Teachers’ Perceptions of the Impact of a 4-Day Week on School Culture

Vernon, Alison

Teachers’ Perceptions of the Impact of a 4-Day Week on School Culture

Público Deposited

The American public school system has used the same agrarian-based calendar for the past century despite drastic changes to the educational system. In recent years, some schools have come under financial burdens associated with poor test scores that correlate with funding under legislation. These financial burdens have impacted rural school districts that allocate up to 5% of their budget to transportation. Some schools seek to alleviate these burdens by implementing nontraditional schedules. Among these schedules, the 4-day week has become increasingly popular since the 1970’s. Research on the 4-day week has primarily been focused on its impact on financial saving and student achievement. School culture is an important factor in any school building as it impacts teacher satisfaction and student achievement. The researcher sought to understand teachers’ perceptions of the impact of a 4-day week on school culture as little research had been done in this area. The researcher used Steve Grunert’s School Culture Survey (SCS) as a quantitative tool to collect data from participants utilizing a 4-day school week and participants in similar schools utilizing a 5-day school week in Oklahoma. This tool can be divided into 6 categories that promote a positive, collaborative culture: collaborative leadership, teacher collaboration, professional development, unity of purpose, collegial support, and learning partnership. The data from the SCS showed statistical significance in the areas of collaborative leadership, teacher collaboration, and learning partnership.

Título