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" Approximately 350,000 Chicago schoolchildren returned to class this morning following a week-long teachers&amp;#039; union strike in one of the nation&amp;#039;s largest school districts. Eight hundred union delegates voted to end the strike after fierce negotiations with the city&amp;#039;s mayor, which guaranteed several provisions for the 29,000 teachers within the district as well as compromises benefiting the students overall.  Stipulations added to the contract include a 17.6% pay raise over a four-year period (raising the average Chicago teacher&amp;#039;s salary to over $75,000), re-hiring laid-off teachers with strong ratings and  eliminating a proposed merit-pay system. As for the kids, elementary and high school students will have a longer school day, ten extra days added to the school year and a single schedule for the entire school system, as opposed to the previous two-schedule system.  Chicago&amp;#039;s schools historically have one of the highest drop-out rates, the lowest graduation rates and the lowest test scores in the entire country. Over the past few years, statistics have been getting steadily better as schools retain more students and test scores rise. Union delegates hope the new contract will reflect positively in their students, leading to an overall better and happier school system.  Parents are relieved to be sending their students back to school. Many for the past week have tried to uphold their children&amp;#039;s education through learning activities, but faced difficulties in trying to find family or friends willing to watch their children for the day. Of course, the contract deal is also a relief for the students and teachers, who are excited to return to school.  Do you think the contract changes will lead to a better test scores for Chicago schools? Comment below! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/news/a47361/chicago-teachers-back-in-school-after-a-nine-day-strike/>