In a post-COVID era, things have gradually begun to return to normal. For many industries, normal has meant learning new ways to do things. When COVID hit, no industry had to pivot as quickly and dramatically as schools. Overnight, in-person classrooms were replaced with distance learning. Teachers had to learn to engage students online, not just in the classroom. Parents became part-time teachers and tutors.
While history will likely remember the hardships faced during the pandemic, there were also important lessons – in particular, “it’s okay for things to look different.” Hard change sometimes forces people and industries to look for new approaches.
For Life School, this new way of thinking opened the door to a new approach to learning. In November of 2022, the Life School Board of Directors unanimously approved a 4-day school week that will begin this August. While many factors went into this decision, attracting and retaining the best quality teachers while also allowing students to have additional time for academic support were chief among the benefits.
As district leaders deliberated over this pivotal decision, one of the main concerns was how parents would feel about this decision. Would they be on board? Would it be too much of a disruption to their normal way of doing things?
Before a final decision, parents were surveyed and overwhelmingly supported the measure with over 76% of parents rating the idea with 4 or 5 stars. Among their reasons – many parents saw the extra day not only as time off but time for students to catch up, receive support and stay on target with their courses.
“This would result in additional rest time or a full additional day to use for studying. The extra study time would be valuable for the subjects that require more time and effort from him,” says Tangela McCoy, parent of a secondary student at Life High School Oak Cliff.
In order to fulfill the required minutes of instruction, each campus lengthened its school day Monday through Thursday. Some parents see the longer school day and class periods as an opportunity for students to be able to receive more instruction and clarity from teachers.
“I believe that the 4-day school week will positively impact my student by allowing him to have more instructional time with his teachers and receive a clearer and more accurate understanding of classroom assignments, homework, and special projects,” offers Ashley Forge, parent of a Life High School Waxahachie student.
And for parents whose students have learning differences, the extra class time and an extra day off are benefits. “It will allow my kids to get additional help with their dyslexia and let our family have more focused time to help them further and increase their learning,” shares Lindsey May, parent of students at Life School Cedar Hill.
Built into the new calendar are three Fridays each month designated for tutoring and accelerated learning opportunities. During this time, students who are struggling to keep up can receive targeted support. Some parents think this will also help alleviate the stressors students feel about their school work.
“With the 4-day school week, my son will have more opportunities to get assistance for a subject he is having an issue with. This will also reduce the stress of trying to make sure he is keeping up with school work by being able to complete homework on Friday,” says Susan Caldwell, whose son is a student at Life Middle School Waxahachie.
Life School hopes this will significantly increase opportunities for students to thrive and reduce the need for credit recovery options, perhaps even summer school. As an added bonus, teachers have the opportunity to earn extra income by choosing to work as a tutor on designated days as they are outside regular working hours.
The change in schedule also brings consistency to the school calendar that makes parents' lives easier. “I’m looking forward to the staff development days being on Friday versus Mondays and no early release days,” says Ms. Caldwell.
As a commuting parent, Ms. May says the earlier start times will relieve stress for her. “An earlier start time will help with scheduling and make commuting to work much easier.”
Many parents also see that the 4-day school week will positively impact their family and students' social and emotional wellness. Both students and parents are excited about the time they will get back.
Ms. Forge and Ms. Caldwell see the extra day as an opportunity for new experiences. Ms. Forge believes it will allow her son to have a positive impact on the community. “By not having to wake up as early on a Friday, it may allow my son to participate in volunteer events that take place during the weekday that he would normally miss due to school.”
Ms. Caldwell is looking forward to new places that her family can experience together. “With the 4-day school week, this gives us more family time. My family can take a weekend to go camping or explore a new city in or even go outside of Texas!”
While the choice to move to a 4-day school week was bold, Life School is already seeing positive signs. It is normal for the school to see 93-95% of families re-enroll for the next school year. This year, right at 93% re-enrolled to save their child’s seat for August with some campuses seeing as much as 97% of their students re-enrolling.
Overall, parents see this change as an innovative solution. “As the 2022 – 2023 schedule year ends, I’m excited for the next year to begin. I see Life School setting the precedent for a 4-day school week with surrounding school districts. I believe they will be watching to see how Life School handles the new schedule and how the students handle it. Life School teachers and students are resilient and will adapt to the change very well,” says Ms. Caldwell.
“I’m also excited about what this means for my kids. The bottom line is that it gives them more opportunities to grow, and I am all about a high-growth environment,” says Ms. May.
New enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year opened February 1. Interested families can apply by visiting lifeschool.net/enrollment/life-school-enrollment.
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Life School is a tuition-free, public charter school with campuses in Carrollton, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Mountain Creek, Red Oak, Oak Cliff and Waxahachie, TX. Life School develops leaders with life skills through strong academics, character training, and partnerships with parents and the community. Its mission is accomplished in part through the financial support of donors who provide scholarships and embrace making students ready to learn, ready to lead and ready for life.
Parents who are interested in enrollment can visit lifeschool.net/learn-about-life. Enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year is open until March 10, 2023. Partners who would like to support Life School financially can give online at lifeschool.net/give.
