Please email me with more information. And always feel free to pitch concerns and info here and on our FB page. Whatever concerns Chicago Moms has a place here, and thanks.

Dwana (at) chicagonista (dot) com

As someone in the trenches of Chicago Public Schools, and who also has access to stakeholders from time to time, I have to say, there is scant ‘open conversation’ going on, and if there’s conversation, there’s not enough listening going on. I’m not saying change is bad, or that some things aren’t improving in the city. But the longer day ‘advisory board’ was not open to many parent groups. And there’s no output of this board — no report, no recommend, no votes, no minutes, no open meetings act. CPS is telling one of the only parent groups on the committee, Raise Your Hand, that they are the only ones voicing concerns. I guess CPS is deaf in one ear on this, because about seven new groups with various concerns have sprung up in the last 2 months, which validates we’re not “the only ones.”

Me, I welcome and promote open conversation. In fact, I’m impatient. I can’t wait to have me some open conversation!

Raise Your Hand is about solutions: in 2010 RYH developed a campaign to bring recess to all schools and extend the day. RYH pointed out to the board of ed that this was indeed supported by the current contract. From RYH “Fit for Learning” campaign, 13 schools extended their day in fall 2011 — before the “pioneer” program, with $0 reward and minimal impact to school budgets. RYH developed a toolkit and provided training and technical assistance.

So RYH worked closely with many schools, communities and organizing groups, and is in touch with what works, what doesn’t, and is willing to take a proactive approach to solving.

Making the day longer with no dedicated resources will simply not work. This is not a class issue. It’s simple math.

* * * *

Just wondering: have you received the same kind of ping from CPS to promote parent and community engagement, and get people to run for LSCs that you got to promote the full day campaign?

Perhaps you would consider blogging and tweeting about running for LSC? The deadline for applications to run for Local School Council is next Friday, March 8th.

I appreciate the opportunity to dialogue.

As a product of CPS and, again, I pulled a child out of CPS, I know intimately “WHY” A- I don’t have a child in CPS B- Why I support this change.

Again, it is a birthing process. I am SO surprised that the opposition is so vehement when CPS has suffered for over 40 years. Did you attend CPS? If you did then you know…

I am not a sheep. Nor do I believe Rahm and CPS are liars. Additionally, as a criminal justice agent who sees CPS students every day, I KNOW the urgency of now. Our community, as a whole, is at risk. This implementation is a cohesive attempt to service all students, not just now, but in the future. I also believe it is safe to assume 19th Ward schools have access to more than some other less prominent, disenfranchised wards… what about those children who are behind the curve.

I applaud continued discussion but name-calling and lack of true vision toward excellence when you are stuck simply looking at your own personal situation, or that of Mayor Emmanuel, will keep things stagnant and students, and the communities they live in, will continue to suffer.

I am not entirely opposed to a longer day but feel that 7.5 hours is extreme. Three of my children attend a neighborhood school that has a 5.75 hour day. They have art, music, drama, pe, AND recess. Our school meets annual yearly progress ans many exceed. We hves good test scores however we are over crowded. My third grade daughter had 43 students in her class this year. There are several other CPS schools that have a 6.5 hour day and have fine arts, music, world language, pe, and recess and they are actually testing better than the schools that have a 7.5 hour day. A quality day can be had in 6.5 hours!

What about selective enrollment schools such as Northside Prep and Whitney Young that are true gems in the Chicago Public Schools system? Our selevtive enrollment schools are the schools who are doing it right. Why are we not modeling other schools after their programs. Why should they conform to failure?

You also speak as if there was an open dialogue between cps and parents. CPS and Mayor Emmanuel are systematically ignoring and silencing parents that oppose the extremely long 7.5 hour day and the “turnaround” of their neighborhood schools. The parents of the 19th ward invited CPS to a meeting to discuss the longer day. CPS confirmed they would be there then did not show up. How disrespectful and insulting.

If you want to join the sheep and believe all the propaganda and lies that Rahm and CPS are spewing feel free. However, if you do your own research and really look into what is going on you will see that Rahm and CPS are attempting to implement the most expensive and least effective way to address school reform. Mayor Emmanuel speaks as if 7.5 hours is the only way the children of Chicago will get a fair shake at a good education yet he sends his kids to a school that has a 5.5 hour day. Actions speak louder than words.

Thank you so much for being engaged in our youth, and for all of your sacrifice. I am sorry you were disappointed but I think being a product of CPS and having had one child attend briefly summoned up my passion for CPS problems. Additionally, all the other moms who are covering the new CPS agenda have younger children in CPS.

There is no easy remedy for the failure of CPS. I am simply happy this administration is daring to implement something, anything, to get this system functioning.

And to clarify my commentary about “magnet” schools, at the time, those schools removed us from the typical school-day because we had longer travel times to and from. We were on our way before the other children, and returning home long after they had all gone home. After school is, as it was 40 years ago, a high time for wild behavior. The new time means children will be coming home while more workplace people are moving about hopefully lessoning the chances of incidence. I don’t know if you saw that I am in law enforcement, so trust when I say I know schools do not MAKE criminals. Schools do however, educate criminals, sad-to-say, so there is a huge burden there. I personally would like to see some sort of programming that may assist these young people in turning their lives around. None of us in civil service have control of what goes on inside the homes, obviously, BUT we do have a responsibility to engage someone who may have a disadvantaged lifestyle. My other point there was that magnet schools had resources allocated that the other schools did not. From what I am hearing from this administration, they are trying to make a concerted effort to insure all schools are equal and compliant and receiving, as much as possible, the same resources, attention, and programming. I am all for that.

First, let me say that I fully respect your right to voice your opinion. However, I also fully agree with Just Curious who said “How is it the people who seem to be most enthusiastic about the longer day at CPS are people who do not actually have children at CPS? Most of the school board, CPS executives, the Mayor and you.”

When I first started to read your article, I thought that you SURELY must have a child in the system to feel so passionate about the changes Brizard and Emmanuel are attempting to implement. However, I was disappointed to learn that you are buying into all the media BS they are feeding the general public. They have done nothing but vilify teachers and promote all their changes as being in the best interest of our students. In reality, these changes are being pushed along to further Rahm’s agenda; to make him look good for carrying out a campaign promise. They may have “asked” for teacher and parent input and feedback, but they didn’t listen to a word of it – at least not the opinions that did not serve to further their agenda. Teachers have been silenced in this process, despite the fact that we know most about what our students need academically. Parents concerns seem to have been ignored or dismissed. Decisions were made and the process set into motion long before they asked “us” what we thought, wanted, or needed.

But back to your article. You say “while the longer school day is only the tip of the magic bullet, I believe implementing more time for teachers to convene, more instruction is vital, because, keep in mind, private/parochial schools have lower student:teacher ratios.” No matter what they SAY will happen next year regarding more teacher “prep” time during the day, the reality is that they are unwilling to provide any funds to support this. In order to make it work, we need more personnel to fill these voids – to make sure we have appropriate supervision to watch those kiddos at lunch and recess as well as to cover 5 60-minute prep periods each week for each class. We just had a meeting at our school today. Armed with our current numbers, the requirements from the board, and 60+ very highly qualified and educated adults, we were unable to find a way to make it work. The scheduling of it is simply mathematically impossible – there are too many minutes and not enough people. Instead, teachers will be giving up their planning time to cover other classes and recess, and we will be left with even less than we currently have. So what happens then? Do I take home even MORE work than I do now? I am already at school 1.5 hours before the kids get there and stay 1.5 hours after…….so now I’ll have to arrive at 6:30 and stay until 5 every day to get everything done since I’ll be losing much of my prep time? Do I just give up being able to spend time with my own children except on Saturday and Sunday? We already give SO MUCH of ourselves to this profession because we are passionate about it and because we do want what’s best for our students, but there has to be some limit.

You say, “these efforts secured that my future would be carved in the luxury of the “magnet” schools until I went to college. Many of my neighbors were not so lucky. Their futures ended up with them involved in gangs, drugs and dead-end lifestyles.” This seems to imply that those who went to “non-magnet” public schools ending up in gangs or with dead-end lifestyles BECAUSE they went to “non-magnet” public schools. Schools DO NOT MAKE criminals. Schools DO NOT MAKE drug addicts. These results are due to many factors OUTSIDE of school control. To suggest that schools might be responsible for their poor life choices places the sole responsibility of raising children on the educational system. What about parents and families? What about the neighborhoods where these kids are living? What about what they are being exposed to at home, outside of school? Education starts FIRST in the home.

You say “More time spent also means higher scores!” Really? Find me studies that can prove this. I guarantee I can find just as many, if not more, to DISprove this. Time does NOT simply equal higher test scores. Period.

You say “CEO Jean-Claude Brizard, in a discussion with area Chicago Moms, shared that being on this trajectory will improve literacy. The immediate goals are to give all Chicagoans access to quality schools. Better serving our students improves the community. Hopefully more students will enroll in college as well. CEO Brizard also spoke at length about the language acquisition program encouraging non-native English speakers to bring up their skills. Literacy, literacy, literacy! Who can argue with that.” First, I’m really glad Brizard is out there talking to area Chicago Moms. But tell me – how many of those moms actually HAVE children enrolled in CPS? (I ask because you already mentioned you do not……) And of COURSE he will tout the excellence of “his” changes. Do you think he would tear down his own proposed changes? Do you really think he would point out the shortcomings and deficiencies? Of course not!!! He must drum up as much public support as he can get because the teachers, the ones actually WORKING with students and IN SCHOOLS EVERY DAY, know the flaws in his program, know the difficulties or impossibilities schools will face in the effort to implement these changes.

Please do not misunderstand me. I feel the strain for time EVERY DAY. I am FOR a longer day (maybe not 7.5 hours, but longer than it currently is). But tacking more time onto the day, mandating the minutes we must allocate for each subject – these things will not magically improve student learning. We need highly qualified teachers in each classroom. We need strong curriculum AND the resources to support this curriculum. We need learning environments where students AND teachers feel safe, supported, and valued. These are the things that make a difference, and these are the things that are being ignored in this debate.

I hope both sides continue to have these discussions and conversations, but I truly wish that those who publicly applaud this process and these changes become fully educated about everything that the Board is ACTUALLY trying to do.

Listen to 3 VIVA Chicago teachers who were interviewed on WBEZ about their recommendations: http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/2012-01-27/teachers-facing-longer-school-days-consider-best-use-additional-time-958.

You can also find the full report written by the Chicago VIVA teachers here: http://vivateachers.org/2012/01/04/viva-chicago-project-time-teachers-and-tomorrows-schools.

I think you will find it interesting that the report addresses a lot of your concerns. The teachers recommended more time and staffing for ancillary classes (art, music, PE) so that students have a well-rounded education. They also recommended that community organizations, like Communities in Schools, get involved before, during, and after the school day. Finally, teachers not only recommended that all schools have recess and have funding for a playground, but CPS also asked for their help to write a resource guide for principals as they plan to integrate recess into the full school day: http://www.cps.edu/News/Press_releases/Pages/01_17_2012_PR1.aspx.

Each school has a lot of flexibility with how it will structure its school day. Make sure that your school considers these teacher-written recommendations when deciding how to structure its extended school day.

As a parent, I feel that it is my responsibility to make sure that my child has the best. We’ll see how this goes for a year (and I know that I’ve been there before having school from 8 in the morning until 3:15 in the afternoon IN a Chicago Public School.)

It’s easy for us as the parent to say how much of a sacrifice this is for us, but is it really that much of a sacrifice when the education of our children is at stake?

I’m looking forward to more responses regarding this subject.

I applaud your perspective. I too am a working single mother. My children all had to attend the “Afterschool” programs which really was just extended instructional time. They could do homework, have access to their teachers and do their sports.

As a single mom, I had to make huge sacrifices to enroll my children in private schools that I was really hoping I wouldn’t need to make. I am SO excited to be a part of what I thought was lacking back then. Also, I really hope you will stay a part of the conversation.

Finally, being in law enforcement, knowing that high crime happens during the hours when students will no longer be available to be a part, I am most interested to see how this will impact crime against these age groups. I don’t think “babysitting” is descriptive as to what this new instructional time is about. Even when we hire babysitters, we want someone teaching, interacting and affecting positively.

Lets keep this conversation going.

Please continue to voice! For the love of our children!

Change comes at huge sacrifice. Having had such a poor overall presence, I applaud any striking movements to pull CPS out of the present state it is in.

Please stay engaged and be a part of the vision. We are here to bring a voice to CPS because they are really listening.

I am a CPS graduate. Additionally, I have two sons, and the older one went to a public school during his 4th grade. It was a horrible experience so I pulled him out.

Your statement, in my opinion, is the best reasoning behind the longer school day: “The focus of Rahm’s longer day is “40 minutes more math, 40 minutes more reading…the basics.” As if more of the same is a magic bullet to closing the racial (actually, socioeconomic) achievement gap.”

While the longer school day is only the tip of the magic bullet, I believe implementing more time for teachers to convene, more instruction is vital, because, keep in mind, private/parochial schools have lower student:teacher ratios. ALSO, I applaud the open conversation being held. Keep using your voice. Unfortunately, the same problems that affected CPS 40 years ago when I was enrolled are the same. Someone stepping in to do something drastic to promote change is really awesome. Keep me posted on your thoughts!

The breakdown http://cps.edu/Programs/DistrictInitiatives/FullDay/Pages/LongerDayDetails.aspx SEEMS so appropriate.

I REALLY hope you’ll keep sharing what works and what doesn’t because you have an awesome perspective!