Four Day School Weeks and School Staffing Shortages

By J. Cameron Anglum, Anita Manion, Sapna Varkey

In this brief, we discuss four-day school week policies and what we know - and don’t know - about their effect on school staffing shortages in Missouri.

Key Point:

• Permanent four-day school week policies have grown rapidly across the country, in part due to challenges in rural teacher labor markets.

• In 2023-24, more than 30% of Missouri’s traditional public schooldistricts will operate a four-day school week, including more than 40% of its rural districts.

• Though popular among many including teachers and families, there is limited evidence four-day school weeks in Missouri have stemmedteacher shortages. For example, in 2021-22, four-day districts experienced larger shortages than did five-day districts.

• Data tracking school district teacher shortages in Missouri remains incomplete, rendering it difficult to fully assess the success of quickly expanding four-day policies on labor shortages.

• Alongside policy shifts addressing teacher compensation and working conditions, policymakers must consider the effects of four-day school weeks on their intended outcomes—improved teacher recruitmenand retention—alongside its farther reaching impacts on students, families, and communities.

Please Cite As: Anglum, J., Manion, A., & Varkey, S. (2023). Four Day School Weeks and School Staffing Shortages. Policy Research in Missouri Education, 5(6). Saint Louis University. https://www.sluprime.org/policy-brief-database/fourdayschoolweeksandschoolstaffingshortages