Meet the Candidates: School board candidates on nurturing academic achievement

Meet the Candidates: School board candidates on nurturing academic achievement

Originally posted on Mission Local.

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Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series for the school board, where we ask each candidate one question every two weeks. They must answer the question in 100 words or fewer. We will link to longer answers.

Twelve candidates are vying for four seats on the city’s seven-person school board. The election will take place on Nov. 5. Non-citizen parents of children living in the city are permitted to vote in school board elections, and can find information on doing so here.

 

In a parent survey conducted earlier this year as part of the San Francisco school district’s effort to deal with a budget deficit, parents were asked to divide hypothetical coins into three buckets, two of which were “equity” and “excellence.”

The data collected from the survey is ostensibly meant to help guide school closures. Whether it will improve academic achievement and equity remains to be seen. A 2022 San Francisco Unified School District report revealed district-wide reading and math proficiency rates hovering at around 58 and 71 percent, respectively, with large gaps reported across racial groups.

This week, we asked the candidates:

What are two measures you would propose to help SFUSD students achieve their academic goals, especially students who face barriers (such as socioeconomic or language barriers) to learning?

Candidates named a range of ideas, including offering individualized support to families and improving tutoring services and teacher training, but expanding early education and special education programs rose to the top.

The district currently runs early education programs at more than 30 schools, and language programs in more than 10 languages. Early education programs include pre-kindergarten and transitional kindergarten for kids as young as three, plus an “out of school” program to enhance learning before and after school and during breaks.

Language immersion programs, in which classroom instruction is partially conducted in a second language, are a major draw of SFUSD — though some have expressed concerns about the displacement of English language learners from those programs, as their representation declined in recent years.

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1. Reduce chronic absenteeism by having district and school staff visit homes and address family concerns, be they hunger, bullying, safety, mental health, or anything else.

2.Bring students up to grade level literacy by having more high-intensity tutoring.

Endorsed by: SF Guardians, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, former School Board President Emily Murase … read more here

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No response received.

Endorsed by: School Board Commissioner Mark Sanchez

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Gaps develop in kids’ readiness for learning even before kindergarten, especially for students who face barriers. Early education programs empower parents to promote learning. SFUSD could expand pre-kindergarten and transitional kindergarten, and the city could reach many families as early as pregnancy, through prenatal care.

Reading is the key to learning, and regular attendance is the foundation of success. We need to ensure professional development and support for educators to implement SFUSD’s new reading curricula and expand high-dosage tutoring for students. We should also adopt an attendance goal: SFUSD’s literacy, math, and college/career readiness goals all depend on regular … read more here

Endorsed by: SF Guardians, SF Parent Action, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action … read more here

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If we invest deeply in educators and build a culture of excellence, we can increase academic outcomes for all kids. John Muir Elementary School is an example: The school has implemented an approach to mathematics involving a rigorous curriculum, a sophisticated instructional approach, and in-depth teacher professional development. And they’ve seen a dramatic increase in mathematics achievement, especially for Black and Latino students.

That’s why I worked with the Board of Supervisors to secure $8 million in city funding to expand the John Muir math project to Flynn, Sanchez, and Malcolm X, and more schools will be participating soon.

Endorsed by: UESF, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club

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I believe in raising the bar for all students of SFUSD, including those that face barriers. Every child should be given the opportunity to become their best selves with education and knowledge. Accelerated and gifted programs, along with language immersion programs, should be offered for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background and language. Academic and financial support can be offered. Our kids should be able to speak multiple languages, and learn both in their native language as well as English. Kids in other countries learn multiple languages; there’s no reason why we can’t do the same.

Endorsed by: The San Francisco Republican Party, San Francisco Young Republicans, The Republican Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Briones Society … read more here

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As a former advancement director at the largest Head Start provider, I supported the expansion of services for families facing severe socioeconomic challenges. With SFUSD considering school consolidations, I’m deeply concerned about the impact on these vulnerable communities.

I will strengthen the Coordinated Care Team, ensuring consistent, culturally and linguistically competent support across all schools to increase student success. Family life impacts academic goals. Additionally, I will propose a centralized crisis-care team, including social workers and attendance staff, to regularly troubleshoot issues, identify students in need, ensure quality, and develop standardized protocols. This team would include home visitors who … read more here

Endorsed by: Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, School Board Commissioner Jenny Lam … read more here

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Measure 1: $500M earmarked from the city’s general fund toward early childcare development, to support working parents who may need babysitting or daycare services, or who may need financial assistance so a mom or dad can stay home and be with their child during the first or early years.

Measure 2: Contractual requirement for teachers and school officials to meet with parents or guardians for minimum one hour per week and to document this time and the results of the engagement. Socioeconomic, language, physical, emotional, or any other barrier to a child’s academic goals to be identified. Salaries and pay … read more here

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My parents were Indian immigrants who moved to the United States with only $200 to their name. However, they did everything so I may achieve my academic goals.

I’m focused on the achievement gap in SFUSD in the student outcomes: 3rd grade literacy, 8th grade math, and college/career readiness. I’d first focus on schools with the highest achievement gap, and provide advanced curriculum/Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways to other sites.

Previously, I developed a $160 million philanthropic strategy focused on academic success for students who face significant barriers. I would also seek to help students navigate the K-12 system … read more here

Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Senator Scott Wiener, UESF, SF Parent Action … read more here

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First, students need to be assessed objectively to determine where they are academically. Foundational knowledge in math and English are critical for students to progress. This is needed, regardless of their socioeconomic situation or language barriers.

If the student is assessed and foundational academic “holes” are identified, these students need individualized plans developed to address the identified learning deficits. This plan should include in-class instruction, individualized learning and tutoring, and a motivational component. Parental participation also needs to be part of the plan.

The above approach is what we do at our nonprofit school, and the outcomes have been successful.

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We can’t allow achievement gaps for low-income students and English language learners to persist. All students are capable and deserving of success.

The most significant step to improve academic outcomes is to fix our budget. That allows us to spend funds where they benefit students the most: Early literacy, increasing instructional minutes, and offering high-dosage tutoring.

I’ll fight to ensure that we support teachers in implementing our new evidence-based literacy curriculum, including more time for English phonics in the early grades in dual-language immersion schools. I’ll also advocate to incorporate high-dosage tutoring and academic support into before- and after-care.

Endorsed by: UESF, SF Parent Action, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action

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The biggest opportunity we have to help kids, especially those facing barriers, is a package of measures I plan to propose to expand early childhood education. The package would include alignment with city programs, fixing SFUSD’s broken application process, eliminating application fees, and eliminating financial barriers.

The city has over $450 million available for early childhood education, while SFUSD’s early childhood programs cover less than 15 percent of kids who end up in TK-5. We know that early childhood education reduces achievement gaps, and improves student outcomes. I plan to bring the political will and leadership to finally make it happen.

Endorsed by: UESF, GrowSF, TogetherSF Action

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As someone who has a learning disability (ADHD), I’ve often noticed how many teachers aren’t knowledgeable about working with disabled students, and how damaging the impact can be. I believe we should mandate that all teachers receive basic training in supporting students with autism, ADHD, and other common mental and physical disabilities. I also believe all teachers should know basic sign-language skills and how to recognize signs of abuse, bullying, and other trauma. Students with stronger mental health have better academic results. Equipping teachers with these skills will improve kids’ chances of succeeding in school and in life.