Kentucky school days: the four-day school week.

• Author: Cavanaugh, Tim
• Position: Citings - Brief Article

FACED WITH rising fuel costs and flat school budgets, a Kentucky county has begun playing hooky one day a week. Schools in the Jackson County district have given kids Fridays off, while teachers work half a day. The district expects to see substantial savings in transportation, heating, maintenance, and other areas.

Kids hoping their own schools will follow Jackson County's lead may be in luck: Kentucky is joining a growing number of states that have allowed rural school districts to move to a shorter schedule. The four-day week has become common practice in Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Students in four-day districts have not shown any decline in achievement or standardized test performance, and they have better...