Some community organizations that depend on state money to provide after-school and summer programs for thousands of low-income children in Chicago say they’re upset with how long it’s taken the Illinois State Board of Education to prioritize their needs.
The Indianapolis Public School Board will consider expanding its fledgling preschool program to add 200 spots for four year olds by establishing 10 more preschool classes in seven schools at its Tuesday meeting.
More hours in the school day for teachers as well as students can lead to improved academic achievement, according to a new report that studies 17 schools across the nation that give teachers more time for collaboration and professional development. The average American teacher spends about seven hours of the workweek outside the classroom, according to “Rethinking Teacher Time,” a report by the National Center on Time and Learning.
Having secured state pre-K funds and settled the teachers contract, Mayor Bill de Blasio is now turning his attention to funding after-school programs and boosting arts education.
Some Chicago elementary schools are having a tough time as they prepare to meet a new requirement that students receive 30 minutes of physical education each day. The city is letting them phase in the time.
New York City’s proposed teachers contract stakes a claim about the time educators spend with students: quality beats quantity. Some are questioning that tradeoff.
Bit by bit, CPS has chipped away at efforts to create a non-traditional school calendar that aimed to make better use of time to improve academics. The last nail in the coffin came earlier this year, when the Board of Education quietly approved a new calendar that will have students once again return to school after Labor Day.
California has the largest investment in expanded learning programs in the nation, but there is still “a large, unmet need” for these programs, according to a recent report.
The concept of community schools is starting to gain ground across the country. Districts thinking of embracing this “whole child” approach to education might want to look to a nationally recognized model: Cincinnati, where every school aims to provide health, after-school, and counseling services.
The city is racing to allow charter schools to tap into new state funds allotted for its ambitious pre-kindergarten expansion plan. But charter leaders are now waiting for answers to a number of thorny logistical questions that may determine whether they try to open pre-K programs at all.