The SF K Files

Hot topic: Cobb Montesorri program

2009-12-09T22:25:00.001-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

I'm sure you've read the article on the front page of the Monday Chronicle about the Montesorri program at Cobb and alleged tension between the GE program and the Montesorri program. The article didn't seem to present both sides of the story and I wonder if families from Cobb might shed some light/truth on the complexity of the situation if you posted it as a topic. Schools that share a similar construct -- where the District has planted a magnet program such as language immersion in an historically underperforming school (particularly with a core African American population) -- and similar issues, might benefit from the sharing of information and best practices as well.

SF Gate article:

Montessori program at S.F. school stirs clash

Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, December 7, 2009

When San Francisco school officials opened a public Montessori program in an under-enrolled elementary school adjacent to the city's low-income Western Addition neighborhood in 2005, it sounded like a good idea.

It meant that poor, mostly African American students would have free and convenient access to what often is an expensive private program, out of reach and relatively unknown to inner-city children.

Instead, the effort has turned into a major headache for district administrators who now are embroiled in a bitter community battle over the educational fate of Cobb Elementary School.

At the heart of the fight is a district plan to phase out the school's traditional general education program - now serving predominantly African American students - to convert Cobb to all Montessori. While the program is offered to any family in the city, the intent of placing a Montessori program at Cobb was to better serve the neighborhood's African American families. Yet few parents from the community there seem to know much about the program or want it.

"Why should you uproot those kids?" said Deborah White, whose granddaughter attends Cobb's general education program. "That's a community school."

District officials say nothing has been decided and that the school board will vote on Cobb's fate in a public forum sometime in the near future.

A large waiting list

Currently, Cobb's Montessori program, which opened in 2005 for preschool children only, now takes up four of the school's 19 classrooms, offering instruction to 81 students up to the second grade. The program draws equal numbers of white, black, Asian and Latino students from across the city and maintains a large waiting list. This fall there were 133 applications for eight open seats in the pre-K program, said district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe. Priority is given to low-income families.

Now the district wants to expand the program through fifth grade, but that would mean there wouldn't be enough room to operate both Montessori and the traditional elementary school on the site.

One would have to go - with the general education program the most likely candidate. District officials say moving the Montessori program to another school would be expensive and would leave Cobb with just 150 students - too few to be financially viable.

Supporters of the Montessori expansion say it would make sense to send Cobb's general education students to nearby Rosa Parks or John Muir Elementary schools, but opponents, who include Cobb's parents and teachers, want the general education students to stay where they are. They're willing to fight for Cobb.

Dozens of supporters for Cobb's traditional program appeared before the school board recently to argue their case.

Cobb has served working-poor families in the Western Addition for generations. Moving to a more distant school would be a tremendous hardship for many, said Cobb general education teacher Yvette Fagan.

"Nobody came and talked to the families about Montessori," she said. "If they wanted the parents to have a choice, did they ask them if they wanted the choice? Are these parents supposed to feel invested?"

Poor marketing job

School board member Rachel Norton said the district opened the Montessori program at least in part to address the relatively low academic performances of African American children across the city, but it appears that school officials haven't done the best job marketing the program to the Western Addition families they had particularly hoped to serve.

Many neighborhood parents said they thought the program wasn't available to them. Some believed it was a private institution or that they would have to pay tuition for their children to attend.

Regardless, most parents remain committed to Cobb.

In the school's traditional classrooms, the teachers teach and give homework and tests. In Montessori classrooms, children teach themselves and each other. There are no tests or take-home worksheets; the teacher is a guide who monitors their progress with very specific visual and tactile tools.

Some studies have shown Montessori students, including low-income and minority children, perform better academically than those in traditional schools - although the research overall offers a mixed bag of results.

The Montessori program at Cobb is too new to determine how successful it is at raising its students' performance. The program's lone second-grader will be the only one eligible to take the state's standardized tests this year.

"(The Montessori method) actually has a really good track record with a group of kids we haven't done so well with as a district," Norton said. "We're not just doing the same thing we always did; we're putting programs in the targeted communities to help close that gap."

Enrollment dilemma

Cobb has long been the school of choice for Corinne Pope's daughter, Savannah, who will enter kindergarten next fall and would be interested in either program at the school.

Yet, at the district's enrollment fair she was told that because her daughter didn't attend Cobb's Montessori program as a preschooler, it would be nearly impossible to get into the program now.

If she enrolls her in the school's general education kindergarten, she wouldn't have any assurance that her daughter would be able to continue in that program through fifth grade.

"I don't know what we're going to do," Pope said. "I don't want to put her in the wrong school."

The school's Montessori implementer Emily Green acknowledged there will be few spaces for incoming kindergartners in the Montessori program and spots for upper grades would also be rare in the future.

In addition, it's not a good idea to transfer older elementary students into the Montessori method, Green said.

"I guess the moral of the story is this is hard," Norton said. "Change is hard."

How Montessori works

The first Montessori school was founded in 1907 by Maria Montessori in Italy, based on the fundamental idea that children teach themselves.

The method includes a "prepared environment" in which children can choose the activity they want to do.

Teachers don't give homework or tests.

Children work at their own pace and are placed in groups with a three-year age span, allowing them to learn from each other.

Teachers are considered "guides." They instruct students in how to use the specific Montessori learning tools and then let them learn and master the concepts.

"Everything is called work," said Carol Husbands, site manager for the Cobb Child Development Center, which includes the Montessori preschool program. "The teachers are trying not to interrupt their work. It's a children's house."

At San Francisco's Cobb Elementary School, each Montessori classroom contains a seemingly identical rack with strings of colored counting beads and a stackable tower of pink blocks. These are the same tactile tools one would find in a Montessori classroom in Hong Kong or Kentucky. The beads and blocks look like toys, but have order and purpose: to teach children individually and often subconsciously.

On a recent day, Cobb first-graders Lamariae and Eve, both 6, sat at a table huddled over a pile of words printed on cards.

"We're working together on singular and plural," Lamariae said.

Their teacher never interrupted or checked their work.

The girls put orange, key and kite under singular and then considered patio, cellos and donkey.

Nearby a student sat by himself and put cards with numbers in sequential order by ones, tens, hundreds and thousands.

While most Montessori schools are private, there are about 400 public programs in the United States, including those in charter schools.

San Francisco's Montessori program at Cobb Elementary School is one of about 30 in California.

A tip from Parents for Public Schools: Don't go to the EPC Friday, Dec. 11

2009-12-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

The deadline to apply for Lowell High School is this Friday, December 11. For those of you turning in Kinder applications you should wait till next week. The lines are likely to be long at the Educational Placement Center. —Vicki Symonds, Parents for Public Schools

Title I Academic Achievement Award Schools

2009-12-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces
2008-09 Title I Academic Achievement Award Schools

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced that 200 California schools have been selected for the 2008-09 Title I Academic Achievement Award. They represent 88 school districts in 27 counties. The list of winners is attached.

Gordon J. Lau Elementary

Edward R. Taylor Elementary

Francis Scott Key Elementary

Garfield Elementary

Yick Wo Elementary

Sherman Elementary

Sutro Elementary

Ulloa Elementary

Visitacion Valley Elementary

John Yehall Chin (Elem)

"These schools deserve high praise for improving student achievement," said O'Connell. “They have addressed barriers to student success and were able to create a school environment conducive to learning. I congratulate the teachers, staff, paraprofessionals, parents, and students who all worked hard this past year to improve. I hold these schools up as models for their success in ensuring that all students without regard to race, economic status, or physical or mental challenges are given the kind of education that allows them to achieve to their fullest potential."

The Title I Academic Achievement Award may be given only to schools receiving federal Title1 funds as authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. To be eligible for the Title I Schoolwide Program, a school must enroll 40 percent or more of socioeconomically disadvantaged students. For more information about the Title I Schoolwide Program, please visit: Schoolwide Programs - Title I.

To meet the criteria for this distinction, the school must demonstrate that all students are making significant progress toward proficiency on California's academic content standards. Additionally, the school's socioeconomically disadvantaged students must have doubled the achievement targets set for them for two consecutive years. For more information about the Title I Academic Achievement Awards please visit: Academic Achievement Awards - School/Teacher Recognition.

Title I is a part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and is the single largest federal educational program for K-12 public education. Of the more than 9,000 schools in California, more than 6,000 of them participate in the Title I program.

Prior to his public announcement, O'Connell personally called the principal at each school to inform them of their selection. “They were extremely excited at hearing the news and equally proud of being recognized for their hard work and success," said O'Connell. “It was inspiring to talk to them and share in this extraordinary moment."

The 200 awardees will be honored at a special award ceremony held in conjunction with the annual California Title I Conference scheduled for April 27-28, 2009, at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel in Anaheim. For more information about the California Title I Conference, please visit Title I Conference Information for 2009 - Improving Academic Achievement.

Hot topic: SFUSD and out-of-district students

2009-12-08T11:21:00.001-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

I was recently rejected from turning in my son's kindergarten application at the SFUSD because my PG&E bill was too old. With living in SF for over 10 years, working full-ime for a non-profit here in the City and paying property taxes on a small TIC I was feeling insulted and sort of entitled. I left frustrated but went back with a more up to date bill and his application was accepted. The next day at work I was venting about this and the kindergatren process to a co-worker of mine. His 2 children both go to a "trophy school" and his family lives in Marin!?! I had no idea that once a child starts school in SF they can stay for the convenience of parents who work here. This seems unfair and I am wondering if it is actually legitimate? I have no interest in getting this guys kids kicked out of school, but it does seem off that some children who live outside of the county are allowed to keep coveted spots for their parents convenience. I am wondering how common this is, families who live elsewhere but the parents commute in to SF for work and send their kids to public school here?

Guest Blogger: Elementary school teacher and prospective kindergarten parent Lisa Borah-Geller

2009-12-07T08:03:00.000-08:00

Why Should I Look for Schools That Develop Children Socially and Emotionally?
By Lisa Borah-Geller

I am a San Francisco parent of a prospective kindergartener, an elementary school teacher, and a curriculum developer for a non-profit organization called the Developmental Studies Center. Like some of you, I have spent a lot of time touring elementary schools. I have noticed that many parents look at test scores, facilities, program offerings (i.e., language or art programs), and principal leadership to judge the quality of a school. While these school characteristics are important, I encourage parents to also consider the school environment and how it fosters children’s social and emotional development. This is equally as important.

Touring the schools has made me reflect upon what kind of school environment I want for my daughter and how that environment can help her develop into the kind of person I hope she will become. I would like my daughter to treat others in a respectful, fair, and caring way and take responsibility for herself. I also believe that if my daughter feels happy, supported, safe, and engaged in school and learns to work well with others, she will feel comfortable enough to ask questions, explore new ideas, and learn more deeply.

I am looking for schools that foster a sense of community and teach children these values. Research shows that creating a strong sense of community at school increases students’ academic performance and has a positive influence on students’ behavior. When students are in caring school communities, they are more likely to like school, enjoy challenging learning activities, and help others (http://devstu.org/page/p-r-scientific-basis). In addition, data from a study on adolescent health, found that students’ sense of connectedness to school (and family) were linked to a decrease in a range of problem behaviors, including: the use of alcohol, violent behavior, emotional distress, and early sexual activity (http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/training/connect/school_pg3.html).

When I walk into the classrooms on school tours, I observe how the teachers treat the students (teachers must model respect and kindness for students to act in these ways) and how happy and engaged the students are in their work. I look to see if children are working collaboratively, which fosters a genuine interest in and concern for others. I ask about programs the schools have to promote caring classroom and school communities and students’ social and emotional development. Fortunately, many of the SFUSD schools implement either the Tribes Learning Community® or Caring School Community® programs. Both of these programs help create a positive classroom and school environment. My non-profit employer developed the Caring School Community program.

Recently, as part of my work, I had the opportunity to observe a class-meeting lesson in a kindergarten classroom at Sunnyside Elementary School in San Francisco. In class meetings, children get to know each other, discuss issues, identify and solve problems, and make decisions that affect classroom climate. The teacher was very kind and caring and also had excellent classroom management. The children seemed very happy and eager to participate. The teacher engaged the children in authentic discussion with each other as they talked about how to act for substitute teachers. Talking about how to treat substitute teachers and committing to positive, helpful behaviors prevents problems and makes the classroom run more smoothly when the regular teacher is absent. Ultimately, a child who discusses and learns why she should treat everyone respectfully (including substitute teachers) is beginning to develop into the kind of person I hope my daughter will become—a good, caring, and responsible one.

Hot topic: Claire Lilienthal

2009-12-06T20:20:00.001-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

Would it be possible to start a topic on Claire Lilienthal? There aren't any reviews of the school on the blog and unfortunately, we can't make it to any of the tours due to work conflicts. I know it's one of the oversubscribed trophy schools but the parent comments on GreatSchool.net's site puzzled me - some reviewers claimed the middle school doesn't offer AP classes, several bemoaned the lack of arts, and several cited the high principal turnover in the last five years. I'd love to hear impressions from other parents who have either toured the school or whose children who attend it.

Pre-K Play Day at Zion Lutheran

2009-12-05T08:10:00.001-08:00

Zion Lutheran School is hosting a "Pre-K Play Day" this Sunday, December 6, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. This event is for parents and children interested in Zion's 2010-2011 Kindergarten class. Zion is located at 495 9th Avenue (between Anza & Geary). Children will participate in classroom activities while parents have the opportunity to observe the class and to also participate in a parent Q&A panel. Seating is limited, please RSVP to Admissions Director Jillian McGuire at 415-221-7500 ext. 205. We hope that you will join us for this delightful event.

Respectfully Submitted,
Zion Lutheran Parent Teacher League

Marcia Brady's hot tips for touring parents and parent-pleasing tours

2009-12-04T19:35:00.001-08:00

At the risk of over-posting, I can now offer a couple of hints that might help the tour process be less grueling for all parties concerned.

For parents:

1) If you are truly concerned about test scores, consider not looking at immersion schools. There are any number of good reasons why these schools show lower test scores and still do a good job educating children. I won't go into them here, but it is a drag to have tours taken over by passive-aggressive (or even aggressive-aggressive) parents with this bone to pick.

2) Leave a ton of time to find parking if you drive, because you never know how a given block or neighborhood is. You'll need to park for about 1.5 hours, as tours rarely "dismiss" on time.

3) Dress warmly as you will be spending considerable amounts of time in drafty breezeways or outside (earlier in the year, I would have said apply sunscreen as you may stand on blazing asphalt for quite a while!)

4) Keep it down in the classrooms. I am amazed that the teachers can teach through all the distractions people on tour introduce into the classrooms.

5) Take notes, as it all becomes a blur after a while. Consider sharing your thoughts in comments if a school is reviewed. It really helps balance out the reviewers' inevitable biases or blind spots.

For schools with tours:

1) Do whatever you can to have the principal present. It makes a huge difference. It signals a commitment to incoming families, and lets us see your vision for the school.

2) Make sure parent tour guides are really well-versed, and yet also able to defer questions to the principal (another reason it is good to have him/her there). Most have been wonderful, but occasionally a tour guide can really throw things: the best ones convey information succinctly, do not override things with their own issues, and have notes on the facts in their hands.

3) Please oh please make sure that whoever is answering the phone has all the relevant information: what tours are language-specific, the correct start time, and whether or not you need to pre-register. People are taking clocked time off work here, and aren't happy if they show up and find out they are there on the wrong date, at the wrong time, or not on the list.

4) Please know that we are deeply grateful for comforts and welcoming elements like music (yay, McKinley!), coffee (go, Marshall!), expressions of sympathy about this strange process (hats off to many of you), and offers to let us e-mail you (ditto).

And that is all from me. Really.

Marshall Elementary

2009-12-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Marcia Brady

The Facts

Location: 1575 15^th St. (at Capp), Mission District

 School hours: 8:40-2:40 (thanks for the correction, commenter!)

Tel: 241-6280

 Principal: Peter Avila

 Web site: through SFUSD portal

 School tours: Friday 8:40 (but if you are pressed for time, skip the morning assembly and get to the cafeteria by 9:00)

Parking: Miserable [for touring parents, anyway]. If you plan to tour, take public transportation or use the garage at 16^th/Hoff. Morning isn’t a problem if you are dropping off; afternoons is meter parking only, in a crowded neighborhood.

 Grades: K-5

 Kindergarten size: 2 classes of 20 each, full immersion

 Total student body: about 220

Odds of getting in on R1: 21.7% according to the magic spreadsheet. However, I think a middle-class kid has a good chance, as he/she would add diversity: it’s a lower-income school with 75% Latino/a population mostly from the neighborhood.

You should consider this school if you're looking for a place with:

A tight-knit, small community feel, a focus on science, and an immersion program actually situated in an “immersed” neighborhood. Not a good choice for those who want a school with guaranteed, regular aftercare.

Class Structure / Curriculum: All-school dual Spanish immersion.

Campus/Playground: Nondescript two-story stucco-concrete structure with murals on the outside. Nicely lit classrooms center on a lovely courtyard, with a circular bench built in like a well in its center. The “well” is decorated with kid-made tiles, and the courtyard also features a stained-glass wall. I didn’t get a feel for how space is there: there is a library, computer center, and café/auditorium, but I don’t know what else. There are 2 yards, each with a small play structure and plenty of asphalt, and I think I saw at least one bungalow.

After School programs: free ExCEL by invitation, space limited; Boys and Girls club with transportation, Mission Graduates serving about [OK, 120 -- but there is something serving only 15] kids. Aftercare really is limited here, so working parents have teamed up in a kind of informal co-op to take care of kids who need it.

Additional Programs: Enriched science, Chess club, Junior Woodchucks (woodworking), ArtSpan, SPARKS PE program, Visual Thinking Strategies, Caring School Community

PTA: Growing, with $50K raised, used predominantly to build up the sciences there.

Language program(s): see above

Library / Computer Lab: Did not get to see either because of time (see “impressions”), though I peeked into a small computer lab with perhaps 20 flat-screen black terminals (Dells?). The brochure lists computer classes for kids, but I didn’t get to ask how often.

Arts: Not as strong as some places, but instrumental music is particularly good there, upper grades have visiting artist program. They list ArtSpan on the brochure but I don’t know what that is.

PE: 2x/week.

Recess/Lunch: Recess and lunch are divided by grade, K gets 3 recesses and the other grades get 2.

Tour Impressions:

We began in the courtyard to watch assembly. On the one hand, this was great – it started with a boom box playing music, and then segued to school chants and cheers, announcements, and a sing-along of the school song. What a great way to get the kids focused for the day. On the other hand, it burned up 20 minutes of the tour, so the tour is really 9-10ish and I had to go too early to see the upper-grade classrooms (some of the K and 1 kids were apparently on a field trip).

Afterward, we went to the cafeteria for a talk and Q and A with the parent liaison, principal, and other parents. Amazingly, there was coffee, tea, and hot cocoa for us, and even egg sandwiches, though I think none of us dared take one in case we were taking breakfast out of a kid’s mouth. The parents seem delighted with the school, and the parent liaison clearly works hard. Principal Avila was forthright and thoughtful – he is in his second year at Marshall. There was, as always, the annoying, slightly hostile parent question about test scores. But Principal Avila and the parents rose to the occasion – I was particularly impressed with the principal’s statement that he will not have his teachers teach to the test, as he had to do so in Oakland and lost all passion for teaching. I also appreciated that he is pushing hard for testing to be done in Spanish: the big-picture data he can’t get, he says, is how close to grade level the bulk of the English-predominant students are in their Spanish reading, writing, etc. Personally I’d love to see English-dominant kids tested in Spanish and Spanish-dominant kids rising to the top of those tests. Finally, I liked that the principal spoke of parents' need to immerse themselves in the culture of the school, i.e., get to know people outside their own demographic because kids do what you do, not what you say.

Then it was off to see classrooms. The K classrooms are just enormous and very clean, immaculately decorated with bulletin boards full of kids’ work, 3 Rs stuff, etc. The one K classroom we did visit was interesting, because the kids were reading aloud in unison in Spanish – not just words, but sentences written out on chart paper. OK, what gives here that the large majority of them can already read? Are they small geniuses? The kids were also clearly engaged with and excited by what they were doing. I was really, really bummed to have to leave at 9:50, when I had thought the tour would run something like 8:40-9:50 and scheduled a 10:00 appointment nearby.

In conclusion, as they say: Marshall seems great for those for whom Alvarado and Flynn are too big in scale or have too long-shot odds. Full immersion produces an incredible cohesiveness, and Marshall is smaller and less crowded than Buena Vista (another full immersion school) appeared to me to be. It looks like a happy, energetic place. The parents all spoke of each of their children being embraced by the school, whether as an English-only or Spanish-only child to begin with. With the odds from the spreadsheet, I don’t know if Marshall counts as a “hidden” gem, but with a warm community feel and a principal who is clearly on his game, it looks very sparkly. Some people might flinch at the location—it’s in the very heart of the Mission, and the street life is pretty, um, ripe —but I consider that a plus, as it’s a neighborhood-y school and clearly counts that area as part of the cultural education students are expected to get. And hey, there are 16 security cameras outside the building and the outdoor balconies face the courtyard, so your kid will most definitely be safe. I had tossed it on my list of tours because what the heck, location. Now—with perhaps a revisit to see some classroom teaching--I could see putting it on the top half of my 7!

Commodore Sloat Elementary Tour

2009-12-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Debbie

In the past month or so my kindergarten application process pendulum-of-stress has swung from obsessing about it every day, all the way to the other side - surrendering to it, almost to the point of not really thinking about it. It has lowered my stress level quite a bit which has been great, but it also has led me to not post anything, so for that, I apologize.

True to my initial plan, I have only toured a small handful of schools: West Portal (posted that review), Commodore Sloat (this review), and Sunnyside (Marcia Brady's review is excellent so I don't see a need to post another review).

I have heard and read really good things about Commodore Sloat, but somehow it manages to stay under the radar. Like West Portal, Commodore Sloat is also close to our house. I drive and/or run by this school several times a week. When I’m running, I always slow down if it’s recess or children are out for P.E. so I can observe the kids and the teachers – I’m sure I look like some weird or nosey adult.

Commodore Sloat is an "attendance area" school, and we live in the attendance area. I’ve heard that living in an attendance area doesn’t really matter that much, especially with high demand schools. However, the Educational Placement Center rep at the Parents for Public Schools event on 10/3 said that if you put your attendance area school #1, you’re positioning yourself the best way possible for that school. So hey, if it makes even an incremental difference in the outcome, I’ll take it!

If you want all the school details and more information about the school’s programs, go to the Sloat Parents’ Club Organization’s website (http://www.sloatparents.org/). It’s a really nice and informative website. Otherwise, this post will focus mainly on the tour itself.

FACTS:

Date of tour: October 2009
Location: 50 Darian Way (Ingleside Terrace area), 415-759-2807
Principal: Jeanne Dowd (this is her first year as principal)
School type: Public
Parents’ Club Organization Website: http://www.sloatparents.org/
Tours: Tuesdays, 9-10:00am, call to register
School day start/stop: 8:40am-2:40pm (yard supervision starts at 8:20am)
Grades: K-5
Total Enrollment: 355 (16 classrooms)
Kindergarten size: 66 (3 classes of 22)
Language Immersion: None
Before/After school care: Fee-based offered through Stonestown YMCA, 2:40pm – 6:30pm

THE TOUR:

It was very stormy the day of the tour, and we were running late so we arrived late. Not a good start for us, but we were glad to finally set foot on this school and have the opportunity to check it out. The school takes up the entire northeast corner of Junipero Serra and Ocean Ave, but the main entrance is on Darian Way. We walked past the front office and signed in at a table where there was a parent volunteer to greet us and point us in the direction of the auditorium where the tour began. We walked into the auditorium and saw the principal sitting in a big circle with all the parents on the tour. There were about 20-ish parents, and three parent volunteers. Shortly after my husband and I sat down, the principal said, "Well, that’s the end of my spiel". What? We missed it? Darn! That’s what you get for being late. But we did catch some information: this is the principal’s (Jeanne Dowd) first year as principal. Her past experience includes being a 3rd grade teacher (her favorite grade) at Malcolm X, teaching at John Muir Elementary, Fairmount, and teaching 1st grade in Bolivia. Most recently, she took a sabbatical to earn a Masters degree at Berkeley in their Principal Leadership Program (one parent there said it is a very rigorous program). Ms. Dowd came across as being very smart and capable, and I thought, "this woman will run a tight ship!".

Ms. Dowd then opened it up to questions from the parents. The questions yielded information like: there’s usually a teacher-in-training from SFSU in all the K classes (in addition to the regular teacher of course) and parent volunteers; the staff’s goal is "aligning curriculum" – continually assessing students so you always know where the students are in their learning. The Parents’ Club Organization (PCO) is not a PTA; there are no dues, and anyone can join as long as you have a child at Sloat. The PCO rep there mentioned a figure of "$70,000 - $100,000", but I’m not sure if that’s how much they raise every year or how much they have right now. There is good collaboration between the PCO and the teachers. We also learned that there is a theater arts program (K-1), music program through the district (K-3), gardening program (1x/week in K - I had heard that they have an exceptional gardening program), choral music, P.E. program (I have observed this during my runs, and the P.E. teacher speaks very enthusiastically and respectfully to the children), library 1x/week (the parents just finished bar coding all the books), and instrumental program (4-5, where the children can learn to play the violin, trumpet, or clarinet).

Sloat has no combined grades, but they do something interesting in the 4th and 5th grades. The children are taught English and Social Studies by one teacher in one classroom and Math and Science by another teacher in another classroom. This way, the teachers get to teach the subjects that they like and/or the subjects at which they feel most competent, and it is getting the children ready for middle school and the rotating of classrooms. I liked this concept.

Ms. Dowd talked about the "Tribes Community" at Sloat. From her description, it sounded like the goal is to build a community within the classroom so kids work together. She said that it builds inclusion so kids will feel comfortable taking risks academically. Four main components of building this sense of community are: sharing, mutual respect, attention, and right to pass (if a child doesn’t want a turn at something, he/she has the right to pass). There’s also an emphasis on being responsible. A Sloat parent in the circle said that her son is currently responsible for helping children who get hurt by getting bandaids and opening them for the hurt child. They also mentioned a "buddy" system where younger children are buddied up with older children.

A parent asked about homework. Ms. Dowd said, "Kindergarten is rigorous now". Okay, that scared me, but then a Sloat parent in the circle said it’s not bad, pretty mellow, and they usually have a week to do it. It’s more about learning the exercise of homework. Ms. Dowd added that homework should not be something new; it should be just practice of what they’ve already learned in the classroom. Whew, I felt better.

Then we said bye to Ms. Dowd and the Sloat parents took us to the walking part of the tour. We saw the lunch room first – small (but it was the first elementary school lunch room that I’d seen so maybe they’re all this size) with windows overlooking a courtyard where the older children will eat lunch on nice days. The K classes eat together at the same time. The older children eat at staggered times. Monitors are present to help children open stuff up and to make sure they all eat something.

The best way to describe Commodore Sloat’s physical layout is a square divided into four quadrants or "pods" is what they call them. The southwest quadrant is where the three K classes are. The K classrooms were a good size, well lit, neat, and organized. I know the expectation is for me to comment on the level to which the kids appeared happy and engaged, but for me that’s tough because the kids seem to act like I would expect regular kids to act with 20 adults staring at them – kind of quiet, working on an activity, some talking to each other or to the teacher, with an occasional child saying "hi". I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary in terms of the children’s behavior. There are no bungalows at this school, and the tour guide said it was because the neighborhood that the school is in doesn’t allow them. I’m not a fan of the bungalows so this was fine with me.

The outdoor play area is HUGE, and is one of the outstanding features of this school. Keeping in mind the square shape of the school, the playground wraps widely around two sides of the square. It’s quite nice, and there are two very separate newer looking play structures, and the K classes have their own recess area (one of the play structures) and a separate recess time than the older children.

Then we went to the library. They are about 9,000 books, and they are now all bar coded. It looked neat, organized, bigger than I thought it would be, with lots of tables and chairs, and an area in the corner that looked like a storytime area. Every January the PCO sponsors an Adopt-A-Book event where new books are donated by the parents, and each child who donates a book gets to have his/her name in the book.

We also saw a few of the classes with older children. One of the teachers came outside and spoke to us for quite a while. One of the things that stood out about her was that one of her goals for her students is for them to type 35 wpm by graduation. She said this was to ensure they would be prepared for all the typing (on computers) in middle school. I was impressed by this goal and totally agree that typing is a necessary skill to have.

Then the tour guides answered last minute questions, thanked us for coming, and wrapped it up.

Likes: huge outdoor play area, smart and competent principal, separate classes for Math/Science and English/Social Studies in 4th/5th grades, focus on building a sense of community and inclusion among the children, active parent club, 8:40am start time, close to our house, and last but not least -–no bungalows!

Dislikes: None really, but if it had a language immersion program, it would be an even stronger school (and would probably no longer be "under the radar")

Overall impression: This is a solid school: strong and involved parents club, solid test scores (API 872 per greatschools.net), good sense of community, outstanding outdoor play area, smart and motivated new principal, and clean/organized classrooms. This school is going towards the top of my list.

Yick Wo fund-raising

2009-12-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

With the holidays upon us, gift giving is at the top of our minds. If any of you are already beat from braving the store crowds on Black Friday or think that Cyber-Monday wasn't worth all of the hype, then why not consider a gift that fits every budget, requires no exchanges and has a positive impact?

The Yick Wo website is open 24 hours a day for your holiday shopping needs and accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards.

Just visit our link at http://www.yickwo.org/ywes/support.

And don't forget, a donation to Yick Wo's Direct Appeal makes a wonderful gift from Grandparents, friends and other extended family members (and it is tax-deductible). So please pass along this wonderful tidbit of holiday shopping advice to all of those who may be looking for the perfect holiday gift this year.

Happy Holidays,

Yick Wo Direct Appeal Fundraising Team

Hot topic: Attendance area, diversity and immersion programs

2009-12-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

Do immersion programs function differently in the assignment system for determining the category of "applicants within the attendance area who add to diversity at that school?"

I understand (I think) that the lottery looks first for children in the attendance area who would add to diversity in the incoming K class, and that if your child BOTH is within the attendance area AND adds to diversity, then being in the area is helpful. Our attendance area school is an all Spanish-immersion school with a high number of English language learners, and we are definitely interested in putting it down as a Round I choice. As an English-speaking non-poor family, we might add to diversity at the school overall as compared to the initial already-formed class of younger siblings.

But I also know that the lottery run separates out English-monolingual/Spanish-
monolingual/bilingual families when assigning students to immersion programs. We presumably don't add to diversity when compared to other English-speaking families who are being considered for the English monolingual spaces in the immersion program.

So, will being in the attendance area help or not? Is "diversity" evaluated with regard to the school as a whole or with regard to just the relevant subset (English-speaking vs. target-language-speaking) of spaces?

Thanks very much for any input, and I hope this question applies to enough other people here that I'm not just asking for myself!

Monroe Elementary

2009-12-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

Reviewed by Marcia Brady

The Facts

Location: 260 Madrid St., at Excelsior (Excelsior)

 School hours: 8:25-2:25 K-3, 8:25-2:30 3-5

Tel: 469-4736

 Principal: Jennifer Steiner

 Web site: www.monroeelementaryschool.com

 School tours: Tues. 8:45

 Grades: K-5

 Kindergarten size: 4 classes of 22 each (2 Spanish immersion, 1 Cantonese bilingual, 1 English Language Development)

 Total student body: 480

Odds of getting in on Round 1: 15.2% for the Spanish immersion, according to the spreadsheet. Like most SI programs, they are in need of Spanish-speaking and bilingual students.

Parking: Not too bad; dropoff for older kids

You should consider this school if you're looking for a place with:

A multilingual, multicultural environment, a strong focus on literacy and the arts, a range of aftercare options. Probably not the school for a kid who needs a smaller building or smaller numbers, though the feel is quite intimate given the size of the place and student body.

Class Structure / Curriculum: The GE there seems to be the English Language Pathways program; otherwise, the curriculum looks fairly standard. Kindergartners in Spanish immersion stay with the same teacher for K-1.

Campus/Playground: Big modern building, of the poured-concrete-and-lots-of-breezeway style of the 1950s or 60s, painted bright orange. Tile murals, colorful paint, and wall art abound outside. The plant has a somewhat worn feel, but is very cheerful and bright. Inside, nondescript architecture, but a spacious feel – a big bright auditorium/café, classrooms looking out onto a 1600 square foot garden or the playground, with light coming in. Large asphalt yard with big new-ish play structure, bungalow restrooms and bungalows for several classrooms. Smaller concrete outdoor auditorium. Garden has an outdoor classroom with an adobe circular bench modeled on SF’s “skyline” of hills, and a charming grotto of kid-made birdhouses.

After School programs: free ExCEL by invitation, space limited; free CDC at Excelsior/Monroe for K-5, fee-based private daycare at Buena Vista (with transportation there provided), Boys and Girls club down the street.

Additional Programs: Arts (see below), Reading Recovery program, garden used for instructional purposes by teacher.

PTA: 150 on the roster, $50K raised, mostly grants as it is a lower-income school.

Language program(s): see above

Library / Computer Lab: Big library serves as the hub for several lower-grade classrooms (K-2?). Library collection is trilingual (English, Spanish/Cantonese); the librarian is there 2 ½ days/week and kids can check out a book every other week. Library has an additional small reading room where books are kept in a grade-level tracking system, and children are assessed and then given books with 90% familiarity, to gently push them upward. Small computer lab with 18 flat-screen iMacs; computer class 1x/week with additional use of labs at teacher discretion.

Arts: PTA-funded. Dance, Visual Art, Drama, and Music in 16-week cycles, 1x/week. At the end of 2 years, kids have had all.

Science: FOSS kits, WISE program to train teachers in science instruction, impromptu botany in the garden.

PE: District-funded PE has replaced Sports for Kids for budgetary reasons. PE coach is available at lunch and recess. Unlike many SF schools (check out the recent Chronicle article), Monroe meets the state requirements for PE.

Recess/Lunch: Oops, forgot to ask!

Tour Impressions:

We began in the auditorium, where a parent volunteer was teaching auxiliary verbs to parents who were English language learners. So off to the outdoor auditorium (which is all painted in fading rainbow colors) for a briefing with the parent volunteer. Our first classroom visit was an SI first-grade classroom, where kids were on the rug, working together on some kind of question-and-answer game with questions written on cards and answers written on a wipe-erase “brainstorming” board. Another SI Kindergarten had a couch and big pillows defining a reading area, and the teacher first asked the kids to discuss something about the book he was about to read (the title? the cover? where did my high school Spanish go?). He brought them back to focus on the large group with a little rhythmic hand clap, which the kids joined in as they focused. I was struck by how attentive and engaged the kids seemed – I know that in my review of SF Community a teacher commented that you can’t assume that kids aren’t learning if they are distracted or chatty, but I still stand by my conviction that engaged, excited kids are what I want to see. Monroe had them in every classroom we saw.

We finished back in the auditorium, where we met principal Jennifer Steiner. She is in her fourth year at Monroe, having been an Instructional Reform Facilitator at Monroe for quite a few years prior. She has an MA in language and literacy, and told us that Monroe’s priorities under her watch were these two things, especially early intervention for kids not reading in first grade. We learned that the arts program (there are 4 teachers, 1 each for the four listed above) secures release time for the teachers to meet weekly in grade-level meetings, and discuss strategies for, among other things, differentiated instruction. Ms. Steiner was extremely down-to-earth and casual, with very clear aims for the school. The parent guide had said that the money Monroe controls on the SCS and in the PTA goes to “positions and people,” and this is evident in Ms. Steiner’s vision for a school that closes the literacy gap between lower- and higher-achieving students while offering rigorous academics and as lush an art program as the PTA can buy.

Monroe strikes me as a really good, slightly more accessible alternative to Alvarado or Buena Vista. While it’s working with a lower budget than these two more “buzzy” Spanish immersion schools, Monroe does a lot with a little. It’s a cheery place that attends rigorously to the 3 Rs while insisting that art, PE, and so on are not just for rich kids.

Hot topic: SFUSD lottery/Mandarin immersion

2009-12-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

Parents who are looking at Mandarin immersion in particular (i.e. Starr King and Jose Ortega) for Kindergarten should remember that it works a little different than other programs.

The District reserves half the spaces for Mandarin-speakers and the rest go to non-Mandarin speakers.

So in Round One of the lottery, only half of the spaces will go to non-Mandarin speakers, 22 at Starr King and 11 at Jose Ortega. We have quite a few siblings, so those numbers will be even lower this year.

HOWEVER - Historically (and we expect no huge change for 2010-2011) the Mandarin spaces have NOT filled. We have usually gotten between one and two Mandarin speakers per class (why is worth a long and somewhat meandering essay on socio-economic and cultural expectation and presumptions in the Mandarin-speaking community.)

[An aside here: If your child is a fluent Mandarin speaker, you WILL get in in Round One. If you do not, it's because of a glitch in the program. RUN, DO NOT WALK, TO THE DISTRICT. There were a couple of these last year and in each that we could identify, it just took one call or visit to the District to get the kid in. Pretty much any child fluent in Mandarin will get whichever school they want.]

That means that unlike almost all other programs, a WHOLE BUNCH of slots in Mandarin immersion open up in Round Two.

So, if your child is not a fluent Mandarin speaker and you don't get in to one of the Mandarin immersion programs in Round One, there is still a very good chance that you will get in in Round Two. You've got almost as much chance of getting in in Round Two as you do in Round One.

Final note: There is no requirement that children coming in to 1st grade immersion have any knowledge of the target language (ie Mandarin.) So each year we have several families who come in to Mandarin Immersion in first grade and their kids do just fine. Because people move over the summer, there are almost always a few spaces open.

If you have more questions, please contact the schools, or the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council. You can read more about the programs at http://miparentscouncil.org/

Thanks,

Beth Weise
President, Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

SFUSD inclusion event

2009-12-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

The 9th Annual Inclusive Schools Week will be held December 7-11, 2009. Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event that highlights the accomplishments of families, schools, and communities that have dedicated time, labor, and resources to promoting inclusive education for all of the world's children.

San Francisco Community Event and Dinner
Screening of the Documentary film "Including Samuel"
Monday, December 7th, 6-8 PM
Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy
4235-19th Street
Dinner will be provided.

For Inclusive Schools Week, we are screening the film "Including Samuel" (see more details below), an hour-long documentary about inclusive education.

This will be an informal event, just a chance for people to watch the film and discuss what they saw & how it may have changed the way they feel about inclusion. We will have a panel of parents and educators there to help answer any questions you may have about inclusion. We'd like to include all members of our community for this event, not only those with children in inclusion. If you don't know what inclusion means, this is a great place to find out! (Harvey Milk is an inclusion school). Please share this invitation to anyone who you think might be interested.

PLEASE RSVP by December 1, 2009 (or sooner!) so we can have an accurate head count for food and seating arrangements.

RSVP to Audrey Vernick
audvern@yahoo. com
415-377-1132 cell
(Mom to Bennett, a kindergartner at Harvey Milk in the Inclusion Program)

About the film:
This is a rare chance to see a wonderful film about what it means to have a child with special needs included in a typical school, and the impact it has on everyone involved.

"Including Samuel: Before his son Samuel was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, photojournalist Dan Habib rarely thought about the inclusion of people with disabilities. Now he thinks about inclusion every day. Shot and produced over four years, Habib’s award-winning documentary film, Including Samuel, chronicles the Habib family’s efforts to include Samuel in every facet of their lives. The film honestly portrays his family’s hopes and struggles as well as the experiences of four other individuals with disabilities and their families. Including Samuel is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion."

LINKS:
http://www.harveymilk.com/
http://www.inclusiveschools.org/week2009
http://www.includingsamuel.com

watch a trailer of the film:
http://www.includingsamuel.com/media

Hot topic: Filling out the SFUSD application

2009-12-01T18:18:00.001-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

I'm looking at the school application and I'm wondering how to answer the Home Language questions. My husband and I speak two different languages to our son, 50/50, and have done so since he was born. I would imagine this is not uncommon in this city. For those who haven't seen it yet, the questions are:

1. What language did your child first learn when s/he began to talk? __________________
2. What language does your child use most frequently at home? __________________
3. What language do you use most frequently to speak to your child? _________________

4. What language do the adults use most frequently at home? _________________

Is, for example, "English & Korean" a legit answer? Would that answer make us "diverse"? What have other families done in this case?

Hot topic: How to rank your 7 schools

2009-11-29T07:10:00.001-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

I am hearing mixed messages about the importance of the order of the 7 school choices on the SFUSD application and wonder if readers could help clarify. In a few comments on this blog people who seem like they know what they're talking about have stated that the ranking is irrelevant, and yet Rachel Norton posted on her blog that " Of the 947 families who did not receive any of their Round I choices last year, almost 800 listed one of these high demand schools as their first or second choice" which seems to imply that the order does matter. What gives?

Hot topic: Placement of students with program needs

2009-11-29T07:08:00.001-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

The EPC provides details of the selection process here. In reviewing it, it's handy in that it gives details behind the diversity index selection process. But I can't seem to find any details behind the first step of the selection process, ie. the "placement of ... students with program needs." In particular, I understand that immersion programs fall in this bucket, so this step represents a large portion (20%?) of spots for Kindergartners, including some of the most popular spots.

Does anyone know the details behind this first step in the selection process? Real documentation for this step of the process, or just the guidelines, or even hypotheses as to what they are doing are welcome as far as I'm concerned, given that I'm starting from almost zero. All I've gathered so far is that for immersion programs, they strive for either 50/50 native/english, or 33/33/33 native/english/bilingual. But I haven't seen firm documentation on that, and even if I did, it leaves *a lot* of uncertainty as to the process.

Hot topic: CTY John Hopkins

2009-11-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

My elementary school age child, because of scores of above 95% on the grade level standardized test taken, qualifies to take the SCAT for the John Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth talent search. I was wondering if any of your readers had either taken part in CTY when growing up or have a child who is participating now.

http://cty.jhu.edu/index.html

I want to stress that I am not interested in anyone's opinion on gifted education, I only want information on this specific program.

El Dorado's Bakers' Book

2009-11-22T18:41:00.001-08:00

The Kindergartners of Room 9 and their First Grade Buddies in Room 104 would like to share the delicious results of their Breaking Bread unit with you. Their bound and illustrated cookbook will be available 5 December for $4.00 a copy (+ $2 shipping and handling if applicable). All proceeds will support their weekly cooking projects.

The El Dorado's Bakers' Book can be purchased at El Dorado in person, by phone (415.331.1537) or by mail (Jennifer Moless/Tali Horowitz, El Dorado ES 70 Delta St. San Francisco CA 94134). Orders are also accepted by email to jennifer.moless@gmail.com. We can accept cash or checks made out to Jennifer Moless or Tali Horowitz.

Thank you for supporting healthy, hands-on learning in our classrooms!

Hot topic: red shirting

2009-11-22T18:40:00.001-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

Kindergarten or Pre-K?

I hope this isn't considered off topic here, as we're mostly discussing various schools. We're still debating whether our son should be headed to Kindergarten next year, or Pre-K. For those of you who are on the fence like myself, could you share your thought process? And if you've made this decision in the last few years, how did you arrive at your decision? For what reasons did you think your child might not be ready for Kindergarten?

Hot topic: Chocolate milk

2009-11-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of momentum building right now on the issue of chocolate milk in schools. The SF School Food Coalition, a new parent advocacy group focused on school food reform, would like to learn more about how the broader SFUSD community feels about the practice of serving chocolate milk at SFUSD school lunch. Please take a moment to visit our website and vote in the poll. It will close in one week so please spread the word throughout your school community!

http://sfschoolfood.org/

With thanks,
Lena Brook

Parent, Grattan School
Founder, SF School Food Coalition

Find background on the chocolate milk debate:

SFGate: The chocolate milk debate

AP: Industry pushes chocolate milk in schools

LA Times: Chocolate milk in schools: A necessary evil?

Hot topic: Inclusion and kids with IEPs

2009-11-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

I have a son with an IEP, and it has been recommended that he be in Inclusion in the general classroom. I would love to find out if anyone knows which Inclusion schools are best, and which ones may have fewer or more spots opening up next year, and how choosing to go with Inclusion affects chances of getting in. I hope you consider this a valid topic.

Hot topic: If I knew then what I know now...

2009-11-20T20:28:00.001-08:00

This from an SF K Files reader:

I just had the most random thought. it might be good to start a thread on your sfkfiles blog under the rubric of "if i knew then what i know now" -- messages directly from parents who went through the school enrollment process fairly recently -- say, the last couple years -- to the parents touring and applying for kinder now. it would be a great chance to share wisdom, offer comfort, debunk some of the myths, get parents more focused on the fact that there is life after kinder, how much kids change after they start K, challenging all your tightly held precepts about what your kid can and can't handle, etc. (starting to think school search is like birth -- the first time you focus so hard on this one event, you forget you have to raise the dang kid afterward.)

San Francisco Community School

2009-11-20T20:02:00.001-08:00

Reviewed by Marcia Brady

The Facts

Location: 125 Excelsior Ave. , 1 block east of Mission (Excelsior)

School hours: 9:15-3:30

Tel: 469-4739

Principal: Kristin Bijur, Head Teacher (SFCS has a completely different leadership structure than I've seen, see below).

Web site: www.my-sfcs.org

School tours: Fridays, 10 AM

Grades: K-8

Kindergarten size: 3 classes of 20, going up to 22

Total student body: 275

You should consider this school if you're looking for a place with:

Progressive values, mixed-age classes, innovative curriculum, an intimate, small-scale middle school. Not a good choice if your child needs structure or is daunted by older kids.

Class Structure / Curriculum: Mixed classes (K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 7-8), except for grade-specific math. Elementary school students have the same teacher for 2 years. Project-based learning: 2 nine-week science-based projects per year, each incorporating 2 out of 4 total themes (Human Body, Environment/Earth Science, Physical World/Design, and Community). So with each teacher, elementary students have all 4 themes over 2 years. They are repeated, but elaborated and extended for years 4-5 and 6-7 or 8. In 5th and 8th grade, students present portfolios to panels of teachers, family members, community members, and peers in order to "graduate" to the next level.

Campus/Playground: Very large brick building, with lots of light coming into the classrooms. Physical plant is, however, somewhat shabby and stark -- chipped plaster, peeling paint, not nearly enough on the walls to compensate for the large amount of wall space. 1 bungalow houses the library, another seems to be a greenhouse. Large yard divided into areas: an older-looking play structure, a sand and water-play area, and a beautiful garden big enough to walk in.

After School programs: Third Base program, was free but will cost next year, until 5:45

Additional Programs: Outdoor Education including camping trips for all grade levels every year, edible garden, extra classes in gardening, nutrition, and cooking.

PTA: no info. given on tour

Language program(s): None

Library / Computer Lab: Library has 16 Macintosh computers; each classroom has 3-4 computers. No formal computer curriculum. We did not see the inside of the library, but there is a librarian and K-5 kids have library class 1x/week. Kids must keep checked-out books in the classroom until Grade 3.

Arts: No info on tour, in brochure, or on website. Project-based learning incorporates art, though.

PE: No information on tour, in brochure, or on website.

Recess/Lunch: No information on tour, in brochure, or on website.

Tour Impressions:

This tour had only one parent at the helm. We began in a hallway, but went immediately to one of the K-1 classrooms. How do you know you are at an alternative school? Teachers are called by their first names, of course! There, the teacher spoke to the K and 1 kids about the ending sound "-ck" for a bit. Interestingly, I saw none of the dreaded behavior charts at SFCS, but these kids were wiggly and talked so much that the teacher's voice was hardly audible, and 2 kids were on "time out" chairs. One parent said immediately, "I've seen enough," and stomped out. All this left me wondering: are those behavior charts necessary for a quality learning environment after all? Or is a different focus -- SFCS's is conflict resolution and problem-solving -- going to produce less exterior evidence of "model children" while growing more socio-emotionally competent kids on the inside?

The K kids were then sent off to do worksheets, but no adults were there to supervise them, which seemed odd (SFCS has 14 credentialed teachers and 14-20 support staff members, so maybe someone was absent). In the other K-2 classroom, there were 2 adults, and kids were doing quite diverse things: some were in workgroups, others appeared to be on free play time. This second classroom had a dress-up area, a play kitchen, unit blocks, and neatly typed reading labels ("chair," "desk") on all the chairs,desks, etc. Both classrooms were large, but still seemed somewhat drab to me after Sunnyside's colorful ones. Interestingly, the 2-3 classroom we saw was equally wiggly; they were working on writing a collective letter to someone as a way of learning the parts of speech. I liked this approach, but again, was taken aback by the amount of noise and the number of kids who were clearly astrotraveling.

We ended in the cafeteria for a Q and A. The tour guide described SFCS's unique leadership structure: teachers with at least 3-4 years' experience rotate as "Head Teacher," which sounds more like a department chair, in practice, than like a principal. There is also a "Lead Team" consisting of one teacher from every grade, who meet with the Head Teacher and serve as liaisons to the other teachers. Their professional development is also internal; they do what is needed rather than attending the huge SFUSD meetings. Teachers seem to have a very high degree of autonomy here, and to collaborate a great deal. One parent asked about the effect of the mixed classes: the tour guide at first seemed to say they worked best for high-achieving kids who had older kids to work with, but then flip-flopped a bit and said that teacher attention generally went to the struggling students because, in the end, the issue was equity and closing the achievement gap, such that higher-achieving kids probably ended up achieving less than they could. Higher-achieving kids, she also said, did a lot of independent work. Remembering my own dreadfully lonely K-3 years where I was sent off to teach myself things, I wasn't wild about this news. But we did see evidence of some interesting projects, including a survey done by K-1 kids complete with raw data, methodology, and bar charts! I had to leave before the Q and A session was over, but it seemed that the Head Teacher was not going to appear, and I would have liked to hear from her about curriculum.

How does all this add up? I love the idea of the curriculum at this school, and of the possibility for teachers to collaborate and innovate: in this sense, SFCS seems like an independent school for the less well-off. In fact, SFUSD just named SFCS as one of eight "exemplary schools" that will be studied by Stanford researchers doing work on successful schools. The projects, the outdoor education, the emphasis on community "virtues" all appeal to me. And I am well aware that progressive education can look much messier in the process, but that wonderful products (both kids and what they make) emerge from it. But in the actual classroom teaching, I didn't see much going on that was different than the other public schools I've visited. And these kids seemed less attentive and eager to learn, not more. I was also more put off by the physical plant than I've been at any other school. But do facilities matter as much as pedagogy, values, etc.? So now I turn to SFCS parents with some questions:

Do the mixed-age classes work well for your kid, and why?

If you have a kid with learning difficulties, or a kid who is quite a bit above grade level, do you feel your child is achieving up to his/her potential, and how do you define that?

What is your sense of the classroom environment, and what might parents want to look at through different lenses than the usual ones they might put on for tours?