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San Francisco Schools’ Small Schools are Effective

The Small Schools program in San Francisco Schools was established back in 2000. One successful example of a small school is the San Francisco Schools’ Leadership High School. This high school has a total of only 345 students, uses high standards and close relationship with teachers to help at risk students. Leadership High School was established about 5 years ago and now has some of the highest test scores in all of the San Francisco Schools. Mainly the idea is to take large schools, usually high schools, into several smaller schools that can focus on the students needs better.

San Francisco Schools have become a leader in a growing trend that has spread across Northern California. The idea behind breaking up large schools is an attempt to provide an alternative to the status quo. Students in a small school tend to have higher rates of graduation, higher attendance rates, and higher university attendance. The small school environment succeeds due to a more personalized learning environment. The small schools of the San Francisco Schools use a mentor system that gives guidance to that they are personally engaged in their work. Students are motivated while being connected to the school community. The National Longitudinal Study for Adolescent Health reports that students in a small school environment were less likely to use alcohol, illegal drugs, become pregnant, or experience emotional distress.

San Francisco Schools’ Small Schools for Equity

The Small Schools for Equity program is an innovative partnership between San Francisco Schools and a local university. This high school has one hundred students from all of the San Francisco Schools. This high school will be housed on the university’s campus and be supported by the College of Education while being managed and funded by San Francisco Schools. The students, teachers and administration will have a say in curriculum development. Students who attend the Small Schools for Equity program were chosen by San Francisco Schools’ officials. The high school students will study a rigid curriculum that will include high school level math, science, English, humanities, world language, art and Japanese. No college courses will be offered.

The Small Schools for Equity program provides the College of Education with a great opportunity in teacher education. San Francisco Schools has allowed university students seeking teaching credentials to teach and observe in schools throughout the San Francisco School district for years, now the College of Education will have a high school on campus that will benefit from modern educational theory and practices. The high school will be housed in Burk Hall and run a full school day from 8AM to 3PM, the rest of the day Burk Hall will be used by education students.

San Francisco Schools Board of Education Reviews Small Schools

The San Francisco Schools Board of Education is, this summer, reviewing a policy that would support the San Francisco Schools Small Schools By Design. The policy is being introduced by San Francisco Schools Acting Superintendent Gwen Chan and is supported by school board president Norman Yee and San Francisco Organizing Project, a community organization that supports the small schools initiative. San Francisco Organizing Project is a collection of religious congregations, schools and community centers. Those opposed to the program claim that the money spent does not equal the benefits but supporters say that the Small Schools offset the difficulties of declining student enrollment and the flight of families from San Francisco Schools. The current policy up for vote would create a task force to determine the locations and needs of San Francisco Schools which would benefit most from Small Schools.

Childhood obesity is at alarming levels in this county. Children in the San Francisco Schools are no exception. Too much television and video games, and too little time spent playing outside has led to an epidemic of juvenile health issues. It sure doesn’t help that the San Francisco Schools have had to cut funding for physical education over the years. But the 2007-2008 school year does have something positive going for it. Several San Francisco Schools will provide fresh salad bars, whole grain options, and whole fruits and vegetable in their cafeterias.

Twenty six San Francisco Schools from elementary to high school will benefit from a half a million dollar grant from the mayor’s office and the Department of Children, Youth, and their families. This is a big deal. The fact that a school district has actually recognized the importance of nutrition in education is enormous. For the past few decades public education has acted as if the only aspect of learning we should worry about are test scores. The San Francisco Unified School District has been forced to slash the arts, physical education, and anything not seen to directly affect standardized tests.

How Does Nutrition Affect San Francisco Schools Students?

Teachers in the San Francisco Schools know that a child’s academic success lies in several factors: home environment, proper nutrition, and a good night sleep greatly impact a student’s ability to pay attention and retain information. The fast food generation currently attending the San Francisco Schools needs to be made aware of how nutrition choices will affect their health. But it’s a pretty safe bet that the San Francisco Schools don’t have much extra time to teach daily health classes. That’s OK, what they’re doing now might be even better.

Schools need to lead by example. Just think of the message that it sent to children to have soda in vending machines and options like chips, ice cream and fatty meals for lunch fare. The San Francisco Schools are setting an example that the rest of the nation needs to emulate. It’s high time that schools look at the messages they are sending to our children.

What Else Can the San Francisco Schools Do?

While healthier school lunches are a huge improvement to the San Francisco Schools, the reality is that every public school district in the country is struggling to succeed. The San Francisco Schools experimented with the salad bars with pilot programs in a few of the schools last year. Hopefully more San Francisco Schools will follow this example next year. It is more costly for the San Francisco Schools to provide this fresher fare than canned vegetables and mystery meat? I’m sure it is. But the San Francisco Schools will recoup the cost in children who are more likely to pay attention (maybe less ADD diagnoses), higher test scores, children who are less fussy, and who appreciate the taste of fresh foods.

One of the biggest issues for San Francisco Schools over the past few years has been declining enrollment. Since the state provides schools with a per pupil allotment of funds, the annual loss of about 800 students has cost San Francisco Schools about $7 million. Given the budget pressures it’s already dealing with, the district was forced to close many schools in the 2006-2007 school year.

That’s why the recent state budget was such good news. San Francisco schools will receive an additional $13 million in cost-of-living (COLA) increases. This will help offset the expected $7 million loss from continued declining enrollment. The remaining funds will be used to cover salary increases for teachers and health benefits for San Francisco Schools’ employees. But how will the San Francisco Schools move forward from this point?

The plan involves two major components. The first is a long-term plan to address the enrollment issue in San Francisco Schools. The second is a parcel tax, which is expected to appear on the February 2008 ballot. Of course, there is no guarantee that voters of the San Francisco Schools will approve a tax increase. Commissioner Jill Wynns is working with the unions, and encouraging San Francicso residents to support the parcel tax.

LEADERSHIP CHANGE IS IMMINENT

Interim Superintendent Gwen Chan has announced her retirement as of July 1st. While this isn’t a complete surprise, many in San Francisco Schools hoped that she would opt to take the position permanently after the finesses she showed in smoothing over fractious issues. A new San Francisco Schools’ leader will be named by the end of May. The new superintendent will bring different strengths and a different focus to the San Francisco Schools. How this person will impact the coming school year can’t be predicted.

What is certain is that some San Francisco Schools are undergoing small changes in a big way. The small schools initiative will effect San Francisco Community School and June Jordan High School. These San Francisco Schools will benefits from different governing rules, more autonomy and separate evaluation procedures. Smaller sized schools are representative of a nationwide trend to encourage a more intimate setting where student needs are met on an individualized basis, and a community feeling is fostered.

In the San Francisco Schools’ current climate where students are leaving in droves, current administrators feel that a tighter focus and neighborly feel might help retain some of those families. But San Francisco Schools’ teachers are still without a budget for the next school year. So with the teachers’ union still trying to strike a deal, on-going budget concerns, and the upcoming change in leadership, the San Francisco Schools will continue to face challenges.