School district drafts “Excellence for All”
By Ji Hyun Lim
Members of the school board have been holding community meetings for the past week to introduce the new “Excellence for All” plan that hopes to boost academic performance for all students and keep San Francisco schools truly diverse.
In school auditoriums across the city, concerned parents gathered to hear about the new proposal. Dr. Tony Anderson, director of the San Francisco Department of Education, gave a thumbnail sketch of current academic performance based on race and ethnicity, and then described how the plan would improve scores across the board.
Superintendent Arlene Ackerman conducted community meetings for parents at five locations: Gordon Lau Elementary, Thurgood Marshall High School, Everett Middle School, Visitacion Valley Elementary School and Lincoln High School. These meetings were open discussion forums.
The San Francisco Unified Schoold District (SFUSD) is in the first stages of drafting and eventually executing the plan, which was mandated by the 1994 lawsuit Ho v. SFUSD. District parents Carl Ho, Charlene Wong Loen, and Jane Chen charged the school district and the NAACP of discriminating against their children based on race. This was a backlash against the 1979 suit NAACP v. SFUSD that settled in a 1983 “consent decree” that integrated public schools in San Francisco. The 1979 case set a precedent that required schools not to exceed 45 percent of any race/ethnicity in one location. Students were bused from home districts to schools in other districts to offset racial majorities.
Angered that students were pushed aside from their first, second, and third choice of schools, Chinese parents filed a class action suit that would eliminate the quotas. The parents won the case and SFUSD is currently phasing out desegregation in public schools.
During March 14-24, Ackerman, Anderson, and Jackie Wright, executive director of Public Engagement and Information, introduced the “Excellence for All” plan. In the plan, student assignment considerations have changed. The core criteria are ordered accordingly: parent choice, siblings (within same school), access to programs that meet students’ individualized needs, enrollment in a school close to home, and diversity.
The major difference in this plan is that diversity characteristics replace random assignment. All students are considered in an eligibility pool for their neighborhood school. The eligibility pool for alternative schools encompasses the entire city.
According to Wright, “Racial ethnicity is not a focus of trying to have balance. The main thing is that race is the last consideration.”
The “Excellence for All” plan aims to bolster achievement in all ethnic groups. The presentation outlined major differences in achievement between the racial groups by looking at disparities between grade point averages (GPAs) and school attendance.
“If you have low expectations for students, they will have low expectations for themselves; if you have high expectations, students will also have high expectations for themselves,” Ackerman said.
Wright adds, “We want to make sure that systems are put into place so that ones that are struggling will be able to perform as well as the ones that are not.”
To execute the plan, there will be nine academic goals tied to the district, measurable objectives and benchmarks, staff performance evaluations, and task forces. Part of the plan is to have equitable allocation of resources for all schools in San Francisco, and to instill accountability to all parties. The comprehensive program will include special education programs, language programs, magnet/alternative programs, Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), honors, Advanced Placement (AP) classes, among others slated within the next five years.
The 20-minute brief overview by Anderson prefaced the question-and-answer session between the board and the parents during the five community meetings. In Gordon Lau Elementary School, which is predominately Chinese, parents were hesitant to speak up until they dispersed into smaller groups.
Sue Liu, a parent, attended the meeting. “I was concerned with new immigrant parents. The Chinese parents are concerned with the language. They don’t speak English. When their kids have homework, how can they help them?” Liu said.
Gordon Lau Principal Helen Chin advocates parental feedback. “I think part of the plan is to incorporate all comments into the draft. It will be adjusted to reflect teacher, administrator, and peer input.”
The biggest concern Gordon Lau parents have is whether SFUSD will ensure that the quality of students’ work would be equal with the new plan. Parents wonder if it will affect Lowell High School admission, as well.
According to Wright, “The goal of the plan is to make sure that there are very strong academic schools throughout San Francisco, not to water down the accomplishments of Lowell. The plan is to make sure everyone around the city of San Francisco will have the same sort of opportunities as Lowell.”
SFUSD has delegated a task force of community members. “Nothing is changing until the task force gives the report. Lowell is a separate issue,” Wright said.
The execution of the plan is not expected to produce results until next year; however, schools like Gordon Lau are recommending detailed analysis for a step-by-step plan.
“This is a beginning of a dialogue. People are talking. Everyone is accountable,” Wright said. |
