with Melissa Loble, chief academic officer at education technology company Instructure, to get some insight into what she heard from districts.

“The four-day school week, when I talk to the districts and I talk to the teachers there, where we see some benefits is the ability to do other kinds of life experiences on the fifth day, so it might be a deeper thing. Focus on sports. It could be internships, it could be work-study opportunities. Maybe you are an entrepreneur as a high school student of activities that create you as a more complete child as you think about where you want to go next,” she said.

MORE US SCHOOLS ADOPT 4-DAY LEARNING WEEKS

As workplaces continue to flirt with the idea of ​​shaving a day off each week, some may wonder if the five-day school week is also outdated. (iStock)

It could be college or work, depending on the path each student decides to take.

Loble, who has years of experience in education, says the confines of a classroom may not provide the most appropriate setting for students to discover their passions and figure out what role they want to pursue in life. Imagine, for example, how different the learning outcomes might be for students learning about government in a civics classroom as opposed to getting real-world hands-on experience while interning at a local congressional office or of a job following someone in the field.

Writing for a newspaper—whether it’s a school publication or one for the entire community—could give a student better insight into how the writing skills learned in English classes can be applied in the real world.

“It gives students time to do more group or independent work,” Loble added.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE MEDIA AND CULTURE COVERAGE

“So you might notice whatever day it might be (when students are out of school), it gives you a chance to say, ‘We’re going to go together and work more collaboratively and support each other on these projects, spend more time. on practical stuff, as opposed to going to 30- to 40-minute classes and then doing homework every night.”

Schools typically cut their schedule on Fridays, but some opted to cut back on Mondays, she noted.

While Loble says districts didn’t release much data to give a snapshot of the outcome, some may have switched to the truncated school week to help mitigate expanded costs — think diesel for buses, air conditioning and heating or maybe even additional water and electricity costs. .

The benefits come with their share of drawbacks, however.

OHIO SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK: ‘WE’RE BURNED’

A school bus arrives at George Mason Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., on Aug. 21, 2023. Some school districts may have opted to cut a day out of the school week to cut costs, such as bus fuel or utilities. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

While some districts have required their children to come to class only four days a week, most parents still go to work on their child’s day at home. That has created a hiccup for some families, Loble said, especially those who rely on their child’s school for more than just a space for learning.

“As we’ve heard, there are challenges in certain areas where there’s not as much flexibility for parents, so they’re struggling to find care or to find activities, and that schools have to have places on the fifth day (to allow children in) . let’s say parents can’t be at home or structure a safe environment, (and) there have to be ways for districts to support that so you can come to school on those days opportunities when volunteers rotate or certain faculty or certain teachers.”

Rural and lower-income areas may be hit harder, especially if many children depend on school breakfast or lunch to be fed at those meal times each day.

“There are families of parents who rely on their children to be fed five days a week from their own resources or income and they can’t, so districts are finding they have to keep thinking about supplements for those families who really can’t. leverage,” Loble continued.

“I would say that is in some of the either rural districts where there’s more of an emphasis on five-day blue-collar work, or is it in areas where there are larger populations of students where both parents work and there’s not a lot of family income, and the school really gives them more than school. It will vary between districts, but that was one of the things that I don’t think they (districts) have planned, at least the few that I’ve talked to.”

GEORGIA, SIX YEARS OF ‘GOVERNMENT’ RULE FOR FOUR DAY SCHOOL WEEK

Some students rely on school meals for food. (Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)

Some school districts have chosen to implement a four-day school week to attract educators, some reports sayespecially since the continuous shortage of teachers creates challenges for public schools throughout the country, especially for smaller, rural schools.

However, many fear that reducing instructional time may hinder student progress.

The results are mixed, according to The Journalist’s Resource, an outlet focused on academic coverage.

“The impact on students, however, has not been as positive. Although peer-reviewed research on this topic is limited, focusing on only one state or a small group of states, there is evidence that some groups of students learn less on four. – day program than in a five-day program,” the media said in a report published in 2018 and updated last year.

An analysis included in the piece suggested that reading progress declined for students attending the classes four days a week instead of five, in at least six states.

At the same time, however, the data seemed to suggest that the outcome depended heavily on the group studied, as rural students saw little or no change compared to others.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP