This first day of school is like most others, except the calendar says July 28. “It’s sad because I love her being at home with me, but at the same time it’s exciting because I know it’s good for them,” said Alycce Fragoso, who walked her little sister to John Quincy Adams Elementary Sc hool on Tuesday morning. “I like reading. I like art and music,” said Alejandra Perez, but when we asked if she read during the summer, she admitted she hadn’t. And that, right there, is why Dallas ISD is opening its doors a few weeks early at 13 elementary schools and a handful of sixth-grade schools, too, trying to fight back against the learning loss from the summer. “We have been very intentional about the engaging lessons, about providing opportunities for enrichment. They’ll also have time with clubs, they’ll have the house system, and we also have time for our teachers to receive additional professional development,” said Roshonda Clayton Brown. She oversees the new program, which is similar to what the Dallas ISD tried after COVID to help catch kids up. They saw improvement back then and are hoping that by adding more resources this time, they’ll see even more No one’s better equipped to fight the summer slide than the kids at Marcus Leadership Academy, where there’s a slide in the lobby and where, not just on day one, but in hour one, the lessons have begun. “If they have additional time with high-quality teachers, high-quality, engaging instruction, we know our students will grow academically,” said Brown. While students may still have been unpacking school supplies, teachers were already setting assignments and diving into assignments on day one. ...read more read less