Newark students head back to school for 1st day of classes. Here's why their days are getting longer.
NEWARK, N.J. -- It's the first day of school in Newark, New Jersey, and there are some big changes in place this year.
All 39,000 students across the district's 63 public schools will have longer days that run from 8:15 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.
The new universal schedule means 20 more minutes of instruction time for kindergarten through eighth grade students and 25 more minutes for high schoolers.
District leaders say the goal is to provide more instruction and tutoring time to support academic achievement and growth.
Students and families can use this link for the full 2024 academic calendar.
Newark schools in the midst of 10-year transformation
Newark is the largest school district in the state, and the change is part of its 10-year strategic plan to transform the school system. The district has been aggressively expanding in recent years, opening nine schools, with a tenth is scheduled to open this fall.
Tuesday is not only the first day back for students, but also for 400 newly recruited teachers. Superintendent Roger Leon says the district has been able to attract and retain faculty at a time when the country is experiencing a teaching shortage.
Last month, he met with the new teachers, and Tuesday he is expected to greet kids and staff at several schools, starting with Franklin School at 8 a.m.
Franklin Elementary School Principal Robert Spat told CBS New York they have a back-to-school theme, "Unleash your super power." He also spoke about the longer school days.
"What's important with that extra time is we have tutoring, we have the ability to make sure that we are preparing our students in a small group environment, as well, within the classroom, so it's just extending the rich learning that we already have in place," he said.
Nearby in New York City, students head back to class for the first day of school later this week on Sept. 5.