Education has been a hot debate topic these past few years, especially during Trump’s new presidency. Topics that are often discussed generally surround one main idea–funding. Public schooling is frequently looked down upon due to its reputation of not giving its students quality education due to their lack of public funding. Recently, the district 27J in Colorado has announced that they will be switching to a four day school instead of five, dropping Monday from the school week. Classes will be extended by 40 minutes each day to make up for the loss of Monday. This rare occurrence happens when schools no longer have the money to provide for a 5 day school week, stating that removing simply one day from the week saves them at least one million dollars a year. Solange Bolger, a current senior at Pleasant Valley High School states that having an extra day off “would give me a weekday to stay productive. But I would still like assignments to be due on that Monday for a sense of urgency and limitation of procrastination.” This extra day off for student can prove to become useful to increase their productivity and will hopefully help to restore the economic decline that Colorado is currently facing.
Another recent change in the education system comes from California, which is currently looking at a bill that allows students to start school at a later time. Many studies prove that students do in fact perform better with later start dates, as they are allowed much more needed rest than usual. Sleep deprivation is a major problem in teenagers in this day and age. Many teens suffer from sleep deprivation which can cause a lack of comprehension, increase in stress, and could eventually lead to depression. Alana Woolison, another senior at Pleasant Valley High School states that, “A lack of sleep definitely affects my performance in school and just my overall day. It’s hard for me because I have so many things I want to accomplish but have no energy to do them. I think a later start time would be a great start to solve these problems.” Alana brings in the student perspective of how a later start time will benefit her fellow peers as it would allow for better participation in school and benefit their overall health. The education system still has its many flaws, but experimental changes will eventually show what is best for students in the future.
