In an effort to recruit and retain more teachers, Independence School District transitioned to a four-day school week, making it the largest district in Missouri to adopt the shorter school schedule.
The change has already achieved its primary goal, Superintendent Dr. Dale Herl told Up To Date.
"Applications are up more than 360%," Herl said. "We've got every classroom filled in the Independence School District."
Ahead of Up To Date's interview with the superintendent, KCUR asked listeners within the district to share by text line how they feel about the newly implemented four-day school week.
Reactions from parents and caregivers were mixed. Some families were frustrated by an inconsistent schedule, student exhaustion from longer school days, and not enough supports and activities when students are out of school. Other were enthusiastic about the transition, saying the extra day out of school is good for students' mental health and time to catch up on homework.
"It's gone exceptionally well," Herl said. "Certainly whenever you have this sort of large systemic change there's things that we want to tweak, and we'll do that."
- Dr. Dale Herl, superintendent, Independence School District
