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CPS officials Tuesday invited all elementary schools to join the “Longer School Day Pioneers Program,” which adds 90 minutes of daily instructional time this school year in exchange for pro-rated teacher raises of 2 percent.

CPS officials Tuesday invited all elementary schools to join the “Longer School Day Pioneers Program,” which adds 90 minutes of daily instructional time this school year in exchange for pro-rated teacher raises of 2 percent. Plus, schools that join in September will net an extra $150,000; those that start in January will get $75,000, a CPS news release explained. (Sun-Times)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday morning visited the three Chicago Public Schools where teachers last week voted in favor of a controversial proposal to add 90 minutes to the school day this year. (Sun-Times)

A Tribune editorial calls on teachers all CPS elementary schools to move to a longer day after teachers at three schools last week voted to expand the school day by 90 minutes. 

New programs, charter schools and tougher curricula greeted Chicago Public Schools students Tuesday when they returned to the classroom after the summer break. (WBEZ)

In response to CPS’s announcement of an extended school day financing program, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) released the following statement: “We think it is important that the Board of Education provide this kind of funding for all of our schools. CTU has argued for increased school funding for months and we continue to urge the Board to make a substantial financial investment in our students.  This new money will help teachers deliver what is necessary to create a Better School Day for our children’s education, i.e., hiring more teaching staff to deliver a richer curriculum, time for teacher professional development, and reduced class sizes. However, we don’t think it’s appropriate to require our members to waive their rights in order to receive these critical resources for their schools. No one should be coerced to vote against their own interests through emotional blackmail. Our teachers want what’s best for our students but we also want proper planning and fairness. Given CPS’s decision to shift resources to extend the school day, we now expect the district to make financial investments that are proportional to the size of the other 600 public schools in order to benefit all 400,000 students—not just a few. (Release press)

In the state

Barrington Unit District 220 board members Tuesday heard progress reports from half the committees charged with the task of formulating a strategic plan on what the high school graduates of 2020 should already have learned. (Daily Herald)

In the nation

New Yorkers are broadly dissatisfied with the quality of their public schools, and most say the city’s school system has stagnated or declined since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took control of it nine years ago, according to a New York Times poll.

Stringent, systemic changes are headed to all 800 of Michigan's school districts and charter schools. Many students will head back to schools where class sizes are larger, programs have been cut. Some children may have to walk farther to catch the bus — if bus service is offered at all. Some students will have pay more to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities. Some teachers have taken pay cuts and are paying more for health insurance. (Detroit Free Press)

A new state law that requires Florida high school students to take a class online is causing cash-strapped school districts to spend millions on new computers.(Education Week)