Thanks to your persistent parent advocacy, SFUSD is now accelerating its timeline to fix the district’s K-8 math program! This past spring, district leadership outlined a three-year plan to evaluate, pilot and eventually implement changes to our district math program. This program has left too many kids without the academic instruction and support they need; too many students—particularly our district’s Black and Latino/x students—are not meeting grade-level standards.
Parents said no to the district’s three-year timeline proposal, because S.F. kids can’t wait.
And parents were heard. Last week, we were told by SFUSD officials that they condensed the timeline for evaluating and improving our district’s K-8 math program, shaving off an entire year from the initially proposed timeline. They will be evaluating our program and considering a new K-8 curriculum adoption that would lead to better math outcomes for our students.
This is a HUGE win thanks to the SF Kids Can’t Wait campaign and parents’ tireless work to speak up on behalf of SFUSD’s students. Though we should all be proud that SFUSD is among the best-performing districts across California for student achievement in math and reading, it’s unacceptable that we are serving our Black and Latino/x students so poorly when compared to other districts. This campaign win shows how parents continue to be effective advocates and partners in ensuring equitable, thriving schools.
We’re also thrilled to see continued progress with literacy improvements at SFUSD; many of the recent developments are directly related to parents’ six campaign asks through SF Kids Can’t Wait. This summer alone we learned that:
-
Outdated assessment tools are being replaced so that students’ reading levels are more accurately identified;
-
School leaders received focused training on upcoming literacy changes at SFUSD via UnboundEd, a national leader in excellent and equitable instruction;
-
SFUSD is evaluating potential partners for offering more high-dosage tutoring and interventions to students who are behind grade-level.
These are such important wins for kids and we are SO PROUD of the parents and supporters like you who are paying attention, speaking up, and holding our district accountable to ensuring thriving, equitable education for each and every public school student across San Francisco.
The campaign continues, however. Kids can’t wait, and we need to hear more from SFUSD about what they are doing to reach kids NOW, especially those who are behind on grade-level standards. We’ve asked for more high-dosage tutoring and remediation in both reading and math this year, for every student who needs it.
Thank you to every parent, educator, and community member who has supported our campaign. If you haven’t gotten involved yet you can sign up to volunteer or donate to help us achieve more wins with this important campaign!
