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Calendar Confusion: Unpacking Variation in the Four-Day School Week. CALDER Research Brief No. 43-0226

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Title: Calendar Confusion: Unpacking Variation in the Four-Day School Week. CALDER Research Brief No. 43-0226
Language: English
Authors: Emily Morton, Jamie Klinenberg, National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) at American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Source: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER). 2026.
Availability: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-403-5796; Fax: 202-403-6783; e-mail: info@caldercenter.org; Web site: https://caldercenter.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Reports - Research
Descriptors: School Schedules, Educational Benefits, Time Factors (Learning), Educational Change, Board of Education Policy, State School District Relationship, Alignment (Education)
Geographic Terms: Texas
Abstract: The difference between a five-day school week (5DSW) and a four-day school week (4DSW) seems straightforward. But in practice, it is not clear how different 4DSW and 5DSW calendars actually are--or how much variation exists among districts that share the same label. Documenting variation in school schedules is important for interpreting the mixed evidence on effects of the 4DSW. This brief leverages longitudinal data on daily school operation status from Texas to systematically document how school calendars vary. It examines how calendar structures differ within and between 4DSW and 5DSW districts, and how these structures have changed over time. Observed calendar features are compared across four different measures of 4DSW status and across district characteristics, and cases in which a district's calendar "identity" appears misaligned with its calendar structure are highlighted. The findings complicate the intuition that the 4DSW represents a consistent policy treatment and show how classification choices can shape conclusions about its effects.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED680918
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  Data: National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Washington, DC 20007. Tel: 202-403-5796; Fax: 202-403-6783; e-mail: info@caldercenter.org; Web site: https://caldercenter.org
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  Data: The difference between a five-day school week (5DSW) and a four-day school week (4DSW) seems straightforward. But in practice, it is not clear how different 4DSW and 5DSW calendars actually are--or how much variation exists among districts that share the same label. Documenting variation in school schedules is important for interpreting the mixed evidence on effects of the 4DSW. This brief leverages longitudinal data on daily school operation status from Texas to systematically document how school calendars vary. It examines how calendar structures differ within and between 4DSW and 5DSW districts, and how these structures have changed over time. Observed calendar features are compared across four different measures of 4DSW status and across district characteristics, and cases in which a district's calendar "identity" appears misaligned with its calendar structure are highlighted. The findings complicate the intuition that the 4DSW represents a consistent policy treatment and show how classification choices can shape conclusions about its effects.
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