Summer is nowhere near being over, but students, parents and teachers across the Southland packed lunches and sallied to school this morning. This is the second year that LA Unified School District rang the bell on the second Tuesday of August. Last year, LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy explained, "The early-start calendar allows students to complete their first semester prior to winter break, which has been shown to have a positive impact on final examinations and grades."
What about the impact on hunting for tadpoles and running through fields? School won't run as late as mid-June anymore, but summer is still shorter than the so-called good ol' days. For ages, American kids were free to roam for about three months until what felt like a logical conclusion: the day after Labor Day. Is the traditional school calendar gone for good? Did last year's new calendar have positive results?
Guests:
Tom Waldman, Director of Communications, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
Sarah Auerswald, Co-Founder of MomsLA. She writes about life in Los Angeles raising her 2 sons on SarahAndSons and also founded MarVistaMom