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The Effects of the Four-Day School Week on Teacher Recruitment and Retention. Working Paper No. 320-0226-2

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Effects of the Four-Day School Week on Teacher Recruitment and Retention. Working Paper No. 320-0226-2
Language: English
Authors: Andrew M. Camp, J. Cameron Anglum, Cory Koedel, Se Woong Lee, Tuan D. Nguyen, 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: 77
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Contract Number: R305C240007
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Teaching Conditions, Working Hours, Teacher Recruitment, Teacher Persistence, Teacher Attitudes, Administrator Attitudes, Program Effectiveness, Elementary Secondary Education, Teacher Characteristics, Institutional Characteristics
Geographic Terms: Missouri
Abstract: School districts across the United States are increasingly adopting the four-day school week, often in the hope of addressing teacher staffing challenges. We examine the effects of the four-day week on teacher recruitment and retention in Missouri, where three in ten districts currently use it. After presenting qualitative data showing that school and district leaders, and teachers, believe the four-day week improves recruitment and retention, we estimate the effects of the four-day week on these outcomes using difference-in-differences models. We find no consistent evidence that the four-day school week improves teacher recruitment or retention. Our findings hold when considering potential saturation effects, indicating that even early adopters experienced no statistically significant benefit from adopting the four-day school week calendar.
Abstractor: As Provided
IES Funded: Yes
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED681037
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:School districts across the United States are increasingly adopting the four-day school week, often in the hope of addressing teacher staffing challenges. We examine the effects of the four-day week on teacher recruitment and retention in Missouri, where three in ten districts currently use it. After presenting qualitative data showing that school and district leaders, and teachers, believe the four-day week improves recruitment and retention, we estimate the effects of the four-day week on these outcomes using difference-in-differences models. We find no consistent evidence that the four-day school week improves teacher recruitment or retention. Our findings hold when considering potential saturation effects, indicating that even early adopters experienced no statistically significant benefit from adopting the four-day school week calendar.