Our student assignment system has not been updated to reflect demographic trends or program changes and desperately needs an overhaul.
Our student assignment system has not been updated to reflect demographic trends or program changes and desperately needs an overhaul. The key goals for a new method should be:
- Preserving parent choice and input into the process: Parents need to feel their preferences are listened to and considered when their child is assigned to a school. Part of honoring parent preferences is increasing certainty in the process, so that parents know what their choices are and can make fully informed decisions about where their children will attend public school.
- Enhancing the diversity in every one of our schools: I firmly believe in the benefits of kids of all different races and backgrounds learning together, and I am dismayed that the Diversity Index has led to less, rather than more, diverse schools. I do not, however, believe that assigning kids according to their race is a workable solution. As a Board Member, I would advocate for strategic program development and placement to encourage the most diverse student pools possible at every school.
- Maintaining equity: Every child in San Francisco has the right to a quality education. Until this ideal is realized, we need to ensure that all families have equitable access to quality schools. All parents should have access to accurate and complete information about school choices and enrollment, so that they can make informed decisions. This means expanded translation of materials and increased outreach across all communities. Parents must trust that the system is fair, which means forthright, open communications and a much more transparent system.
There are a number of approaches I believe have merit, including assignment clusters or perhaps a simple lottery with a certain percentage of seats set aside for neighborhood schools. Whatever the approach, the district must draw updated boundaries for assignment areas and it must re-evaluate transportation policy to reflect current demographic data and the needs of families. The geographic distribution and program offerings of alternative schools must also be evaluated as part of any assignment policy overhaul. Going forward, we must establish a plan for phasing in any new assignment policy, and agree in advance on how often this policy will be revisited and revised.
|
