Exploring school schedules

By Emily Richmond

Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 | 8:56 a.m.

The weeks have gotten shorter -- and the days longer -- for students at Explore Knowledge Academy, one of Clark County's newer charter schools.

The school started its second year Aug. 16, two weeks ahead of the rest of the Clark County School District's traditional campuses. Classes are being held Tuesday through Friday, with Mondays reserved for staff development and parent-teacher conferences.

State law allows charter schools some flexibility in devising schedules, provided the instructional time is consistent with the 180-day academic year.

Joan Sando, principal of Explore Knowledge, said she discussed the proposed change with district staff and state Superintendent Keith Rheault over the summer and was given the go-ahead. While the Nevada Department of Education has the authority to issue a waiver, Explore Knowledge officials asked for -- and at Thursday's Clark County School Board meeting received -- the district's blessing to make the change permanent.

Craig Kadlub, director of community relations for the district and the charter school liaison, said he recommended that the School Board allow Explore Knowledge to revise its academic calendar.

Located on Sandhill Road near Tropicana Avenue, the charter school rents converted office buildings from the nearby Lutheran church. Many of the charter school's 285 students come from the far corners of Clark County, making the weekday commute difficult for parents, Sando said. To make up the difference, students attend classes from 8:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Most Clark County elementary schools operate on a 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule, while the middle schools run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. High school students typically begin at 7 a.m. and finish at 1 p.m.

Explore Knowledge offers "projects-based instruction," which allows students to chart individualized courses of study. Students must follow the same district curriculum and state standards as their peers at other schools but may choose their own methods of covering the material.

High scores on standardized tests given this past spring earned the campus "high achieving" status from the Nevada Department of Education -- the only Clark County charter school to receive the designation.

The four-day school week has been seen as a means for underfunded districts to save on transportation and utilities costs. Facing a massive budget shortfall, Oregon's state Legislature voted last year to shorten the school week to four days.

Nine states -- including Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming -- allow small, rural school districts to operate on four-day schedules. Last year legislative proposals for the four-day school week failed in Michigan, Montana and Massachusetts; Utah repealed a pilot program allowing the abbreviated schedule.

Studies of schools with four-day schedules have been mixed. Some research suggests older students benefit from the compressed schedule while younger children struggle to pay attention over the course of the longer day. The shortened week may reduce transportation hassles for families living in outlying areas but could also leave some parents scrambling for child care on the fifth day.