Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
12-2025
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0153-9349
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
John Kellmayer
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Leah Wickersham Fish
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Glenda Horner
Abstract
This study examined how school administrators, teachers, and parents in rural Texas districts view the effects of the 4-day school week. Across Texas, a growing number of districts have adopted shorter calendars to address teacher shortages, boost morale, and manage tight budgets. The goal of this research was to gain a clearer understanding of how this schedule shift influences student performance, district finances, and teacher recruitment and retention. The study followed a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through two means. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 school administrators, while 29 teachers and 42 parents completed surveys. Research participants came from six rural districts that currently operate on a 4-day school week. Interview questions focused on district experiences before and after the change, while the surveys provided additional insights from teachers and families. Responses were analyzed through thematic analysis to identify recurring ideas and differences among the various groups. Coding helped organize the data, and comparisons across interviews and surveys were used to strengthen consistency and reliability. Findings indicated that most administrators did not observe a decline in student academic performance or state testing outcomes. Some participants reported slight gains in attendance and modest improvements in student behavior. Administrators reported that the condensed schedule helped in recruiting and retaining teachers and boosted morale. Although cost savings were limited, reductions in transportation and utility expenses were noted. Overall, the 4-day school week appears to offer practical advantages without negatively affecting academic achievement. However, a few administrators noted that more time is needed to determine the academic impact, given other factors that districts have experienced since implementing the 4-day school week. For many rural districts, the transition from the 5-day school week has been a manageable balance between maintaining educational standards and addressing operational challenges.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Bowdoin, Geoffery, "The 4-Day School Week: Impacts on Rural Texas School Districts" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 979.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/979