My girls are finally going to be seniors! It’s hard to imagine when it seems like yesterday we were getting ready for their first day
The Covid-19 Pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis for public education. Lack of support from the Federal Government, in the form of testing, health and
I am so excited about the work going on in SFUSD’s Curriculum and Instruction Department! Last week, staff made a presentation to the Curriculum Committee
Last Monday, I attended an SFUSD Board of Education Ad Hoc Student Assignment Committee Mtg. which is taking on the daunting task of implementing a
Last year in 2018, 153 students took part as artists in the Arts Festival. We have 54,000 students in SFUSD. That means the percentage of student artists who took part in last year’s Art Festival was only .02%! With numbers like these, many folks are wondering: Is the money we spend on events like the SFUSD Arts Festival really worth it if they reach so few students?
This is a blog for parents and educators to share information, about how to support our children in SF Public Schools. As an involved parent, I am interested in moving “beyond the bake sale”, to support our academic success for all children. By becoming informed and asking questions we can create public schools of the highest quality — I encourage you to join in on the conversation! [Click the heading to learn more.]
My “great idea” of bringing Black families together was not met with open arms by all staff at my daughters’ school. Despite some initial pushback, though, I’m starting to see positive change.
I interviewed my daughter and asked her, “What’s your experience with cussing and ‘inappropriate language’ at your school?” Here’s what she said.
Over the past several months, Black Families met in our Northside Black Families group to discuss ways to make our schools safe welcoming and supportive
I am so proud of the White, Asian and Latinx educators throughout SFUSD who are taking the time this month to focus on Black achievements
Why is SFUSD still using a hodgepodge approach to addressing systemic bias in our schools? Last Saturday, my friend’s daughter (who happens to be one
SFUSD Enrollment season is upon us! This Friday, letters go out to students and families letting them know which schools they can enroll in in this fall. Now that my girls are in the 3rd grade, it is easy to forget the anxiety and worry that many parents are currently feeling. They say: “Hindsight is 20-20.” With that in mind, I thought I’d take a moment to provide some perspective for parents who may be nervous right now.
SFUSD has shared its ongoing commitment to creating welcoming and safe schools. Here are some tangible actions it can take to further this work.
Anti-racist parenting is one of the MOST important ways we can create a tolerant, inclusive world. Here are some resources for busy Bay Area parents.
Use these artists’ work as inspiration for your own protest-poster making, or do family art to celebrate love, equity, and justice for all people.
Sharing personal stories can be a powerful weapon in disrupting negative narratives about People of Color. These videos and discussion recommendations are a helpful resource for educators and parents interested in addressing hate in our schools.
How do we address the hate and violence we are seeing all around us? The answer lies in the way we socialize our children in our schools.
Have you ever felt criminalized or excluded from an academic or professional setting because of your hair? Before you answer that… let’s back up a bit.
How do you prevent your child from internalizing the racist messages that are so prevalent in our society? Here are three simple ways…
OK… so in case you didn’t know… black people invented stories. Seriously! It’s true! You can read about it by learning about one of my favorite folktale heroes… Ananse the Spider
I was originally going to write a post about the beautiful inclusive posters I’ve seen for teachers to post in their classrooms. But I couldn’t. Here’s
why.
The SFUSD Board of Education recently approved a resolution charging the district to define clear protocols in addressing hate and bias in our schools.
Analyzing the dynamics of power and privilege in our classrooms, can inform the ways we structure and support cross-cultural dialogues about race.
The prospect of a Trump presidency has brought with it a rise in hate crimes and a heightened visibility for white supremacy in our country. As disturbing
As we weather the highs and lows together, I’ve found myself talking with my daughters about self-care.
As the Black students from elite schools across the country testify, it’s STILL hard to be young, gifted and Black in our nation’s elite schools.
The big transition into middle school has finally put conversations about smart phones, social media, online safety, in our lap. Here are my updated recommendations for using a Technology Contract to talk with your tweens/teens about tech safety.
There seems to be no way to avoid the bile coming out of Trump’s mouth. So, while we’re talking about it… let’s use this as an opportunity to fight back agains rape culture by discussing these things with our kids.
It’s high time we started tearing down the belief that “grading” schools somehow informs parents or improves education. Not only does it unnecessarily worry parents, it’s unfairly blames teachers, increases segregation in our communities and undermines our public education system as a whole.
This fall, I’m excited to share that there will be TWO upcoming events sponsored by SFUSD via the African-American Achievement and Leadership Initiative and in partnership with
Many school staff assume families know how to navigate schools. Unfortunately, traditionally marginalized families, such as Black, Latino, low-income and immigrant families, often lack the basic information they need to support the success of their children. Schools that want to support the success of ALL children can answer the following questions for families.
I recently became the proud mother of two middle school students. We all know the transition from elementary to middle school is a big one for kids. I’m realizing this transition is a big one for families too. With that in mind, I’m taking time to write down my experience in the hope that it will help other educators and parents can better partner with one another to ensure our kids success as they embark of the fun, stressful, exciting and crazy ride that is the middle school experience.
“School choice” is all the rage. Thus, modern parents are faced with a harrowing set of decisions about which schools will best serve their children. This is especially true in cities where, we are told, “bad public schools” lurk around every corner, and “good public schools” are in short supply. With so few spots to go around, parents who choose to apply “most requested” schools may worry their child will find themselves without a school in the fall.
In a time of “Black Lives Matter” is easy to think racism only exists in Black and White. Asians are not immune to racism. Joanna Bradshaw says we need to talk about “positive” Asian stereotypes and the ways they hurt Asians and support anti-black racism.
Learn more about SFUSD’s courageous decision to discontinue funding for Teach For America (TFA) and why this is a good move for our neediest kids.
Share these great videos with your kids to think about our their sugar intake and healthy eating. Are you up for the challenge?
I put together a short Snapchat video showcasing one of the best FREE resources I know in our city for informal learning: your local SF Public Library.
In response to the Orlando shooting, here is another way to take action to create a more peaceful world: fighting bias and transphobia in our communities.
As a response to the recent mass shooting in Orlando, Tula Jeng shares her recommendations for 20 things we can do to eradicate gun violence.
Who would have thought our family would be getting into skateboarding? That I would associate girls and skateboarding? Not me.
This Monday Inspiration comes from Zuri and Stacey Ann who are great at modeling social justice conversations with kids. This mother daughter conversation on their YouTube channel: LivingRoomProtest, they hold a “living room protest” in response to Lila getting told that “girls don’t have muscles.”
Is the “maker movement” really new? How makerspaces are just another example of “what’s old is new,”
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch skillfully relates two forms of discrimination: racism and discrimination against transgender people. In doing so, she sets a great example of using a familiar concept like racism to explain the ways transgender discrimination works to kids.
I am sick and tired of parents who have NO experience with public schools, stereotyping our hard-working, caring and knowledgeable teachers, our active and engaged parents, and our bright and creative students… STOP TRASHING OUR SCHOOLS!
One of San Francisco’s favorite past-times is bashing SFUSD’s School Assignment System. But is a “broken lottery” really to blame for the White Flight from our city’s public schools?
This student reinforced for me why we cannot support the “Accelerated Algebra in Middle School” track that some Lowell teachers and parents are proposing.
You are probably already working with a morning routine. I created one last year, when my girls were in Pre-K. This year, though, I’ve asked my daughters to get involved in creating a written Morning Schedule.
No, you are not imagining it. Despite folks telling you to just “act normal”. Despite the loosening of mask restrictions. We ARE in a COVID
For folks wanting to more about how to protect themselves from the Omicron 2.0 Surge, there is no one better to listen to than Dr.
This chart shows changes in Freshman enrollment at Lowell High School. In years 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021. Lowell utilized selective a “merit-based” admissions process
@SFUnified during #Omicron… If you want to know what it’s like in classrooms, ask people who work there, not folks who do press conferences. (This
[The following is a Twitter thread I posted earlier this morning.] Yesterday, Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews sent out a message to staff and families. As
In September of this year, in light of our current budget crisis, I requested an update on grants that SFUSD has applied for this year.
(A note to the reader: This post is not a short read. But, it is every you need to know about the forces working to
I’m so grateful for the partnership of families and educators who have raised their voices over the past year to ensure our district is doing
I am always impressed when students reach out directly to me as a Commissioner to make their voices heard. Lately, I’ve been receiving a multitude