Longer School Day Implemented At Benjamin Mays Elementary
Students at Benjamin Mays Elementary School returned to school from Christmas break Monday with a visit from the mayor and the public schools CEO.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Jean-Claude Brizard, head of Chicago Public Schools, toured the school as it implemented its new longer school day schedule. Mays is one of two traditional public schools to move to a 90 minutes longer school day now, ahead of the rest of the school district which will start doing it next school year. Genevieve Melody Elementary School on the West Side and 37 charter schools also began a longer school day Monday.
By attending a school with a full school day, the children at Mays Elementary and Melody Elementary are no longer being shortchanged and instead will spend more time receiving instruction and focusing on learning, and ultimately receiving the education they deserve, Emanuel said at the school.
The mayor and CPS came under fire by the teachers union in the fall as the new school year began for trying to institute the longer school day this school year instead of waiting for the next one. Emanuel offered financial and other incentives to schools, principals and teachers who moved to the longer school day sooner rather than later.
The Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis cried foul at the mayors and CPS actions, accusing the two of strong arming schools and bucking the union.
CTU filed a grievance against the school districts actions in this situation.
The school district and CTU further clash over Brizards proposal to turnaround some other schools in the district considered to be underperforming.
For Brizard, who Monday began the second half of his first year as CEO of the public schools, the longer school day and the proposed turnarounds are all aimed at bridging the achievement gap in citys public education system.
The quantity of instruction can mean the difference between a high school dropout and a college graduate, Brizard said at Mays on Monday. Studies show that whether we add time to reading, math and science classes or provide students with individual instruction in these areas, the more time students spend on task, the more they understand, learn and grow academically.
Mays principal Patricia McCann told reporters after officials toured her school that the longer school day will be a rich experience for her students. She explained that time would be added (as needed) for instruction in such subjects as math, social studies, language arts, reading, science and physical education. She also said the students would get 20 minutes of something theyve never had before: recess.
The days are richer, she said. I didnt take 90 minutes and stick it on the end of that 2-oclock (dismissal), that wouldnt be rational. The biggest value to the 90 minutes is that what were teaching already is richer.
Forty-minutes of science classes can now extended to an hour-and-a-half and where teachers would have time for math instruction several times a week, the core subject can be taught daily for at least an hour with the longer school day, the principal explained.
Still, she admitted that the school still may not have enough instruction time to meet the Illinois requirements for teaching time in academic subjects.
Were not there yet because its so much, she said. The standards are so large. We are hitting it, were getting there now, but were still not there. Were not there yet.
The mayor remains hopeful.
Research supports that adding instruction time will give Chicago students the education and skills they need to achieve in the classroom and beyond, Emanuel said.
The city is partnering with the University of Chicago Urban Education Lab to evaluate the full school day and report on its effectiveness. The UEL will report on the schools that rolled the longer school day out this year, then it will evaluate the rest of the schools in the district once theyve done it next year.
By Rhonda Gillespie
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