Should schools be closed the day after Thanksgiving?

Who decided that it's more important for districts to get funding for a day than for students to have quality time with their families? The revenue-generating butts-in-seats mentality that many districts have these days, has nothing to do with teaching and learning. If you think students need more time in the classroom, let's focus on the quality of learning within those four walls over the quantity of time.

Attend school on Black Friday - are you nuts? Here in Dallas, and probably most of Texas, we get the whole blooming week off! The change was necessitated by the number of students who took the week whether it was scheduled or not. It made more fiscal sense to extend the school calendar and get that attendance money at the end of the year than have more than half the student population out that week and lose the money altogether! (And since, in 2008, DISD LOST $85 million, (lost: as in "we have no idea what happened to this money; oops!"), our schools need every penney they can get!)

Of all national Holidays, Thanksgiving is seen as a time of family gathering. It has no religious conotation, so it's universal. And in the America of today, many families (mine included) gather from distances to be together. This is practical becaue it's a four-day weekend - elsewise my daughter from California could not join us at my brother's house in Boston, while I travel up from New York

Our district is off the day before Thanksgiving as well as the day after. This helps families with travel plans and gives students a short break.

Because of budgetary concerns our district decided to close for the entire week before Thanksgiving. I guess $ trumps education.

I agree with Tabitha. My district only has off Thanksgiving and black Friday, but many students do not come in the day before Thanksgiving or even the entire week of Thanksgiving because they are traveling to spend Thanksgiving with relatives. It would be a wasteful school day. I'd much rather tack the day onto the end of the year if the one extra school day was that impactful on school achievement.

In my experience parents will cater to their own conveniences. If Friday was a school day I can foresee that not many students will be in attendance and if that's the case then for many teachers it would be a blow off day. So is it really beneficial to have class that day? I have had many instances when school was in session on a Holiday and I had less than half of my students in class. Many parents will sacrifice a 1 day absence to travel or for that matter to shop. Many districts only have 1 holiday from the start of school till Thanksgiving. The Fall may be packed with holidays but that doesn't mean that schools get that time off.
Not only that but how will having school effect the national and local economies? How many local businesses rely on Black Friday to kick off their holiday sales?

It seems in my part of the world that not only are we out the day after Thanksgiving, but now the day BEFORE as well. When I taught at a private boarding school, this made sense, as students were traveling some distances and a longer break validated the trip. Now, I'm not so sure whose best interests we have in mind!