This product development report addresses the components for an operations manual, which will serve as a guide for school districts pursuing or implementing a four-day school week. The product will provide school districts with a resource to address their needs, questions, and concerns around all aspects of the transition to a four-day school week, including policy, community relations, human resources, scheduling, finances, and student achievement. Over the past five years, weakening economic conditions have wreaked havoc across the country in most industries. Missouri public school districts have not been spared the hardship, as decreases in property tax subsidies and state budget shortfalls create lasting deficiencies in funding. With the passage of four-day school week/alternative calendar legislation, this economic crisis has spurred school districts in Missouri and across the nation to investigate options for an alternative calendar or four-day school week in order to reduce spending. The need for an operations manual surfaced as the team examined four-day school week research and during the interviews of state department leaders from many states expressing limited guidance existed for districts investigating or making the transition to a four-day school week. District leaders considering this change have been forced to conduct their own research and develop an implementation plan without any guidance. As more and more districts consider this option, it will be beneficial for them to have a guide with the resources needed to implement the four-day school week. The purpose of this study was to identify what school leaders and policymakers need to know when considering or implementing a four-day school week. An expert panel, consisting of school leaders and state education officials knowledgeable in educational policy and in the research and practice of school district administration reviewed the operations manual as part of the pilot. Following the expert panel review, the manual was refined based on recommendations and submitted to another expert panel for field test feedback. A complete evaluation of the final field-test recommendations and revisions were incorporated into the manual. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]