Perspectives of teachers working in a four-day school week in Saskatchewan

The four-day school week (4DSW) is an emerging concept in public education in North America. In Canada, there are only a few districts or divisions that have made the switch from a traditional five-day school week to a four-day school week. However, in recent years' interest in moving to a 4DSW has grown. This case study was untaken to explore the perspectives of teachers working in the 4DSW in a Canadian province and to build upon the lack of current literature from a Canadian perspective. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with teachers to gain an understanding of the four-day school week specifically on student well-being, academic achievement, teacher perceptions, and teacher retention. Two teachers from the Prairie South School Division in Saskatchewan were interviewed for this study. Qualitative analysis of the semi-structured interviews identified strong support for the four-day school week, citing its positive impact on students and staff. The teachers reported that students' well-being and school culture improved, student academic achievement was not negatively impacted, teachers have strong positive perceptions of the four-day school week and teachers reported a strong desire to remain within the four-day school week and not return or move to a school the operate on the five-day school system. The findings of the research are positive and beneficial to school district leaders considering a move to a four-day school week. However, it is noted that there is a lack of research regarding four-day school weeks within the Canadian context and further research is needed.