The Texas Senate Committee on Education heard testimony about Texas students' reading scores trailing Mississippi students in 4th and 8th grades. The committee considered whether Texas should mandate a five-day school week after more than 100 districts switched to four-day weeks.
José MenéndezState Senator, Democrat from San Antonio
Mike MorathCommissioner of the Texas Education Agency
Dr. Emily MortonDirector of research consulting for Northwest Evaluation Association
Dr. Elmer AvellanedaSuperintendent for Natalia ISD
Texas Senate Committee on EducationCommittee that heard testimony
The facts
Texas students trail Mississippi students in 4th and 8th grade reading scores.2
Mississippi requires school districts a minimum 180-day school year; Texas average is 169 days.2
Texas school districts must provide 75,600 operational minutes per year but choose how to distribute them.2
More than 100 Texas school districts have switched to four-day school weeks.2
Senate Bill 2368 in 2023 would have banned more districts from implementing four-day school weeks; it passed the Senate but failed in House committee.2
Crosby ISD in Harris County became the largest district in the state to adopt a four-day week in February 2023, serving over 6,700 students.2
Research found four-day weeks produced 30-40% drop in bullying but increases in juvenile crime and food insecurity rates.2
Natalia ISD implemented a four-day calendar but saw academic achievement decline during years of operation on that schedule.2
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Mike Morath Longer school day with fewer total days is bad for instructional attainment and memory formation.2
Dr. Emily Morton Four-day weeks produced small 2% average decreases in district spending with minimal positive impacts overall.2
School districts Four-day weeks help recruit and retain teachers and provide cost savings.2
Dr. Elmer Avellaneda Natalia ISD implemented four-day week for teacher recruitment and retention but saw no improvement.2
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Texas lawmakers consider five-day school week mandate over concerns of academic drop off
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
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