The Chicago Public Schools announced yesterday that they will give $100,000 grant rewards to 30 schools that effectively employ the longer school day in the 2012-13 school year. CPS expects the grants to total $3 million and is soliciting private donors to pony up the money.

CPS appears intent on extending the school day for all Chicago Public Schools to 7 1/2 hours next year, raising questions about how that extra time will be used. Evidently, CPS will be looking at -- and giving grant money to -- individual schools that develop best practices on how to use the additional hour and forty-five minutes.