Four-Day School Weeks Correlated with Higher Juvenile Crime

Four-day school weeks could lead to higher rates of juvenile crime, according to a study published in the journal Economics of Education Review. Data show the model could increase crime by as much as 20%. This paper documents the short-term causal effect of school attendance on youth crime. To estimate this relationship, this study exploits the adoption of the four-day school week policy –a long-lasting schedule change – across schools within the jurisdiction of rural law enforcement agencies in Colorado over the period 1997–2014. As a result of policy adoption, on average juvenile crimes increase. The findings are particularly strong for property crime. Juvenile crime appears to increase in non-school locations and decline at school on Friday, the day treated students are off from school, suggesting incapacitation as a mechanism.

Fischer, S., & Argyle, D. (2018). Juvenile crime and the four-day school week. Economics of Education Review, 64, 31-39. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2018.03.010

School Crime and Safety

A joint effort by the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in schools and colleges. This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources—the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety, the Schools and Staffing Survey, EDFacts, and the Campus Safety and Security Survey. The report covers topics such as victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.

Musu-Gillette, L., Zhang, A., Wang, K., Zhang, J., Kemp, J., Dilibert, M., & Oudekerk, B. (2017). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2017. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics, & the Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018036.pdf

California Truancy Report

This report is the first to present state-wide statistics on California's truancy crisis which reveal that, last year alone, 1 million elementary school students were truant and 250,000 elementary school students missed 18 or more school days at a cost of $1.4 billion in lost funds to California school districts. According to the report, elementary school truancy is at the root of the state's chronic criminal justice problems. According to the report, missing large amounts of school is one of the strongest predictors of dropping-out, even more so than suspensions or test scores. Annually, dropouts cost California taxpayers an estimated $46.4 billion in incarceration, lost productivity and lost taxes.
Harris, K. (2013). In School + On Track: Attorney General's Report on California's Elementary School Truancy and Absenteeism Crisis. Sacramento: California Department of Justice.
http://www.issuelab.org/resource/in_school_on_track_attorney_generals_report_on_californias_elementary_school_truancy_and_absenteeism_crisis