Unlike students in other major cities, Chicago's children have fewer than 1,000 hours of instruction each year. Students in cities like Boston and Houston have hundreds of hours of additional time at school—and their scores on national tests prove that the additional time works. 

Chicago’s children deserve better—and the mayor has stepped up to the challenge. Mayor Emanuel has already proposed additional time for students and a longer school year, and we want to thank him for these efforts and ensure that he continues to advocate for additional time in the classroom.  

A longer school day and year enables our schools to redesign the day to better prepare our students for college and beyond. Rather being simply more of the same, a longer day and year allows teachers to give students the individual attention they need to excel in core subjects while also providing opportunities for a well-rounded education, complete with arts, music, physical education classes as well as recess and lunch break. Further, a longer school day provides extra time for teachers to work collaboratively, using the additional time to work with their peers to improve instruction.

Thank Mayor Emanuel today and tell him to continue fighting for Chicago’s children.