CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The head of the Chicago Public Schools said the new school year's remote learning plan will be an upgrade from what students experienced last spring, with equipment and internet access for all families, no matter of income level.
Janice Jackson, CEO of CPS schools, said each school will make sure every student receives high-quality instruction, have equal access and use the same infrastructure across the board to ensure a better learning model than what was being used when the district first transitioned to e-learning.
"Everyone will use the same platform, Google Suite," Jackson said. "Google Classrooms allows us to see that kind of visibility and that is how we were able to report on student engagement."
Jackson added that principles will be overseeing and evaluating teachers the same way they would in a traditional classroom setting through Google. The traditional grading system will also be back and students will have a full day of classes and activities.
Mayor Lightfoot said the city's new Chicago Connected program will provide free high-speed internet for about 100,000 for the upcoming school year that can last for all four years.
The fully remote plan, which starts Sept. 8 and goes until Nov. 6 for now, came after public health data and surveys indicated that a large percentage of parents are not yet comfortable sending their children to school in the midst of a pandemic.