Classroom calculus: America rethinks the school week

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  The Economist Hi, John Prado here.

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  I host Checks and Balance, our podcast on US politics.

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  Welcome to Editors Picks.

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  Here's an article from the latest edition of The Economist handpicked by our team and read aloud.

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  I hope you enjoy it.

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  Eldon, Iowa rarely bustles.

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  We're on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by corn,

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  explains James Craig, the superintendent of the area's school district,

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  which has about 1,000 pupils.

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  But on Mondays, the schools are particularly quiet.

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  Only the teachers are at the primary school, learning a new maths curriculum.

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  Since 2022, the district has worked on a four-day week schedule.

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  I couldn't be happier," Mr.

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  Craig says.

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  Everyone is thriving.

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  Giving students Mondays off has led to better attendance, behavior and mental health, he thinks.

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  Across America, more schools are embracing four-day weeks.

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  Over 2,100 schools operate that way, and every state west of the Mississippi now allows it.

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  Created in order to either save money or attract teachers,

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  four-day school weeks were previously a rural phenomenon.

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