Students across Texas are either already back in school or will be in the next couple of weeks. And this year, more than ever will be attending class just four days per week.
More than 70 school districts across the state will operate on a four-day calendar, up from around 40 last school year. Education reporter Wayne Carter, of KRLD's media partner NBC 5, said districts that have already made the change haven't noticed a significant difference in learning.
"There was no decline in learning. There was no increase in learning. It was kind of a wash," he said. "And so if it's a wash, and there are other benefits for it, then why not do it?"
One of the districts making the switch for the first time is the South Texas district of Kingsville ISD, where the superintendent said they chose to adapt to new circumstances.
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"You don't change just to change. There has to be a reason. And coming back from COVID, the world is a different place," Dr. Cecilia Reynolds-Perez said. "Our students are different learners. And also coming back from Uvalde and the school shootings, our kids need a lot more mental health, social, and emotional support systems. They also need to know that there's a whole other world out there, and we're going to support you in getting to know that world."
Most of the districts that have made the switch to a four-day school week are located in smaller towns. There's a cluster of them in the Texas panhandle that cover large, rural areas, a group west of Dallas-Fort Worth that includes Mineral Wells ISD, and several in East Texas between Lufkin and College Station.
The East Texas cluster includes Corrigan-Camden ISD, which is starting its fourth year of four-day weeks. Dean of Students and Girls Athletics Coordinator at Corrigan-Camden High School Ryan Hall said the positives from an education standpoint extend to the workplace.
"That feeling that you get on Wednesday, we get on Tuesday," he said. "So after I worked for one day -- when I come to work on Tuesday, I'm feeling like I'm halfway done."
Even though rural districts have had good results holding classes four days per week, Carter said districts around North Texas have gotten pushback from parents about childcare on Fridays.
"When larger districts have tried to do this, that has been a bigger hurdle for them to overcome," he said. "The districts that talked about it were never able to overcome it. There were just too many parents who worked throughout the day and didn't have an avenue for their kids to go somewhere."
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