Chicago Public Schools officials kick off 2009 summer school session

Summer programs engage CPS youth

Students from across the District will participate in CPS summer programs.

June 15, 2009

Chicago Public Schools officials today opened the 2009 summer school session, in which more than 100,000 students will participate in a wide range of academic and recreational programs that will keep them busy, keep them learning and keep them safe.

“Many other cities are unable to provide as many summer opportunities for young people as we are. Because of the economy, Los Angeles has had to cancel the bulk of its summer school, including both academic and non-academic programs,” CPS Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman said in a news conference at Francis McKay Elementary School, 6901 S. Fairfield Ave.

“Summer school is a significant part of our efforts to make sure that our students are learning throughout the year and involved in positive and constructive activities.”

Summer school is important on a variety of levels, Huberman pointed out. “For some students, it is an opportunity to get ahead. For others, it gives them a second chance to complete the work they need to move to the next level of their education.”

Other summer programs are equally important in engaging youth, and ensuring that they have a safe and productive summer, Huberman said. CPS, along with the City of Chicago and other partner agencies, has prepared a variety of offerings for students this summer:

Approximately 34,000 high school students are expected to participate in programs such as Freshman Connection, Youth Ready Chicago (the Mayor’s summer jobs program), Summer Quest, and credit-recovery courses.
About 13,000 students are expected to participate in programs through the CPS Office of Extended Learning Opportunities.
Some 7,500 students are expected to participate in programs offered by the Office of Language and Cultural Education.
More than 10,000 students are expected to sign up for CPS Summer Sports Camps.

Another 10,000 students are expected to enroll in driver’s education classes and behind-the-wheel instruction.
About 720 students are anticipated for “Step Up to Kindergarten,” a program for students entering kindergarten in the fall.
Some 27,000 third, sixth and eighth graders who did not meet minimum criteria for promotion to the next grade level are expected to enroll in summer school.

Students in 132 CPS schools will begin their 2009-10 school year in early August. About one-quarter of CPS elementary schools have adopted the “Track E” year-round calendar, which spreads the district’s 170 instructional days throughout 11 months.

“Year-round school is becoming an increasingly popular option within our district,” Huberman said. “Administrators, staff and parents are discovering that the benefits of keeping our younger students engaged over a longer period pays dividends in a number of ways.”

Under the year-round calendar, students begin school in early August, go to school for a set number of weeks and then have two or three weeks off at various points in the school year. The year-round school year ends the same day in June as the “regular” school calendar.

Benefits of Track E include minimizing the summer “learning loss,” allowing for better time management and lesson planning by teachers, and lessening the likelihood of teacher or student “burnout.”

Early indications also show that students in year-round schools are making test score gains on statewide exams at a more rapid pace than the district-wide average.

Huberman noted that Mayor Richard M. Daley has long argued that we have to spend more time educating our students.

“The truth is, the two-and-a-half month long summer vacation is a relic of an era when society was not so urbanized and kids were needed to work on the farm. We need to work toward both a longer school day -- and, for those who need it most, a longer school year,” Huberman said.

“We are moving toward that goal, despite the difficult financial situation faced by the school system,” he said.

Another reason to create educational and recreational opportunities in summer is to keep young people involved in positive and constructive activities and away from the influences of gangs, guns and drugs, Huberman said.

“With many families under great stress because of the economy, we have to give our children alternatives to hanging out -- on street corners, in parks or places they shouldn't be in the first place,” he said.

The City and its sister agencies, joined by community organizations and faith-based groups, are providing activities for about 287,000 young people this summer, including 19,000 paid summer jobs.