Guest Blog Post: Building on Momentum in the Coming Years

The parents of our students helped keep our education system effective during COVID-19. And they deserve credit. In fact, we've seen an uptick in parental engagement through the pandemic. My question is: How do we build on that momentum over the next few years?

Image Credit: SFUSD.

I have children myself, and I know how hard it is. You have to wake them up. That's the first step. Then you have to feed them. Then you need to make sure you have a charge in their computers. And that's before they've even tuned in for class. Then you've also got to be responsible for their social and emotional education. You become their friends. The pressure is on parents to provide the entire school experience!

In that context, COVID-19 has been really tough for elementary and secondary schools across the nation. It's disrupted learning and wellbeing for students and exacerbated opportunity gaps. Luckily federal and California state governments have passed legislation to provide emergency relief. We are going to use it to support parents who have gone unacknowledged throughout and our students who have spent a year in isolation.

The state has set aside $39.7 million in an Expanded Learning Opportunity Grant. The goal is for the money to speed up learning and address student needs. We want to extend instructional learning time and narrow the achievement gap. We can spend the money on tutoring, learning recovery programs, or educator training. We can fund integrated student services, counseling, or mental health. We can provide community learning hubs to provide access to technology. And we can pay for school meals, before-and-after-school programs. We can also give support for credit deficit students.

The Board approved the plan last night in time for the State’s June 1 deadline.

Image Credit: SFUSD.

Over the next 15 months, SFUSD will focus on learning recovery, closing the exacerbated achievement gap and reengaging all students into a restored in-person learning environment. The plan will follow three broad phases beginning with Summer 2021, shifting to the 2021-22 school year, and then completing with Summer 2022.

We will allocate millions in school district investments to complement City and philanthropic support for our “Summer Together” program. As we return this fall, we will provide additional support for instruction and special student populations including programs like Ethnic Studies, Equity Studies, and programs for Native, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students and Black students. There is also money for mental health support, including trauma-informed coordinated care.

Image Credit: SFUSD.

The funding plan is based on thorough data analysis. Our review of the data shows a loss of instructional time led to unfinished learning. More students needed interventions and fewer reached skill levels this year. Our students fell behind. There were lower attendance rates. Almost a quarter of our families surveyed said they were doing "ok, could be better, or not well." And they shared concerns centered around food, technology needs, and student behavior. Unreliable Internet access hurt digital learning and people's mental health suffered.

Another goal is to build positive family partnerships. That means improved multi-lingual communication. It means more opportunities for families to partner with teachers. And it will lead to increasing instructional and mental health. We'll be able to staff our schools with more nurses and social workers. We'll also be able to provide more professional development for educators. And boost our anti-racism practices.

It's also notable that 80% of staff respondents reported fatigue and secondary trauma. Furthermore, around 8,000 families did not respond to our fall wellness checks. And we need to hear their voices.

Image Credit: SFUSD Board of Education.

Data analysis helps us make smart choices. As school board Vice President I'm committed to staying grounded in data. And I’m committed to creating more consistency for everyone. We want to stabilize things in the coming year. That begins with a heartfelt thank you to the parents who helped get us through 2020.

—Faauuga Moliga is Vice President of the San Francisco Unified School District Board.