Charter schools spend more time on task

Representative LaShawn K. Ford poses with KIPP students

Almost all charter public schools have an extended school day and year. There are three charter schools that are year-round: Alain Locke Charter Academy, Namaste Charter School and L.E.A.R.N. Charter Schools. But even those that aren’t year-round have an average of 45 more minutes of instruction a day, compared to traditional public schools. For instance, a KIPP Ascend charter school student spends nearly 70% more time in school than a typical CPS student.

There was an article today on NBC called “Back to School, Already?” about Chicago Public School students involved in the Track E program, where students have the same number of school instructional days, but vacations are interspersed throughout the year into shorter, more frequent breaks. This minimizes “learning loss” for kids who otherwise would be out of school an entire summer.

“The district is expanding its year-round school program this year, more than tripling the number of schools that operate on the so-called Track E calendar. On Monday, CPS officials, including CEO Ron Huberman, went door-to-door, handing out backpacks and other school supplies while reminding parents that school starts far earlier for their kids this year."

Whereas Track E is a re-allocation of time, charter schools routinely provide students more individual attention and more time on task. These are a few of the great freedoms charter schools have that allow them to structure and support the needs of both students and teachers.