The Times Debuts 8 to 3, a Schools and Parenting Newsletter
Host Sonja Sharp will draw on her experiences as a reporter and mother to navigate issues in all their complexity – education, equity, burnout and much more
At a critical moment, when students across the state are returning to campuses, the Los Angeles Times has debuted 8 to 3, a newsletter designed to help parents and guardians navigate the back-in-school life and move forward after a year like no other.
Hosted by Times Reporter Sonja Sharp, the weekly newsletter will help guide readers through everything from the daily struggles of parenting school-age children to coping with policy issues.
“My job, as I see it, is to be an accountability yenta, the person who finds things out for you,” writes Sharp in the inaugural newsletter. “To do it, I’ll draw on a decade-plus of reporting experience, my half-decade as a mom, and 18 years as a student in the state’s public school system.”
In an introduction to the newsletter, Assistant Managing Editor Shelby Grad wrote, “We begin this endeavor painfully aware of how the pandemic has upended education and exposed the depth of inequities families face. Our foremost mission is to help navigate new challenges with powerful storytelling, useful guides, vital data and personal stories.”
Sharp said that in the coming weeks and months she will be particularly focused on equity and health. She plans to continue reporting in depth on how systemic inequities play out as more schools return to in-person learning. She will also be closely monitoring the health and safety protocols on campuses.
For more information, visit the 8 to 3 welcome page. To sign up to receive any of The Times’ free topic-specific newsletters, go to latimes.com/newsletters.
