CPS E-Learning Starts April 13, Issue 100,000 Devices To Students

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools are set to launch e-learning programs on April 13 while buildings remain closed amid the new coronavirus crisis, officials said.

“We will not allow this crisis to be an obstacle to our students’ futures and their dreams,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “It was a herculean effort to shift one’s curriculum to an entirely new medium— especially in such a short amount of time —and it’s a testament to the passion and commitment of Chicago’s entire education community that they have been able to do just that. While our schools remain closed, thanks to our city’s countless faculty and staff, education in Chicago remains open.”

On Friday, state education officials notified school districts statewide that suspended in-person instruction due to the coronavirus must be converted to remote learning instruction.

At CPS, the e-learning rollout included distributing more than 100,000 computer laptops and tablets to students, and also provide "non-digital" learning activities "to promote equitable access to instructional materials."

CPS officials said teachers will be available for academic support for four hours per school day and provide students with weekly feedback on their lessons which can include:

• Streaming live activities, including a mini-lesson, book reading, digital discussion or lecture, with a maximum of two hours of digital learning.
• Providing “office hours” in which teachers are available to students virtually or over the phone or email to answer questions, engage in discussion, and offer general academic support.

• Schools will provide office hours — via phone, virtual methods or email — during regular hours of the school day to answer any questions and support ongoing learning.

As of Monday, public schools are set to re-open on April 21. But Ald. Ray Lopez said that an aldermanic briefing with the Lightfoot administration led him to believe that public schools would continue e-learning the rest of the school year. City and school officials on Monday did not say whether they expect schools to re-open before summer break.

“We have no reason to believe that’s the case, and obviously what happens with the schools being physically open is determined at the state level, not the local level,” Lightfoot said.

The most important detail, public schools CEO Janice Jackson said is that families know there is a plan in place for student instruction if school buildings remained closed longer than initially expected.