The 200-Day Calendar Initiative in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles: Three Schools' Decision to Break the Mold.

Abstract

This research study investigated the decision-making process utilized by three elementary schools in adopting the 200-day calendar initiative in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The schools in the study represented three distinct sets of demographics focusing primarily on high, middle, and low socioeconomic characteristics, as reported by the Archdiocese. Principals, pastors, parent representatives, and school advisory council representatives were interviewed. The current study outlines the decision-making process by the school leadership, the reactions to the decision by the stakeholders, and finally, the reasons why these three schools chose to extend their school calendar. Findings suggest that the autonomous leadership and governance structure of the elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles allowed schools to utilize a context-specific decision-making process, where once school pastors and principals agreed to the decision, the initiative was adopted at the schools. Reasons for the extension vary by school.