All-day school schedules

Just a quick thought—they end up counting every single individual building within one school district as its own separate entity. You take one actual school and suddenly they've spun it into three, five, maybe even eight different entries... and just like that, you’re looking at 180 "schools" on paper 🤣

So, you're telling me just one single school in the whole of Chicago is actually going to implement this nonsense?!🤣
Unbelievable.
(I don't really take these private elementary schools seriously, though; they always feel like these somewhat spooky places with incredibly strange sets of rules)
I actually have a friend attending Lincoln Elementary, so I might reach out to her and see how on earth they managed to talk them into this idea🙂

So I finally realized they're rolling out the new curriculum for just the 1st and 5th grades in the 2023/24 school year, not every single grade level like I thought

Larry Walker24 said:So I finally realized they're rolling out the new curriculum for just the 1st and 5th grades in the 2023/24 school year, not every single grade level like I thought

Actually, it's being rolled out across all grades.

Sarah Hall53 said:Just a quick thought—they end up counting every single individual building within one school district as its own separate entity. You take one actual school and suddenly they've spun it into three, five, maybe even eight different entries... and just like that, you’re looking at 180 "schools" on paper 🤣

I quickly rattled off sixty-five parent companies—though, honestly, I might have overlooked one or two in my haste.

Larry Walker24 said:So I finally realized they're rolling out the new curriculum for just the 1st and 5th grades in the 2023/24 school year, not every single grade level like I thought

And I wouldn't be surprised if you're one of those people making the most noise online, yet you clearly don't have a single clue how these educational reforms actually work.

hiddenseal14 said:And I wouldn't be surprised if you're one of those people making the most noise online, yet you clearly don't have a single clue how these educational reforms actually work.

🙄🙄🙄🙄

So basically, sixth graders have been doing "Science" until now, and suddenly they're switching to "Natural Sciences"—which has zero connection to nature, if you ask me.

And let's be real, they expect textbook publishers to crank out two brand-new science books by August?

Some people on this board are living in a total fantasy land.

Larry Walker24 said:🙄🙄🙄🙄

So basically, sixth graders have been doing "Science" until now, and suddenly they're switching to "Natural Sciences"—which has zero connection to nature, if you ask me.

And let's be real, they expect textbook publishers to crank out two brand-new science books by August?

Some people on this board are living in a total fantasy land.

And that’s not even the half of it... the lecturing about these new science standards only just started today.🤣

urbantinker8 said:So, you're telling me just one single school in the whole of Chicago is actually going to implement this nonsense?!🤣
Unbelievable.
(I don't really take these private elementary schools seriously, though; they always feel like these somewhat spooky places with incredibly strange sets of rules)
I actually have a friend attending Lincoln Elementary, so I might reach out to her and see how on earth they managed to talk them into this idea🙂

So basically, taxpayers are footing the bill for CNN programs in private schools? 🙏 🙏 🙏

Honestly, the situation at Lincoln Elementary just baffles me. One thing that comes to mind is that since the school is so popular, they might be trying to trim their student numbers (since interest in CNN probably won't be nearly as high as they expect). After the big storms we had back in December, I noticed a ton of parents from the suburbs were moving their kids over to the district, though some were turned away because the local schools were already packed. There’s an entire new residential development built right around the school area now with tons of new apartments, so demand will likely skyrocket over the years. I just don't see how they'll manage the growth—unless they've somehow secured massive funding from the EU or the World Bank.

hiddenseal14 said:And just what kind of "extra subjects" do you imagine these teenagers are going to be burdened with?

The world and me (for those who aren't interested in religious studies)
A second foreign language
Computer Science (or whatever they call it now) in 7th and 8th grade
That adds up to five extra, mandatory hours every single week (which kids don't even get a say in right now)
And on top of that, you've got school-provided tutoring or extra help sessions for kids who don't actually need them or don't want them.
For some students, this ends up being two extra hours of school every single damn day. Every. Single. Day.

Kids can actually accomplish so much with those two extra hours; at the very least, they could actually get some decent rest before hitting the books. They could study at home, on a comfy couch, in peace and quiet.
This is exactly the kind of math that Fuchs, Divjakica, you, and the rest of the CN supporters seem to be missing. And honestly, you don't even need to look at the shoes of a kid stuck sitting through religious studies and a second language to see it. There are plenty of us out there who didn't burden our children with useless fluff.
And I’m pretty sure there are plenty of families just like us in the schools that signed up for CN.

Susan James said:And that’s not even the half of it... the lecturing about these new science standards only just started today.🤣

Totally forgot to mention that!!

I haven't seen any posts from valyca yet! I'm looking forward to seeing what they have to share once they join the conversation. kaže:
I was also wondering—what kind of specific challenges did she run into?
I really wish a journalist would step up and ask the tough questions here. Specifically, what’s the plan regarding parental consent? It feels like the Department of Education didn't give this much thought at all. Honestly, they probably didn't account for it, but we need answers. What kind of solution is being prepared for parents who decide to opt their kids out of these all-day school programs?

I honestly think parents won't bother asking for consent since it wasn't even part of the initial competition requirements. 😢
The school board holds the final say on this, and since they include a parent representative, their vote carries a lot of weight. If the official minutes show that the parent rep raised their hand in favor, then you’re looking at a unanimous decision. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d probably start by reaching out to that individual directly. It might be worth asking what specifically drove their vote—you might find out you aren't actually in the minority after all!

Honestly, we’re just looking at pure idiocy here. 🙂 I was thinking about our recent discussions regarding school governance, and I really feel like we should push to have actual subject matter experts sitting on the founding committees rather than outside consultants. It feels like we're missing that vital local expertise. A colleague mentioned that in some districts, these external representatives end up acting as a sort of middleman between the school board and the principals. Honestly, that just seems like an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. We need people who actually understand the classroom and the community to be at the table from the start.😲Representatives from other schools showed up, and of course, politicians from various parties jumped into the mix too. From what I can see, even some folks from the Department of Education have weighed in on the situation. 🥳
Honestly, I don't see any conflict here at all...🥳
Yeah, I think it’s definitely a good thing that no new schools popped up on the list for the city.

Not really sure how they'd spin this—they’re technically subjects, just tucked inside some experimental program.

Under Section 135 of the Education Act—(3) A student's parent has both the right and the duty to stay in the loop regarding everything in the school's curriculum and lesson plans posted on their website: that includes mandatory and elective subjects, interdisciplinary modules, extracurriculars, experimental tracks, and special programs and requires parental consent for participation in all those areas, except for the core subjects that make up the basic educational standard.

Our only move is to file a lawsuit in federal court, since you can't appeal the Department of Appeals decision.

Well, yeah, they're handling all the educational programming in those schools participating in the pilot program.
could you just write out, I think

rowdypanther12 said:Well, yeah, they're handling all the educational programming in those schools participating in the pilot program.
could you just write out, I think

That’s a question for the lawyers. If there's a legal requirement for parental consent to participate in an experiment, that should have been settled back when the school signed up for the study in the first place.

Eric Morgan54 said:Not really sure how they'd spin this—they’re technically subjects, just tucked inside some experimental program.

Under Section 135 of the Education Act—(3) A student's parent has both the right and the duty to stay in the loop regarding everything in the school's curriculum and lesson plans posted on their website: that includes mandatory and elective subjects, interdisciplinary modules, extracurriculars, experimental tracks, and special programs and requires parental consent for participation in all those areas, except for the core subjects that make up the basic educational standard.

Our only move is to file a lawsuit in federal court, since you can't appeal the Department of Appeals decision.

And frankly, by the time that lawsuit actually wraps up, your kid might already be graduating.

And honestly? Whatever. We're all gonna lean on them until they cave. Like, 75% of parents are against this—and we're talking about a school with like two hundred kids... it’s gonna be a total circus 🎉

Susan James said:So basically, taxpayers are footing the bill for CNN programs in private schools? 🙏 🙏 🙏

Honestly, the situation at Lincoln Elementary just baffles me. One thing that comes to mind is that since the school is so popular, they might be trying to trim their student numbers (since interest in CNN probably won't be nearly as high as they expect). After the big storms we had back in December, I noticed a ton of parents from the suburbs were moving their kids over to the district, though some were turned away because the local schools were already packed. There’s an entire new residential development built right around the school area now with tons of new apartments, so demand will likely skyrocket over the years. I just don't see how they'll manage the growth—unless they've somehow secured massive funding from the EU or the World Bank.

They really don't have the footprint for it. It used to be that everyone was clamoring to get in because of the after-school programs running through third or maybe fourth grade, though I'm not entirely sure about that part.
Anyway, when I get a chance, I’ll probably try to dig into who actually pushed this through and what their reasoning was, because I find it hard to believe that the Board of Education just sat there and happily shook hands on a Dual Enrollment plan.

hiddenseal14 said:Actually, I am not a supporter of this full-day school model at all, but it is patently obvious that this shift is coming and that we are facing a total overhaul of the elementary school concept.

I can only speak for my own school, given that NYU allows for a certain amount of autonomy regarding how they organize classes and breaks. Up until now, our seventh and eighth graders have followed a schedule of three 7-hour days and two 6-hour days. Electives were built right into the schedule, and everyone attended. At NYU, however, they’ll be looking at four 7-hour days and one 6-hour day. On top of that, there's lunch and an extra A2 period. Previously, kids were finished by 2:00 PM; now, they won't be out until 3:15 or even 3:30 once you factor in lunch. And make no mistake, this part is mandatory.

How many students or classrooms does your school have?

urbantinker8 said:They really don't have the footprint for it. It used to be that everyone was clamoring to get in because of the after-school programs running through third or maybe fourth grade, though I'm not entirely sure about that part.
Anyway, when I get a chance, I’ll probably try to dig into who actually pushed this through and what their reasoning was, because I find it hard to believe that the Board of Education just sat there and happily shook hands on a Dual Enrollment plan.

Even Voltino stays in after-school care until 3rd grade.