School's back in session, some longer than others

Sep. 7, 2011
Summer break ended for Chicago’s students but the tension between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union continued. Issues like scrapped teacher raises and the length of the school day contributed to the acrimony.

Nearly 300,000 Chicago students head back to school

Sep. 6, 2011
About 300,000 Chicago kids head back to school today.Some are heading into completely new school buildings or programs.In just 10 months, a shiny metal-and-glass, super-modern school has emerged from vacant industrial land on the Southwest Side.  It’s an UNO charter school, where Juan Rangel is

Fight looms over longer school day in Chicago

Sep. 4, 2011
AUDIE CORNISH, host: The new school year starts this week in Chicago. And in a couple of schools, the day will be 90 minutes longer than last year. The new mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and his team of school leaders complain that Chicago's public schools have among the shortest school days in the country.

Brizard fields listener questions on Chicago schools

Sep. 2, 2011
Hundreds of thousands of Chicago Public Schools students are getting ready for the new school year. For parents, teachers and school administrators, it’s a time to grapple with what it will take to help kids succeed.WBEZ wants you to be a part of the discussion.

Arabic culture center slated for CPS

Aug. 30, 2011
How do you say the word “boast” in Arabic? Many students at Lindblom Math & Science Academy could tell you. Only a handful of public high schools in Chicago teach Arabic, and Lindblom has the largest program.

Chicago Teachers Union rejects longer day

Aug. 26, 2011
The Chicago Teachers Union is rejecting a proposal to immediately lengthen Chicago’s school day.Chicago Public Schools wanted 90 more minutes of class for elementary schools this year, an idea schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard floated on TV this week.

Luring Chicago dropouts back to school

Aug. 25, 2011
To get an idea of how many dropouts are in Chicago, imagine for a minute you’re at Soldier Field. The stadium is packed. There are 60,000 people here.

Emanuel backs smaller teacher raise for longer school day

Aug. 25, 2011
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is backing a plan to give teachers a small raise in exchange for extending the school day.Emanuel's schools chief, Jean Claude Brizard, this week said he's willing to give teachers a two percent raise, in exchange for 90 extra minutes in kindergarten through eighth grades.

Pages