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DadintheFog: Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA)

October 20, 2013, 8:07 pm
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Another day, another elementary school tour.  

A few weeks back, I was able to attend a Parents for Public Schools session which included a parent panel representing five different schools.  The parents represented a wonderful cross section of schools – Sherman,  Sutro, DeAvila, SF Community, New Traditions and  Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA).  But the parent which really connected to me, much to my surprise, was the one from TECA.  All the parents obviously loved their school, but this parent brought the school to life in a way that felt very truthful – she wasn’t afraid to mention work that still needs to happen, difficulties of the school, etc. while describing all the areas in which TECA excels.
TECA has a long convoluted history from a public school, to a private charter and public charter.  SFweekly recounts the history in a great article here.  Now, I personally would never consider a corporate charter school from a philosophical standpoint (and I’ll save those reason for another day as they really don’t pertain to this review).  This school however is a non-profit organization under the SFUSD.  My understanding is that the main difference is the school does not technically fall under the SFUSD's administration, but rather under its own.  In this way, the principal acts as both the school principal and district superintendant.

I will also point out that LazyTigerMom also reviewed the school last year.  I highly recommend reading her review as well (which includes some nice photos of the building).

Key Differentiators:
One of the key programs at TECA is it’s bilingual education program.  Spanish is everywhere in this school – from notices in both English and Spanish, to classwork on the walls, to parents and teacher conversations.  Of the 4 kindergarten classes, two are bilingual.  For TECA, bilingual education is a 50/50 approach with each student spending half the day in a Spanish language class and the other in an English language class.  Currently the program goes from K-3rd grade and is expecting to increase to K-4th next year.  The program is in its fourth year and is still adding Spanish to its mix.  Plans for the grades 5-8 are not set but may not be full immersion environments due to the demands of middle school curriculum.  

TECA offers music, visual arts, drama and PE year round in 10 week sessions.  Additionally, all students get a 20 min PE session with Playworks daily and a 20 minute unstructured recess.  Science and Math in grades 6-8 are taught by subject credentialed teachers.

Many of the students also seem to do very well academically.  I believe 7 students continued on to Lowell this year (13% of the 8th grade class).

The school requires uniforms consisting of a white or navy top and khaki or navy pants/skirt.  On the day of the tour, the kids had achieved a Free Dress Friday and were not required to be in uniform.

My Arrival:
Once again, I managed to mess up arriving on time.  This time however it saved me as I went to the wrong  address.  (I am rarely off on an address – all these school tours and reviews are obviously messing with my mind.  I did however get a good look at Adda Clevenger!)  I still managed to arrive 15 min early.  No pre-registration was required for this tour; sign-up  was just a quick signature and name badge.  I was able to watch kids playing in the courtyard for a few minutes before starting conversation with the other parents lining up.   I immediately noticed the office was not very well organized nor clean.  I understand how difficult it can be to work in a small space; but I also believe that cleanliness and organization set the tone for an environment.  The floors in the hallway also obviously had not been cleaned the night before.

The Tour:
The tour was not well organized and the parents leading the tour may have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of parents showing up.  I didn't get a good count, but it was probably over 50 people.  Initially the crowd was lined up along the entry corridor.  The tour guides quickly moved us to a foyer outside a nice auditorium, filled with kids preparing for the day.  Unfortunately the space was a little chaotic which made focusing on the tour  a little difficult.

After a class cut through the group, the tour leaders moved us outside to the courtyard for an overview and Q&A session.  A lot of parents asked questions on diversity and the parents made clear that this is a school in transition.  (The touring parents were a very diverse group.  If the school were able to enroll these families, the school would really start to change.)  My view was that while I did see a few obviously white kids and African-American kids, the vast majority appeared Latino.  Obviously, appearances are often wrong; but the school's ethnic breakdown seems to bear out my observations (API data below).

The play yard is large, but a little barren.  There is a wonderful separate space for the kindergarten kids, filled with planters containing educational plants (plants to touch, smell, eat).  A parent wrote a grant to Lowe's and won the planters and plants!

After the playground, we stopped by the cafeteria.  One parent noticed that kindergarten lunch was very early (around 11AM, I believe) -- but was reassured that kids also have a snack time in the afternoon.  Food is not provided by Revolution but by TheLunchMaster.

After leaving the cafeteria, we walked through a breeze-way heading to the stairs to the 2nd floor.  While I don't know if this is a space that children are allowed to enter, I was surprised to see a pile of old desk and chairs stacked haphazardly.  I'm not an overly protective parent, but this pile really bugged me and felt like a safety hazard.  Once again, it was another strike against organization and cleanliness.

Classrooms:
Not knowing much about charter schools, I had always assumed they were very regimented and controlled environments.  The first kindergarten class was a general education class.  The teacher was conducting a lesson based on an overhead and the students provided answers on a handout.  While the teacher was reading from the teacher's manual, the kids would respond on their paper.  Many of the kids were answering correctly, but several were randomly circling answers.  While they all were following along, the students didn't seem engaged in the exercise or with the teacher.  Two boys were almost laying across the table rather than sitting upright.  They may have been completing the exercise, but their hearts were not in it.

I'll be the first to admit that this was a 5 minute preview of the class, and TECA parents please chime in to give your perspective.  I'm sure having a wall of touring parents starring at you, would have a strange impact in the class, but this was the first class tour where the kids just didn't seem to care about what was happening.

The second classroom was a dual immersion kindergarten. The classroom felt much more lively and engaging overall.  I was only able to get a few minutes watching the class as there were too many parents pushing their way into the space.  In all honesty, I was also already starting to check out mentally.  I knew this was not a school for which I would be willing to cross the City.

The tour started to fall apart around this time.  The guides finally corralled the parents to the end of a hallway and brought the principal over to speak.  It was hard to hear over the kids in the hall (and the other parents talking amongst themselves).

The New Principal:
TECA has a new principal this year.  The PTA parent were very excited by her and her academic credentials.  In speaking to the tour, however, I was not impressed by her passion or vision for the school.  I can write much of this off as her newness to the school, but I would expect a new leader to have a vision of what she wants to bring to the school.  In this way, she came across to me as an administrator rather than a visionary. 

The tour wrapped up quickly and I headed off.  If I lived closer and had to have a Spanish immersion school, I may be willing to apply as a contingency plan.   However for me, I just could not see my child being engaged in this school.

I truly wish the school well.  Alternative education programs have a clear role in the SFUSD system.  Not every school works for every family.  I would love to see more diversity -- and if the touring parents apply, this will help greatly. 


DadintheFog Stats (Here are a few I found important):
4 Kindergarten Classes (80 spots, 40 bilingual and 40 general)
Around 600 student currently in K-8
Admission:  1st come, first in - Applications accepted starting Oct 22.
Times:  8:20am to 3pm (M, T, TH, F) and 8:20am to 1pm (Wed)
Aftercare:  Onsite care until 6PM ($325 or free if qualified)
Pre-Care:  Free starting at 7:30AM
Total Requests (Fall 2013 Start, Round 1):              Not Reported
API Score (Base 2012):  795
Ethnic Breakdown (from API):             
                African American                                             15%
                American Indian/Alaskan Native:              0%
                Asian:                                                                   2%
                Filipino:                                                                2%
                Hispanic/Latino:                                                76%
                Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander:            1%
                White:                                                                  3%
                2 or More Races:                                              1%
English Learners:                                              55%
Free/Reduced Lunch Eligible:                     82%
Parents Completing College/Grad School:            18% / 2%
Website:  http://www.teca-sf.org/

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RedSF: New Blogger

October 22, 2013, 12:14 pm
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Like many things that come as a surprise when you have a children, I did not know that I would be taking (what feels like) a second full-time job touring SFUSD schools. For better or worse, I have.

Thus far, I've visited six schools and I have a few more to go. Since I'm out there gathering all this knowledge I figured I'd do my best to share it with others and hopefully save you the trekking.

 My daughter will start Kindergarten next year and we are only looking at public schools. The discussion(s) my husband & I had that lead to this can be saved for another blog post!
 We live in the northern part of the city but are renters and we are willing to move. We'd also like Spanish Immersion but are checking out non-spanish immersion so we have a comparison point.

Thus far, I've toured:

  • Sherman 
  • Paul Revere 
  • Peabody 
  • Monroe 
  • Buena Vista / Horace Mann 
  • Fairmount 
  • Alvarado 


 I'm hoping to find a school with improving test scores, a ton of parental involvement, school spirit, an arts program, an after-care program and racial diversity, ie not one dominant ethnicity (65-70% or more).
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DadintheFog: AltSchool

October 22, 2013, 8:40 pm
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San Francisco is blessed to be a strong incubator of new ideas and new technology.  This crossing of education and technology is now moving away from just instruction design and education aids into the actual schools.  In 2010, Twitter’s Chief Scientist and Founder helped launch Alta Vista School.  This year, former Google engineers are bring their entrepreneurial spirit to the arena via AltSchool.  (You may have seen AltSchool pop up in your Facebook feed or on Google searches.)

Their vision stems from imagining what education needs to be for the 2030s (when the current class are graduating high school and entering college/the work force) and looking for ways to make children confident “problem seekers”.  Their method of getting there is through customization.

AltSchool is a definite departure from the standard school model.  Their key idea is to build small “micro schools” designed to facilitate learning specifically for their current students.  Think of the model as "schools through the lens of localization and customization".  Instead buying a building and taking in the right number of kids to fill the space, AltSchool wants to bring in as much space as is needed, in small increments designed for the students that attend.  For example, they propose being able to localize the facilities close to where the parents are or where educational opportunities are abound.  Each class can then be curated to the needs and interest of the kids.  If one school wants to focus on arts, open a location near museums.  If another on biotech, open near UCSF.  In this way, the educational experience can improve with scale – more micro schools equal more customization and individualization with the flexibility for students to move about as needed to maximize their learning potential.

The curriculum is a real-world project-based learning structure.  Students take on roles within each exercise to facilitate learning individually and collaboratively across the team.  AltSchool also develops personalized learning plans for each student with both reflection and iterative adjustments in the design.

The classes are blended rather than grade specific.  There is a clear philosophical decision to teach each child at his/her own level rather than an age based grade criteria.  Since every child comes to each subject at a different skill level, AltSchool plans to individualize the lesson plans.  For example, recently the 12 current students visited Smitten Ice Cream for a field trip.  Kids were able learn about the entrepreneurial nature of starting the business, the science behind making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, math games related to selling ice cream (teaching supply and demand) and delve into each area at their own level.

AltSchool also embraces the ability to “clean slate” a child and move them into different micro schools are appropriate.  As a child grows and changes, they believe the needs and resources available to the child should change and grow.  This may mean moving into a new micro school with a fresh set of students.  As AltSchool’s founder and CEO Max Ventilla said no one would want to stay in the same job for 9 years, why would we want to force a child into the same school for that long.

For next year, AltSchool will be expanding for their single DogPatch location today to three locations.  The two new locations will be near the Presidio and one in central San Francisco (maybe the Mission).  One location may end up being specific to middle school aged kids.  The current location consists of a single room divided up onto library, kitchen, classroom tables, whiteboard space, and a play area.  The space was nicely furnished, but sparse, and felt comfortable, but definitely not traditional.  There was some inspired student artwork on the walls.  I couldn’t help think that this was a mix of a retail space and a one room school house.

I didn’t see or hear of any outdoor play space at the current location, but they mentioned that LionHeart does come to provide some sport/physical education.  (Our kid attends LionHeart classes now through his preschool and we love them.) 

A parent of two of the current students was very positive in her view of the school.  She mentioned how her kids are thriving by being able to work at their own pace.  She also talked of how she feels actively a part of the teaching team.

The funding of the school was never discussed in the presentation.  Their website states, “AltSchool's tuition currently covers approximately half of the cost of providing an AltSchool education. We cover the gap between tuition and costs with private funding. AltSchool does not require parents to participate in fundraising activities.”  I do wonder about the long term funding and would want a commitment on a significant lead time if the school was to consider closing.  I would always fear the school being shuttered if the private funding disappeared.
My Take on AltSchool:
Many years ago, while taking a child development class for by bachelor’s degree, I was able to assist in teaching art in an alternative education school which utilized blended-aged learning.  This school was much larger than AltSchool and that fact definitely changed the overall dynamic – however it left me with a strong negative reaction to blended-age learning.  The younger kids often struggled to keep up, even with the kids a year or two older, and the older kids really didn’t want to be grouped with the younger.  All of this could change if AltSchool really is able to grow and become large enough to support more age specific classes.  I like the promise of customized education, but I have concerns how they are really going to get there.

I was also surprised that the overview never shared any technology for the school.  While they highlighted having 8 Google engineers on board, they didn’t provide any examples of how they added to the educational mix.  There was no discussion of instructional design, curriculum development, etc.  And to add to lack of tech expertise, their presentation crashed repeated forcing the speakers to work from memory.

I will not be pursuing AltSchool for our son.  But I will keep watching what they are doing. It would be fascinating to see if they are able to grow the school to truly fulfill the idea of increased customization and localization.  It’s a great idea, but great ideas don’t always succeed.  During the overview, the AltSchool team mentioned they define success if they are able to create a school that they would want to attend (not just that their children could attend).  I wish them luck – they peaked my attention with their passion, but now want to see if they can deliver.

If you interested, check out their website and sign up for a tour.  The website continues to add new content and provide additional info on their philosophy (and hopefully soon will replace the stock photos with actual students, parents and educators).

DadintheFog Stats (Here are a few stats I found important):
Student to Teacher Ratio:  8 to 1
Currently Enrollment:  12 students (K-5, will be K-8 next year)
Tuition: $19,100 (tuition assistance possible)
Their website states that tuition includes all activities, field trips, technology devices and classroom supplies.
Lunch available for additional fee.
Regular admissions and Fast-track (early admissions) available.
Website:  http://www.altschool.com
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West Side Mom: Alamo Halloween Parade and Carnival 2012

October 23, 2013, 10:27 am
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Alamo Halloween Parade and Carnival 2012

Last year I was able to attend the Alamo Elementary Halloween Parade and Carnival and this review is a record of my impressions from that event last year. You should attend this year - it was super fun:

http://www.friendsofalamo.org/events/carnival/

Alamo is our local school and I've heard great things about the school academically. The idea of walking a few blocks to school and maintaining our strong connection to our neighborhood is very attractive. On the down side it is a school with less diversity, per the numbers (See SFGeekMom's post http://www.sfkfiles.com/2013/10/sfusd-elementary-schools-by-race-and_12.html and http://www.sfkfiles.com/2013/01/rich-school-poor-school-how-much-money.html ) and diversity is important to our family. My husband grew up one of very few students of color in a predominately white district in another state and didn't really enjoy that experience.

The first things I notice at the event is parent participation - lots of it! There are loads of booths with games, face painting, parent led activities, and all sorts of wonderful snacks to buy and eat. If you go this year be sure to go into the cafeteria, support your public schools and get a yummy lunch to boot. And the parents & students are much more diverse group that I was expecting. It also feels like all the parents are participating, not just one group of parents, and I like that.

Alamo PTA & Friends of Alamo together raised a good amount (http://www.sfkfiles.com/2013/09/rich-school-poor-school-comprehensive.html) and Alamo has afterschool and before school programs - so far so good.


There are a little less that half of the students on free or reduced lunch. I grew up poor, and ate a free lunch every day here in California public schools. We are pretty solidly middle class anywhere in the US but San Francisco. And we feel lucky to live in such a great place, don't get me wrong. But I don't want my daughter thinking she's poor because we are surrounded by the wealth here in SF - so a school with diversity of income levels is also a good thing in our eyes.


The parade is charming in the way the elementary school parades are and it's really sweet to see so many proud parents and squirmy costumed children on the sunny afternoon. We had a great time at the event and the event left me feeling really good about my neighborhood school and Alamo remains at or near the top of my list.


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School Tours: Paul Revere (Bernal Heights)

October 23, 2013, 3:42 pm
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In our quest for our daughter to continue learning spanish, we are exploring all the Spanish Immersion schools.  Here is my review of Paul Revere.

Paul Revere is in Bernal Heights, south of Cortlandt, on Tompkins & Banks.  It is a PreK-8 school divided in to 2 buildings that are catty corner from each other at the intersection.

I was told to head to the office, in the "Annex", upon arrival to pick up my visitors badge.  The women in the office were friendly and tracked down the tour, since I was a few minutes late.  I then headed across the street to the other building and up the stairs in to the library.

I made my way upstairs and as I walked down the hall I peeked in rooms to see students and try to find the library.  In the first class, which I guess to be 5th or 6th grade, I saw groups of students collaborating together.  It looked like it was meant to be a quiet collaboration although I saw one boy standing and talking loudly.  After a closer look I realized one girl was asleep at her desk.  And the teacher was talking to another student - maybe aware of the sleeping girl, maybe not.

Moving on, I found the library, with the Principal and a handful of parents (probably 10 of us total).  Most of them were there to get information on the Spanish Immersion program.  The library is of average size (I can say this now that I've seen quite a few), not the smallest, not the biggest.  However, it also appears to the Computer Lab (iMacs).  So while we sat there talking the computers were making sounds and it was almost as if a computer game was playing in the background.  Not a quiet library space.

I learned this was the building for the upper grades.  We spoke about some school facts and here is what I recorded:

-20 students to 1 teacher
-3 Kindergarten classes
-Kindergarten has field trips about 1x/month

-PreK is not Spanish Immersion, altho the teacher does speak spanish

-They have PE on site, a lot of cooperative games and they have equipment for every kid
-The kids get about 200 minutes of PE for every 10 days

-They have 2 after school programs:
  -SF CESS: a free program for about 160 kids
  -Park & Recs program: paid for about 25 kids
-Both are on-site

-School hours are 7:50-1:50
-They have 2 school busses altho the routes change based on need so the Principal understandably didn't want to give those out
-School busses are free

-School lunch is available for purchase
-Food is provided by Revolution Foods (who serves the district)

-They have a Resident Artist 3 days/week
-They have a Nurse on site
-They also have a Social Worker on site
-They have a FT Literacy Teacher to work with the teachers

-The middle school is small and maintains the small classroom size of 20 students
-Overall it has about 110 students in the middle school
-It is not (yet) Immersion.  They are hoping to get there.
-The Principal said after Paul Revere people usually go to Lowell, Lincoln or Private high schools.

For anyone considering Spanish Immersion the Principal did speak to that process.  They expect parents to be committed for the long-haul with an Immersion program.  It takes until 5th grade to be bilingual & bi-literate.  Most of the homework is in Spanish so parents need to commit to reading and translating in Spanish (using google, etc if necessary).  The Kinder spend 90% of their day in Spanish and only 10% in English.

I felt like I was getting somewhat of a sales pitch from the Principal.  I wasn't confident I was hearing about the schools struggles as much as the schools growth and accomplishments.  When we started the tour she didn't show us any upper grades, saying that we "were only interested in the K classes" so she would take us there.  I was in fact very interested in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and up grades to see what work they're doing, how they behave, what their classrooms look like (esp. since I had seen an unflattering sneak peak).  But she didn't walk us by those.  I wasn't sure if this was intentional or if she really thought we wouldn't be interested.

Before we left the main building the Principal spotted a 5th grader on his cell phone chatting (during class time) in the hall.  She mentioned that she is ok with kids using the phone when they need to.  A lot of parents might respond well to that knowing they can be in touch with their child whenever.  I would prefer he was in class and called home on a break.

We made our way from the library to the Annex; crossing the street and watching a 1st grade class also cross the street. I got a little bit nervous about my Kinder having to cross that street to get to the cafeteria (which is in the Main Building, not the Annex where the K classrooms are).

Paul Revere's Main Building




The Annex is the building where the PreK-3rd graders are.  The playground has a very nice view.  I did see a lot of art and handwriting on the halls.  As well as Spanish cultural items throughout the school (ie, sugar skulls).   The Annex still feels large and the Kindergarteners go to the bathroom by themselves; there is no separate bathroom for the really young ones.  I didn't love the either buildings for their warmth.



They do have a large special needs program and a one-on-one program for the kids that need it.  Those are in the Annex building.

The school is progressively getting more diverse.  The younger grades have more diversity than the older grades.  As a caucasian family we want our child to be in a diverse environment, specifically one that is diverse enough that she is not the only caucasian.  That is a concern at Revere.  There were more white kids in the younger grades - maybe 3-4 in a class of 20?  But the third grade seemed less diverse.  So diversity is improving and based off GreatSchools data so is their test scores.

Overall, for us, I was just impressed enough with the school.  I didn't feel like my daughter would thrive here or that she would meet a lot of similar families/friends.   If I lived nearby I might give it more thought.  But it didn't leave me with that warm-and-fuzzy feeling and we won't be applying here.

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Data: Private School Enrollment by Race and by Grade

October 24, 2013, 10:40 am
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For families looking at private schools, here are two sources with detailed information on enrollment by race and by grade.

Private School Universe Survey: Enrollment by Race and Ethnicity

This survey, conducted every 2 years by the US Department of Education, asks schools for information about enrollment by race and grade. The most recent data is for school year 2009-10 but still provides a useful baseline. I was holding out for the 2011-12 survey results, but will have to leave it to a future guest blogger.  I also added Marin Prep, which did not participate in the 2009-10 survey, after finding data on in a recruiting brochure for their Head of School.


SCHOOL Source and YearWhiteAsianLatinoAfrican AmericanTwo or
more races
SF SCHOOL*website 201347% 32%10%11%-
website 201143% 29%14%15%-
PSS 2009-1052% 20%13%15%-
SYNERGYwebsite 2013-1447%53% students of color
website 2012-13?45%25%15%15%-
PSS 2009-1045%22%17%15%-
CHILDREN'S DAY*website 2013-1452%48% students of color
website 2011-1253%47% students of color
PSS 2009-1057%8%8%1%25%
PRESIDIO HILL*website 201353%8%10%3%23%
website 201152%8%8%4%20%
PSS 2009-1056%9%9%6%21%
SF FRIENDSwebsite 2013-1456%44% students of color
website 2011-1261%39% students of color
PSS 2009-10 (K-7)67%6%4%4%19%
HAMLINwebsite 201360%40% students of color
website 2011-1260%40% students of color
PSS 2009-1061%10%1%3%25%
SF DAYwebsite 2013-1460%40% students of color
PSS 2009-10**65%8%7%3%17%
CATHEDRALwebsite 201362%38% students of color
PSS 2009-1066%8%3%4%19%
LIVE OAKwebsite 2013-1466%34% students of color
PSS 2009-1071%4%4%3%18%
ADDA CLEVENGER   websiteinfo on race/ethnicity not given
PSS 2009-1069%12%9%8%-
BURKEwebsite 2013-1470%30% students of color
website 2011-1268%32% students of color
PSS 2009-1070%13%3%1%12%
TOWNwebsitenot given***
2009-10 PSS72%15%7%5%-
KITTREDGEwebsitenot given
2009-10 PSS82%9%1%0%6%
MARIN PREPwebsitenot given
Head of School 
recruiting brochure 
2012-13		90%10% students of color
BRANDEIS-HILLELwebsitenot given
PSS 2009-1091%0%3%0%6%
*PSS does not include preschool/transitional kindergarten enrollment. Percentages from school websites may include preschool/TK enrollment (ie SF School, Presidio Hill, Children's Day).
**Conflicting data for SF Day 2009-10: SFDS.net website stated 45% students of color in 2009-10, but PSS survey response for same year was 35%.
***Town reports 36% from "diverse families," not broken out by race, LGBT or family structure
Source: Private School Universe Survey, National Center for Education Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/

As the table above shows, the higher the percentage of white students, the less information schools tend to give about their racial/ethnic enrollment. There are exceptions, but a rule of thumb is that if a school doesn't provide info about racial/ethnic enrollment, it's probably over 70% white.

Students of color does not equal parents of color.

A significant number of Asian, Latino and African-American children at the more expensive private schools are adopted or multiracial. Parents of color looking for a community of other parents of color, take note. At one popular school last year, of 3 Asian kindergarteners, two were adopted and the other was biracial. Does this mean there was only 1 Asian parent for the entire kindergarten class? On the other hand, this can be a big draw for multiracial and adoptive families.

Staff of color does not equal teachers of color.

Many school websites list the percentage of staff of color. This percentage may not reflect who interacts with students in the classroom on a regular basis. For example, it may include the development director, janitor, IT, or the admissions director. Some schools try to have at least one teacher of color in each grade. Others prioritize having a Spanish-speaking teachers. Others aim for equal numbers of male and female teachers. If this is important to you, browsing school faculty directories can be useful.


California Private School Directory: Enrollment by Grade


California law requires all private schools to submit information on enrollment by grade, staffing information and religious affiliation. The California Department of Education compiles the information into an annual private school directory.

Private School Enrollment by Grade, 2012-13

School K12345678UngradedK-8
Adda Clevenger111116162210242315-148
Alta Vista 32301215------89
Brandeis Hillel 626072656261706967-588
Brightworks---------3232
Burke 454746445037464346-404
Cathedral 252424412530353531-270
Children's Day 474743452617232120-289
Chinese American (CAIS)636158494042374434-428
French American (K-12)848075726867625962-629
Hamlin464547454644444543-405
Katherine Michiels 1376644----40
Kittredge766898111513-83
La Scuola 102--------12
Live Oak 232322232143373346-271
Lycee Francais999597747380627054142846
Marin Prep 30199-------58
Presidio Hill 191914171817263227-189
Presidio Knolls16---------16
Russian American Int'l10613-125----46
SF Day 454644454346444546-404
SF Friends 444444444448555553-431
SF School242118232020323232-222
SF Schoolhouse1144-------19
SF Waldorf (K-12)642729292827203017-271
Stratford 3341202215-----131
Synergy 231818172220242321-186
Town474544454642454244-400
Source: Private School Directory, California Department of Education
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/si/ps/

Declining enrollment going from K to 8 in language immersion schools (CAIS, FAIS and Lycee).

The table above shows how much enrollment declines in the upper grads for language immersion schools. It's harder for language immersion schools to fill spots in the upper grades because new students at the school must be at grade level in both English and the immersion language. This leads to a situation where middle school enrollments become smaller instead of larger, at an age when many students are developmentally ready for a bigger pond.
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Monroe Fall Festival THIS SATURDAY 10/26

October 25, 2013, 10:49 pm
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If you're interested in checking out Monroe, you can do it this Saturday to see the community in action and support their PTA.

Get spooked in the haunted house, discover pumpkin delights in the pumpkin patch, capture the costume craziness at the photo booth, and have a blast playing games and rocking out with your kids to live music at Monroe's Fall Fun-Fest! All proceeds benefit Monroe and their PTA.

Bring the whole family and join us for a fun filled day!

Live Performances, Haunted House, Pumpkin Patch, Food,Games and Prizes, Photo Booth, Arts & Crafts and more.
RAFFLE: Grand prize is two 49er tickets!
Everyone encouraged to come in costume!

12pm - 4pm

, Sat
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School Tours: Monroe

October 26, 2013, 8:03 am
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While arriving at Monroe Elementary I saw families biking to school together and big kids holding hands with little kids as they crossed streets.  Immediately I felt like I was in a smaller neighborhood where local kids went to the local school.  I liked the feel of it.



I entered what I hoped to be the main building and the super friendly women in the office directed me to the cafeteria.  I was the first to arrive and started looking at the walls.  There was a lot of info on recycling, composting, gay pride, eating healthy and field trips within San Francisco.  Again, I liked it.

A few parents started arriving and we all chatted.  Most of them lived nearby, this is their neighborhood school, and they want Spanish or Chinese Immersion.  The other parents were friendly, informed and very interested in finding the right fit for their child.

Our tour was led by a PTA parent who was exuberant and informative.  The school is currently under construction and grades 2-3 are off-site at another facility until construction is done (early 2015).  They are working on one building now, when that is complete all students (minus grades 2 & 3) will move to it while they work on their current building.  A Kindergartener entering in Fall of 2014 will deal with construction for a few months until the project is complete.  (Obviously this could be a big problem for those with health issues, ie Asthma, etc.)  I didn't actually hear or notice the construction while we were there so I didn't feel it would be a huge impediment to learning.  And in early 2015 all grades will return to the Monroe campus and the school will be done with construction.

Here are the basics covered in the tour:
-There are about 450 students at the school

-Kindergarten has 5 classes with 22 kids in each class
-Two classes are Spanish Immersion
-Two classes are Chinese Immersion
-One class is English Plus Pathway
-It's a very multi-cultural school

The school is:
45% Latino
30% Asian

They wear uniforms of a white top & navy bottoms
Friday is free dress day

School runs from 8:25-2:25pm
There is an early dismissal on Tuesday at 1:25
Earliest drop-off is 7:45 and they do serve breakfast.

Like most immersion programs, Kinders spend 90% of their instruction in Spanish/Chinese and 10% in English

They do not have a dedicated PE teacher.  Rather the teachers have been trained in PE and they do about 100 minutes/week.

ARTS
-There is one music teacher for the Upper Grades
-Two dance teachers on site for the lower grades
-Artist Residents on Tues & Thurs (during which time teachers collaborate)
-They are currently trying to bolster their arts program

They have an after school program: the YMCA is on-site to help children with their homework.  The Excelsior Rec. center walks kids over for their after school program (I head a parent say that one is run by the Boys & Girls club).  Also Buena Vista has an after-school program and some kids are bussed there.

They do not have busses aside from that though.

Homework for Kinders: about a 1/2 hour each day

The Feeder Middle School is Hoover.

We began the tour and went to the Library and a Kinder classroom.  Since I toured some schools that were K-8, what struck me about Monroe was it's size.  It really felt like an elementary school and it didn't seem like a young child would be overwhelmed by its volume.  The library was decent size - it has books in all three languages.  And the Kindergarten classroom was very cute with a lot of artwork on the walls.  However, these exact rooms will be gone before my daughter would arrive there due to construction.  According to the Principal, the library will be much bigger in size.

As we walked on, we viewed the playground which seemed of average size.  Recesses are done by grade so the Ks wouldn't mix with the 5th graders.  There was a large solar panel that I asked the Tour Leader about and he said it powers a few classrooms and they're very focused on being green at Monroe.  They talk a lot about composting, etc.

Solar Panel on the playground


We moved on to an outdoor amphitheater.  So in addition to the stage in the Cafeteria they also can host events here.  Nearby there was a garden, including a veggie garden, and a beautiful gazebo that was built by a parent.  Apparently the garden is also in limbo because of construction but they're hoping to either keep it or rebuild it.

Outdoor Amphitheater


I really got the feeling that the community works hard to make Monroe thrive.  When asking about the PTA we were told they raised $62k out of a goal of $60k.  The Principal stressed this is a HUGE amount for their community to raise.  Our Tour Leader said the PTA President is named Frank Lau (sp?) and he is very involved.  He actually passed by our tour later so we got to see him on campus.  Our Tour Leader had great things to say about Frank and mentioned that the parent community was very involved at PTA meetings and they were fun, lively events where the cafeteria gets packed with people.  At the school I felt a lot of community spirit, saw lots of volunteers and felt how much parents care for this school.

Garden built by parents


We also received a pamphlet of more details about the school.   What continued to impress me was they really stress no junk food - even packed in lunches.  No candy, no cookies, no potato chips, etc.  There are no vending machines.  They offer on-site lunch by Revolution foods for $2.50.  Your child can opt in and the bill would then be sent monthly if they don't qualify for free lunch.  Parents can come and have lunch with their child any day but again cannot bring junk food.

They don't have any formal "buddy program" where a 4/5th grader meets regularly with a younger child.  But they do have 4th & 5th graders who volunteer to help at the Kindergarten lunch.  They might open milk or clean up trash for the younger kids.  It gives them an opportunity to have a leadership role and to be helpful.  They also help resolve conflicts amongst kindergarteners if necessary and can learn from that as well.

The average teacher time is 7-9 years.  Although they have 2 new teachers this year.  The principal has been on site for 2 years.

Overall I really liked Monroe.  It reminded me of a 'normal' school, one you might find as your neighborhood school in the burbs; it's small, parents get involved, they are making a lot of progress and it has a big community feel.


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School Tour: Alvarado

October 29, 2013, 3:52 pm
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I must say I was pretty excited about Alvarado.  It's supposedly the Spanish Immersion school in San Francisco and after checking out a few others I was ready to view the one everyone talks about.



Prior to showing up we had to sign up via EventBrite and then print our tickets at home.  We were told these would be checked, but that didn't happen.  We all filed in to their cafeteria space and eventually we were greeted by a volunteer mom of a kindergartener.

She discussed her reasons for choosing Alvarado, we were told the Principal wasn't there that day but we could get questions to him via her.  Then we watched a video on Alvarado which gave us some basic facts (below).

The parents (about 60+) were divided in to two groups and we were whisked away by another parent volunteer.  This woman was friendly, has had three kids at Alvarado and is very excited about the school.

We first traveled to the art room.  Alvarado has a kiln and the art room shows a ton of the projects the kids have worked on throughout the years.  Our parent volunteer spoke about all the projects that have returned home and been too special to discard.  This does seem like a great space for a child.  I was a little unclear (and maybe a current parent can clarify) but she mentioned a kindergartner gets one day/week for 16 weeks in the kiln room.  So it doesn't seem to be ongoing throughout the school year for each child.  Alvarado does have a strong focus on arts & creativity.  Their playground has murals & mosaics that date back to previous classes.  This seems like a strong focus for the school and parents.

We then went to a Kindergarten room which was english speaking, we weren't going to be able to see a Spanish Immersion class.  We quietly observed before we moved on.  I must say I thought the teacher was crabby and did not speak with the typical "kindergarten voice" that I've observed in other classes.  As we entered the hallway the parent volunteer said "Can't you just feel the nurturing?"  I looked at some of the other parents and we all exchanged looks...Really, that was nurturing?  One parent murmured as we made our way out, "If that was nurturing, I'd hate to see strict".

I started to notice that aside from the Parent Volunteer telling me how special and nurturing the community was, I didn't actually see it in the faces of anyone in the hall.

We then headed to the library, which is the smallest library I've seen yet.  We went outside to view the playground and the garden (outdoor science lab).  Both were fine.

We went back to the cafeteria to get our questions answered by two additional parents who are involved in the PTA and have had numerous kids at Alvarado.  They seemed like nice folks and people who are committed to public schools.

The main take-away from that was that the After School program for 2014-2015 is unknown.  It's TBD and the Principal doesn't yet know what's the plan is.  I guess currently there is a paid program and a free program for those who need it.  I believe they're trying to determine how to serve more students.

I was impressed with their homework for Kindergarteners.  I'm looking for less homework, not more.  They gave a sample sheet of homework for K's and it includes fun activities like "Bring in something to share that begins with the letter Tt".  and "What color are your eyes?"  It seems completely age appropriate and something that would be fun for kids, rather than tiresome and make them dislike school.

Alvarado Details:

Strong PTA
Raises $400K last year
$200K comes from their auction

Big arts focus:
They have a Artist-in-residence on site
Art room w/ their kiln
Music for 4th graders+ for one hour/week
3rd graders learn to play the recorder

There is no GATE program aside from a letter in the mail saying your chid has been "GATE identified"

There are 22 kids in every class
2 Spanish Immersion classes/grade
2 English classes/grade

Kindergarteners have separate bathroom and water fountains

There is a separate computer lab and children have classes there every other week.

The staff has low turnover
Our parent volunteer mentioned this and also said it can be a drawback because there is less innovation.

Playworks is on-site and they have a yard coordinator

Parents volunteer time to come and work on art projects throughout the weekend as a way to build community and restore past murals, etc.

The feeder middle school is James Lick.

There is no neighborhood preference to Alvarado for the Spanish Immersion Program.

School starts at 7:50am and there is a curbside drop-off.

Overall, I thought Alvarado was just okay.  It certainly didn't WOW me like I was expecting.  After some of the other tours where I've really felt community and school spirit I was let down a bit.

Did any other parents feel this way on the tour or were you all wowed?   Current parents I'd love to hear from you as well!


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Mini Reviews: Jefferson, Miraloma and Adda Clevenger

October 30, 2013, 7:04 pm
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Before joining as a guest blogger, I always read the SFKfile reviews wondering if had been on the same tour, would I walk away with the same impression.  So far, I am amazed at how similar my views of the schools are to past reviewers.  I assume most of this has to do with how each school structures their individual tour and what items they focus on.  Some schools love to focus in on their specific programs while others simply highlight the activities offered in every SFUSD elementary school.  The tours also are limited in the amount of detail they can provide. The reviews (and comments) tend to change a bit with more familiarity – parents at a school often can almost always provide a deeper understanding as to what is happening at the school, but even those opinion can vary.   Below are a few mini-reviews for the tours from the previous week. I urge you to read the linked articles and their comments for a more thorough review.

Jefferson
Last year, Sunrise Sunset toured Jefferson and provided a great review.  I’ll follow-up on her comments and re-iterate that Jefferson was a great little surprise.  I know parents at this school and had heard great things about it – from the involved parental community to the dedicated teachers. The building itself is charming – and feels small even though there are over 500 students (4 kinder classes!).  There are two play areas (one used for kindergarten classes / kinder drop off and a large one for the older students).  They have a full time gardener and the school grows enough food to hold a mini “farmer’s market” several times a year!

The school does have a strong “urban” feel as it is located with one side of the building on 19th Avenue.  There is a lot of traffic around, but the school seems secure and well-planned.

Given the space constraints of the smaller campus, the auditorium is also used as the gym.  This seems to work fine.  On my tour, we were able to see students running about and enjoying the challenge if jumping over cones.

During the tour, the principle called out the need for improving the technology available in the school and that this would be the next major PTA focus for the coming year.  The school has a few older laptop carts, but most classrooms did not have laptops for teachers or students.  To me, tech was definitely missing in comparison to other SFUSD elementary schools.  I did not see any modern computers nor smart boards in classrooms.  Given California’s new school testing (which requires access to computers to complete), Jefferson will need to address this issue quickly.  I trust the school will be able to raise enough funds to update the tech without impacting other programs.

Overall, Jefferson is definitely worth a look.

Miraloma
Miraloma offers a self-guided tour of the school, complete with a podcast to guide you along  (You can listen to it here.  The school to me was the platonic ideal of a neighborhood school.  Now, this may have been due to the fact that there was a PTA School Clean-up day happening during the tour and we were able to get a different view, but the school had a very strong community vibe about it.  Every class had technology both new and old computers and smart boards.  Classrooms were large (and some were a little cluttered) but most felt clean, bright and appropriate for the grade level.

The school is one of the few predominately white schools in the district with around 52% of the students being white.  In speaking with the Principal, he mentioned how he continues to hope to pull in more diversity to match the City’s demographics.  Of the schools I’ve toured to date, this was the first where the administration openly mentioned diversity.  As an LBGT parent, I was happily shocked to see a rainbow flag immediately upon entering.  In another area of the school, posters celebrating LGBT families were also visible.  The school obviously prides itself on acknowledging the different family structures that exist in every school.

Kindergartners have a great, self-contained play area outside and huge classrooms.  There was a great mix of art, play areas, and academics in each room.  The school has a large gymnasium (with climbing wall), cafeteria and an auditorium!  The school is about to undertake extensive renovations which will make the facilities even nicer.

The PTA is active and raises around $300K per year – with most of the funds raised through an auction and a FunRun.  I love that they sponsor a run for the community.

Miraloma has become a highly requested school … and I can clearly see why.  Getting to Miraloma is not the easiest for us – but is not that far off our normal commute pattern.   I worry about the traffic getting to the school up the curvy roads (and my need to try a few test runs).  That being said, Miraloma is a school for which I would go out of my way.

I highly recommend reading Kate’s review from 2007 as well as visiting Miraloma’s web page for more info.


Adda Clevenger
Adda Clevenger is a private, performance arts based school in the Mission/Noe Valley area.  The school has been reviewed here to differing opinions:  positive review / negative review.  I didn’t know much about the school, but have learned heard for other parents how much their kids love the school.  Since our kid is a natural performer/musician, we put the school on our list.

To begin with, we did not “tour” Adda Clevenger.  Before you can tour, you must attend one of their events to experience the performance art aspect of the school.  We attended the Harvest Fest which had an admission of $10/person. After this visit, we were then given the secret info for an actual tour.  While I don’t mind fundraisers – and would have happily paid to see the students perform – it felt strange to do so as part of the required admissions process.

We were able to walk around the school freely and peer into classrooms.  The building is basically a nice auditorium with classrooms on the level above.   There is a separate area which was functioning as the art gallery, but normally is the gymnastics room.  There was one room which definitely was a kindergarten space, but all of the students move from space to space throughout the day.

I was very happy to watch some of the performances and the kids definitely had both talent and passion for their art.   I could tell that for the right kid, Adda Clevenger could be perfect.  However, I didn’t find anything to make me believe it would be right for ours.   I really can’t put my finger on what it was that was lacking or missing, but the experience just didn’t pull me in enough compared to the other schools I have already seen.



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SF School Fair - What did you think?

November 3, 2013, 5:52 pm
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We attended yesterday's SF School Fair and were pleasantly surprised with the information we were able to receive.  The School Fair is basically a swarm of lost parents asking a lot of questions of each school's principal, PTA members and aftercare staff.  I really had no idea what to expect, but was pretty happy with how painless it felt.  After the first couple of discussions, we found that we could learn a lot about how the schools present themselves, how well the parents responded to our questions, and what the schools focus upon in their materials.  While I still don't feel like it replaces walking into the building, I found the conversations enlightening.

I'm still trying to decide it I am going to add any schools to our tour list, but there are definitely a few that will come onto our lottery list following conversations.

So, what did everyone else think?  Was it useful?  Did you discover any new schools?  Did any drop off your list after talking with the school reps?  Inquiring minds want to know!
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School Tour: Daniel Webster

November 13, 2013, 11:14 am
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Today I went on a tour of Daniel Webster.



Today was an early dismissal day and therefore it was a "free-dress day" and no students were in uniforms.  We met on the playground for their 8:40am circle time.  I believe this is done daily.  It's a chance for school announcements, the pledge of allegiance and their daily pledge to be the "best me today".  It was very cute and seemed like a good way to build cohesion amongst the students.

Daniel Webster definitely feels like a smaller school in terms of building size and population.  We were told there were 290 students, which makes it the smallest that I've seen on all my tours.

There are three Kindergarten classes; 2 Spanish Immersion and 1 general education.  The Spanish Immersions (SI) all seem to be roughly 85-90% of the day is taught in Spanish and Daniel Webster follows this trend.  The SI classes follow the same curriculum as the GenEd classes and sometimes the SI students will break away from their spanish teacher to focus on English with another teacher.

Kindergarteners eat lunch separate from other grades.  They have a 20 minute supervised lunch and parents can volunteer for this.  Lunch is followed by recess.  Catering is provided by Revolution Foods.


ACADEMICS
Daniel Webster seems to have a large focus on reading and writing.  That is something that is done from the beginning and the school as a whole incorporates this in to their dialogue with students.

They are also beginning a new math program which is a more "holistic" approach to math in hopes to improve test scores.

For homework kids are sent home a folder on Wednesdays that they need to return the following Tuesday.  It's supposed to be 15 minutes of reading and 15 minutes of another subject each night.  Some kids finish all of it on Wednesday afternoon.  One parent mentioned that her daughter found the activities to be "fun".  For Kinders homework slowly ramps up as they get in to the school year.

EXTRA CURRICULARS
Daniel Webster seems to have a big focus on the arts, both in school and their after-school programs. They handed out a brochure with information on what is offered for each grade; dance, art, music, opera/choral music,  and drama.  It seems like the students get a lot of exposure in this regard but we didn't spend too much time on this.

The PTA raised $200k last year.  Their largest fundraiser is "Taste of Potrero".  Last year they received an extra grant that they aren't expecting going froward.  Therefore, their goal this year is to raise roughly $150k.

They did mention they have a few After School programs including Tree Frog Treks, another nearby at Jackson Park (?) and another put on by SF Parks & Recs.  They mentioned that there are enough spots for any one who is interested.

They have Playworks on site for PE and before/afterschool playtime.  It was unclear how often kids have PE.  One tour guide said she thought it was maybe 2x/week.

They also have a before school program but I don't have details on that.  They mentioned a chess class and kids are also free to play on the playground.  I don't know the earliest time you can drop off or if there is a fee to do so.

School runs from 8:40am - 2:40pm.

FACILITIES
On the tour I thought the campus and classrooms were clean and well-organized.  The school has many murals and appears safe and small.  The classroom walls were covered in art and various projects the students had been working on.  I didn't see a computer lab on the tour altho they mentioned technology was playing a bigger and bigger role in their school.  Especially since the teachers are "young and energetic".

I also didn't see a garden but was told about it.

Their library was right next to the Kinder classes.  It seemed relatively small but easily accessible.

A few years back they were awarded $6 million for capital improvements.  That money is slated for a 2015 construction project.  Most likely the school would close and the students would be at another facility still in the same neighborhood.  It seemed like details were still being worked out.



Daniel Webster was a school that was slated to close.  It was revitalized and this year is the first year they are fully funded.  I can only imagine that with a very active parent population test scores will improve further at this school and it will continue to be a remarkable story about what parents can accomplish in their community.

NOTE:
I feel like I'm lacking some basic info, ie, class size, etc.  This wasn't discussed at the tour.
It seems like since parents typically ask the same questions at each tour I attend, that a smart tour guide would print out the answers on their school and distribute to every parent.  The tour guides here were mostly parents to Kinders or 1st graders and this was either their first or second tour.  I came away missing some basic info - I'm sure I could have asked but didn't want to be the parent that holds up the whole tour with questions.

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MomAnon: New Blogger

November 21, 2013, 9:57 pm
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Hi everyone,

I’m a mom of two, living in the Sunset district.  Our oldest is entering kindergarten next year, so we’ve found ourselves embroiled in one of the most stressful and information-bloated decisionmaking processes of our lives:  where to send our kids to elementary school in San Francisco. 

Politically, I’m a huge advocate of public schools and of the need to keep middle- and high- income families from fleeing to the suburbs.  Personally, we couldn't flee to the suburbs anyway, and we’re actually kind of glad that we don’t have that option to complicate the situation:  I love cities, I believe cities are the future, and I’d be sad in a suburb.   So for the abovementioned political and personal reasons, we’ve got a lot riding on this lottery.

In an ideal situation, I’d send my kids to a small K-8 school with an emphasis on project-based learning and the arts, with little homework.  Test scores are less important to me than are factors like engaged teachers, a variety of enrichment opportunities, and socioeconomic and racial diversity.  I figure that childhood is short and adulthood is long, so my kids may as well enjoy being kids while they have the chance to do so. 

Beyond the visceral desire to let my kids be kids, I see that the entire educational sector is changing rapidly right now.  In that context, I believe that the best bet for ensuring my kids’ long-term well-being is to find a school where they can become passionate learners and can gain the skills they’ll need to be productive and happy members of a global high-tech society.  Now let’s just see what happens when my lofty politics and goals meet the reality of the SF public school lottery….

I’ll mainly be reviewing schools in the western half of the city.  We’ll probably throw the Clarendons and Grattans on our list for swap value, but are going to tour and rank and set our sights on places like:  Jefferson (neighborhood school), Sunset, Lawton, Peabody, Alice Fong Yu, the German School (our only private contender), Creative Arts Charter, Stevenson, Lakeshore, and SF Public Montessori. 


I’ve gotten a lot out of reading the reviews here on the SF K Files and I hope that my perspectives will help out other members in the community. 
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School Tour: SF Public Montessori

November 21, 2013, 11:36 pm
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We almost skipped this tour because neither my husband nor I know much about Montessori; our vague notions about Montessori weren’t particularly positive; I’d heard that this school had burned through principals like kindling; and the location isn’t convenient for us.  But we wound up going and good thing, because I’m now on fire for this school and it has shot up to the top of my list.  I unfortunately don’t have time to craft a flowing narrative of my tour experience, so instead I’ll bullet my impressions and the facts that I gathered:
  • The school is in a gorgeous building, with lots of room for expansion.  The walls of the corridors were pretty naked, unlike the walls of other schools we’ve seen that are vibrant with the art and learning of students.  The naked walls gave me the initial impression of being in a cool and restrained environment.
  • Further on the restrained theme, classrooms are orderly.  Students are engaged in their own self-directed projects, alone or in groups.  What first intrigued me was the sight of 3 children of different races, all sprawled out on a comfy-looking rug, totally engrossed in their own learning experiences with different materials.   Teachers worked with small groups or individuals in quiet voices, and the overall impression was one of disciplined engagement.
  • The tour ended with an intellectual, rational discussion where everyone (principal, Montessori coach, and parents) took turns asking and answering thoughtful, well-articulated questions.  My husband didn’t love this part because he’s a passionate man and likes lots of vibrancy and action.  I didn’t love this part because I was raised working class and sometimes still am intimidated by upper-class social norms. 
  • There is no homework.  Instead, students prepare “reports” on subjects that interest them, and the intention is for the student who is interested in say – Egypt - to be able to learn history, architecture, geometry, and art while researching the report.  Despite lack of homework and differentiation between subjects, the school is still held to standards-based public school testing and I was assured that the teachers work to meet both the Montessori method goals as well as California state requirements.
  • I think the Montessori system works, if kids are brought in early enough.  That said, the tour leaders were open about the fact that transfer students often have difficulties adjusting to the structured self-direction that the Montessori method emphasizes. 
  • This school currently feeds into Marina Middle School.  The principal said that they want to expand to middle and even high school, but that it’s a matter of numbers.  Because there are mixed-aged classes, they just don’t have the demand to support a middle school, but I think the assumption was that this would change as enrollment increases.  One mom next to me said in passing that this was her main concern:  she hadn’t heard good things about Marina and didn’t want to wind up having her kid fed into that school.
  • The PTA raised around $60,000 last year, and the parent who led the tour was quick to point out that Montessori  is MUCH smaller (200-ish students) than many of the larger schools (500+ students) which raise $150,000 – $250,000.
  • I have no idea why they’ve had 4 principals in 4 years.  The current principal seems quite competent and I hope she plans to stay.  The school is only 8 years old so I’m hoping that the staff changes and other “difficulties” alluded to during the tour were merely the growing pains of a non-traditional school.
  • The “3 hour work period” sounded crazy when I first heard about it.  Basically, students spend the first 3 hours of the day engaged in sustained classroom activities.  This work period is then followed by recess and lunch, and then shorter periods of work in the afternoon.  That’s actually how both my husband and I work best, so after my initial shock that anyone would try to keep kids in a room for more than 45 minutes at a stretch, I realized that it made sense to me and that my daughter would probably thrive in that kind of focused, calm, disciplined environment.
  • The tour leader parent talked a bit about the aftercare program, but I wasn’t paying enough attention.  The bits that filtered through to my notes are that there is a Mandarin language & culture aftercare program, something else, and that there is definitely room in the program for all new families.
  • The principal and several of the teachers have backgrounds in the public school system, not  the Montessori system.  Those who are not Montessori-credentialed are working on their credentials this year, and there is a full-time Montessori coach (who I liked) on the tour.  I’m actually kind of excited about the mix of public and Montessori backgrounds, I feel like applying Montessori methods in an urban public school context is pretty innovative and will help ground this 20th century Italian ideology and pedagogy in the social and cultural reality of modern-day SF.
Bottom line:  This school seems like the perfect fit for our family.  I feel like the school environment would echo the home environment that my husband and I naturally try to foster:  a place of creativity, discipline, harmony, curiosity, respect, and self-direction.  If we get in here though, I’ll definitely be sending my kids to breakdancing or parkur or something else that lets them at least sometimes be intensely physical, messy, boundary-pushing, and free.
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2013 API Scores for SFUSD Elementary Schools

November 24, 2013, 9:28 am
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This is a straight data dump of API scores, including API 2011 Base, 2012 Base and 2013 Growth.  I've color coded the scores against a 829 reference point (the district's median).  I'm still trying to figure out how to post data via Blogger ... so I apologize for the formatting.

Overall, SFUSD schools are doing quite well.  The district average is 821, with a median of 829.

API scores do not fully represent how well a school performing, but it is one of the few standardized reference points we have.

This will be the last year that API scores are reported in California.  With the onslaught of the Common Core curriculum, new testing measures are forthcoming which will replace API.


NameAPI 2011 Base2012 API Base2013 API Growth2012 to 2013 change
Alamo 896909898-11
Alvarado 84784886416
Argonne883895885-10
Bryant701730703-27
Buena Vista/Horace Mann68272574823
Carmichael, Bessie (K-5)750795783-12
Carver, Dr. George Washington 69874175514
Chavez, Cesar 66169029
Chin, John Yehall 9399899978
Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila 944951934-17
Clarendon 9459509566
Cleveland 66567470834
Cobb, Dr. William L. 75570872618
Creative Arts Charter 77782584419
Drew, Dr. Charles R. 612675665-10
Edison Charter Academy7807957950
El Dorado 700695688-7
Fairmount76475882062
Feinstein, Dianne 88987289220
Flynn, Leonard710737694-43
Garfield812862829-33
Glen Park754777720-57
Grattan 882922917-5
Guadalupe804819804-15
Harte, Bret 650658648-10
Hillcrest 70672375633
Jefferson89790992415
Key, Francis Scott884899889-10
Lafayette 907919913-6
Lakeshore772771-1
Lau, Gordon J. 82983285220
Lawton9199289324
Lilienthal, Claire90690492117
Longfellow 825811793-18
Malcolm X 790725711-14
Marshall 77477078313
McCoppin, Frank 86680584136
McKinley 82486390037
Milk, Harvey823854828-26
Miraloma86588489814
Mission Education Center 489401-88
Monroe 8188068060
Moscone, George 84579882224
Muir, John68871473117
New Traditions83585387320
Ortega, Jose80384285715
Parker, Jean8448308300
Parks, Rosa7477937996
Peabody, George902926905-21
Redding832835834-1
Revere, Paul68375477218
Rooftop8688778803
S. F. Community773778747-31
S. F. Public Montessori 808732-76
Sanchez 693760744-16
Serra, Junipero74571275240
Sheridan78877080333
Sherman93290693226
Sloat, Commodore 88788390118
Spring Valley 83183484410
Starr King 78679181221
Stevenson, Robert Louis 9289319343
Sunnyside80782586338
Sunset9149179258
Sutro 86687690630
Taylor, E. R. 887879873-6
Tenderloin736745709-36
Ulloa 936937932-5
Visitacion Valley80678180120
Webster, Daniel 67270375451
West Portal 9029059149
Yick Wo905915908-7
Yu, Alice Fong9559549551
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Seeking information on Francis Scott Key, West Portal Lutheran and more

December 1, 2013, 11:00 pm
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Several readers have contacted us because they are seeking information about schools on their lists and coming up empty. So they are wondering if there are knowledgeable K Files readers out there who could help. Specifically, there's a family looking for information on Francis Scott Key and a dad looking for any insights into West Portal Lutheran. What about it, parents? Anything to share?

As all you parents deal with more tours over the next month or so, are there other questions you have about schools you've seen or schools you haven't gotten to visit? Let us all know in the comments and hopefully, we can find some folks with some insights.  
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School Tour: Francis Scott Key

December 4, 2013, 11:30 am
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I almost skipped this tour, after my bad impression of Stevenson and my meh impression of Lawton.  In fact, we were starting to give up on the hope of finding a traditional public school near us that we felt good about, and were thinking that we’d need something like Public Montessori or Creative Arts Charter.  I came to the FSK tour with very little information about (or enthusiasm for) the school, and came out happy and excited.  Here’s why (in no particular order of importance):
  • Library:  I loved the librarian (who is onsite MWF)!  Each class visits the library once every two weeks, and the library is also open for lunch reading every day.  The librarian talked about how her programming is connected to that in the classroom, and also to the activities in the computer lab (for example, she collaborates with the teachers and comp lab staff to teach 3rd graders research skills for their 3rd grade report). I got the impression that staff in the library, the computer lab, and the classrooms all work well together to create an integrated, thoughtful learning environment. 
  • Technology:  All classrooms have a cool Prometheus boardthat they use to enhance learning.  There is also a nice computer lab with 33 computers (so each student in a class will have their own workstation).  The computer lab has a full-time staff person (!) in recognition of the importance of technology literacy for the kids in general, as well as for future test-taking.  I liked the proactive, practical, competent attitude that the school seems to have about technology.
  • Administration and staff:  The principal had been a teacher before being “promoted up the ranks” to being a principal for the past 15 years.  What this says to me is that she understands the work of the teachers as well as how to maneuver within the bureaucracy of the district.  She seemed competent, genuine, and caring about the school.  The other admin staff that I encountered were professional and friendly. Each of the 3 or 4 classroom teachers that we met were young-ish, approachable, and engaged.  In general, FSK seemed like a stable and pleasant environment full of responsible people that got along well together.
  • Academics: The principal spoke at length and enthusiastically about how the school is preparing for the new “common core”, and proudly noted that several of the teachers are already developing pilot common core curricula in their free time.  Rather than waiting for GATE-identification in 3rd grade, teachers start identifying “high potential” kids in kindergarten, and do differentiated learning for them within classroom activities.
  • Special needs:  The school seems to do a lot with accommodating all kinds of special needs.  There is a peanut free lunch table, and two peanut free kinder classes.  12% of the student population are “special needs” learners, though I didn’t inquire into this so don’t have any details.  I did learn from the tour leader that the special day class (I think severely impaired) is right next to the kinder classes, which he said was a good thing because it "demystified" special needs for the kids.  I got the impression that inclusion and accommodation are important to the school community.
  • School environment:  As mentioned above, the school was recently renovated and the renovations are quite nice.  There are 3 permanent bungalows outside, which actually look like they’re LEED certified.  One houses the library, and the other two are for first grade classes.  The recess yard is great, and there was talk about additional greening of the outdoor space, including the creation of a reflective area on the playground for the kids who want / need a little quiet time.
  • Funding:  The PTA raised 65k last year, which seems really low.  One of the tour leaders pointed out that they aren’t paying any staff time with this money, because the school administration is good at managing their budget and able to pay for staff using other funds.  Another parent tour leader said that they do about 12 fun community events per year (movie night, international night, etc), and that the two big money-making events (a raffle and an auction) don’t require the kids to try to sell books or candy to strangers.
Overall, we were really impressed with FSK.  I’d be happy to send my kids to this school and to be a part of this community.
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School Tour: Stevenson

December 4, 2013, 1:22 pm
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I immediately did not click with this school.  We waked out of this tour part way through, so take my below impression with a grain of salt: 
  • Displayed prominently on the wall at the entrance of the school is Stevenson’s API score:  an impressive 933.  This score was also printed on the front of their brochure and mentioned twice by the tour leader.  Too bad I don’t care about test scores.  
  • To my husband and I, the place definitely had the feel of an institution (which, to be fair, public schools are).  Cold, bright lights, indifferent people, sterile.
  • In one Kinder room, the teacher was using some kind of read-out-loud book, the kids seemed engaged in listening to the pre-recorded book, but it seemed like weird methodology to me - why wasn’t the teacher reading the book herself?  Why had she chosen that particular assistive technology (which reminded me strongly of the kind of blinky-talky branded annoying toys that we ban from our house)?
  • In the other Kinder class, the kids seemed pretty restless and not engaged in the activity, which was some kind of rote learning call-and-response large group lesson.
  • Every single child that we saw in each classroom was Asian, and we do want our school to reflect at least a little of the diversity of the city where they’ll grow up and the family they belong to.  
  • There seem to be a lot of extra resources that the tour leader and the handout indicate are available at Stevenson:  a full-time librarian, a full-time PE teacher, multiple enrichment and extracurricular activities like gardening, student council, arts, etc.  

Ultimately, walking the halls of the school left me literally and figuratively cold.  It would be great if some Stevenson parents could comment on their experiences with this school for other readers - the impression I got in my 15 minutes on campus is probably quite different than the reality of being a student there.
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School Tour: Creative Arts Charter

December 4, 2013, 10:30 pm
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When my husband and I first met, we were globe-trotting hipsters that loved the liberalism of San Francisco, the intellectualism of urban life, and believed that our work would make the world a better place.  If we’d had kids then, Creative Arts would have been the ONLY school for us.

But we didn’t have kids then.  We have kids now, fifteen years later, at a time in our lives when we’re cynical, busy, middle-aged executives.  Going on this school tour made us a little grumpy and wistful. 

It seems like a very engaged group of parents, staff, and teachers that are committed to their community and to their shared worldview.  Our tour started with the daily all-school meeting, which included shout-outs to the birthday kids, a whole pile of students expressing various forms of gratitude to others in the CACS community, a nice rendition of “Thank you Mrs. Parks”, and the absence of an American flag to which students should be muttering allegiance.  Several school parents were using sign language to participate (by signing applause, attentiveness, thank you’s, etc).  I wasn’t sure if these parents were deaf, their children were deaf, or they were simply practicing inclusiveness. 

It’s hard for me to describe the mix of embarrassment and excitement that I felt on this tour.  Two points to illustrate:  
  1. Their upcoming fundraiser is a “We Are All Makers” fair.  A maker fair?  Is there anything more hopeful, privileged, urban, and educated than a MAKER FAIR?   
  2. At one point, a prospective parent asked the principal to address recent criticism that the school had received from the Board of Education.  The principal, to his credit, took on the question directly and answered that the school had essentially been criticized for being too white, and that the entire community was actively engaged in addressing the issue. 
I believed him that the community was concerned about increasing diversity.  I also could see why they’re not getting the diversity they’re aiming for.   For many parents who come from a poor, immigrant, minority, or conservative background, this place might seem like a risky bet.   CACS isn’t walking the traditional, beaten path of public education – instead they want to develop global citizens and liberal leaders.  But if those parents don’t have the resources to ensure that their kids get into a good school after CACS, I can see how they might not want to take that early bet with a place that has middling test scores and an unconventional reputation.

I summarized my take on CACS to my husband as “a young, hopeful, idealistic, vision of the urban future”.  My immigrant husband’s response was “Look, all of these kids here are clearly happy dolphins, swimming in a warm and sunny sea.  But what happens when happy dolphins are thrown into the deep, dark, cold shark tank of real life?” 


We’ll probably apply to this school, because despite our cynicism, CACS appeals to our values.  Any CACS parents out there that have experience with how their dolphins do once they’re in that shark tank, please let us know!
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Private School Questions and an Opening in First Grade

December 15, 2013, 9:38 am
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We haven't had too many bloggers reporting on private school visits this year, but I think we may hear more about some visits down the road (possibly after applications are in or decisions are made). We have had some parents write in with a request to learn more about a few private and independent schools, though, so we wanted to throw it open to comments. Is there anyone out there who wants to talk about their experience at the Katherine Michiels School? Or even just their impressions from touring? We've had some inquiries. There's also interest in learning more about some newer schools, including Brightworks and Alt School. Many thanks in advance!

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Schoolhouse has written in to let folks know they have an open spot in 1st grade. Here's their blurb: This is a unique opportunity to join a wonderful, growing community. Our child/teacher ratio is 10/1, with an engaging, hands-on, progressive curriculum and affordable tuition. Our 1st grade teacher has over 30 years experience. Find out more at sfschoolhouse.org, or to set up a parent-led tour, email info@sfschoolhouse.org.
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