Chicago mayor shortens school day after parents cry foul

After being accused of refusing to work with Chicago parents, Mayor Rahm Emanuel backed down on his longer school day proposal Tuesday, the Huffington Post reports. Emanuel announced that when Chicago Public Schools adopt a longer school day in the fall, elementary schools will go from 5 3/4 hours to a solid 7 hours. High schools will keep the originally planned 7 1/2 hour day, but will be released 75 minutes early once a week.

“The changes to the full day reflect hours spent listening to parents and taking action based on their input and demonstrate our willingness to work as true partners with parents to make decisions that will boost student achievement across the district,” CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard said in a statement.

The announcement comes after 16 parent groups from across the city teamed up to demand a meeting with Emanuel, and questioned the data that CPS was touting about their longer school day plan……Read More

Watch: Longer school day for Chicago Schools

After a very long, public battle, the Chicago Teachers Union announced Friday that they have come to an agreement with the mayor’s office and Chicago Public Schools on the length of Chicago’s school day, the Huffington Post reports. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office says she met recently with the CTU and city officials, responding to a complaint the union filed with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board voicing their concerns about extending the school day without increasing pay for teachers, Fox Chicago reports. The union filed its second complaint this week, alleging an exam that screens applicants was being used to filter out potential hires who would object to extending the school day…

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