On Thursday, February 16th at 6:10pm, Jean-Claude Brizard is having a conference call for all CPS parents and guardians to talk about extending the school day for the 2012-13 school year.  Below is the letter that went out to all parents. 

Here's the call-in number for Thursday:  1-877-229-8493 toll-free from any phone, and, when prompted, enter the access code 18528

Join and let us know what you think!

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Dear CPS Parents/Guardians:

Please join me for our next “tele-town hall” teleconference call scheduled for Thursday, February 16, 6:10 p.m. These tele-town halls are designed to help you, our CPS parents and guardians, understand the various initiatives that are taking place in your children’s schools and provide you the opportunity to ask questions of members of my staff and me.

The topic for Thursday’s tele-town hall is the Full School Day. Next fall all schools will have a 7.5 hour day, moving students from the shortest school day among the nation’s largest cities to bringing it on par with the national average for instructional time in both elementary school and high school.

The rationale behind moving CPS schools to a full school day is clear. 

• Our elementary school students are receiving 22 percent less instructional time than their peers across the country – they have been shortchanged by our system for too many years and they are falling behind in core subjects like reading, math and science.  We can’t expect the status quo to give them what they need.

• With a high school graduation rate of only 57 percent and 7.9 percent of 11th graders testing college ready, our children cannot afford to wait another day to get the time they need to boost their achievement.

And while some schools are higher performing than others there are NO schools in the district where more than 90 percent of 8th graders are meeting college readiness standards. We can’t wait another day to give our students the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.

What that means:

• Principals will no longer have to choose between reading, math or science because of limited time in the day to adequately teach each subject.

• Additional time will create the opportunity to add more intervention to ensure students who are falling behind in math and reading get up to speed

• Students will have time for lunch and recess every day to relax, re-boot and return to the classroom prepared to learn

And for the first time ever, we’re providing elementary school principals with benchmarks on the amount of instructional time students should receive for core subjects like reading, math and science.

As an example, beginning next year, every student in 3rd-5th grade will receive at least 120 minutes in reading and writing, 80 minutes in math, 60 minutes in science and 40 minutes in social studies. These guidelines are based on the expertise and experience of district content experts, an analysis of guidelines adopted by other districts, as well as the time needed for educational models that have a proven impact on student achievement. 

While the full 7.5 hour day will give schools the full time they need to boost student achievement, we know it is not a one-size-fits-all model.  That’s why schools will have flexibility to redesign their day to meet the unique needs of their student body with input from community, parents, students, and school staff.

The time itself is critical, but we know it’s how we use the additional time that will impact the success of all students – additional time must also be quality time. To access the call next Thursday, please call 1-877-229-8493 toll-free from any phone, and, when prompted, enter the access code 18528.

I hope you will be able to join me and other members of my team next week. Again, thank you in advance for engaging in this discussion and for the invaluable role you play in boosting the academic success of your children.

Jean-Claude Brizard
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools