August 10, 2010

Welcome back to the new school year.  We want to thank you for the great work you did last year. A preliminary look at our latest test scores shows that our district is moving in the right direction.

As we continue to implement our strategic plan, Beyond the Talk 2.0, we are further developing an instructional core to provide common course content and standards that promote equity through consistency across all schools. We want your best thinking to help us provide something that will be useful for all of our teachers. For the 2010-2011 school year the instructional core will operate in an “induction phase,” during which teachers will collaborate with central office staff to develop exemplar lesson plans, curriculum guides, and interim assessments for English language arts and mathematics.

We’ve restructured the partnership between central office and schools by making central office more directly accountable for the success of schools. The designation of the Mission and Bayview/Hunter’s Point neighborhoods as “superintendent’s zones” allows us to address our most significant educational challenges with our most focused resources. 

These priorities continue into this year:

• Equity-centered professional learning communities (ECPLCs) to communicate best practices for professional growth;
• Restorative justice to collectively identify and address harm and bring positive closure to student offenses;
• An overall needs assessment and the implementation of a more comprehensive approach to Special Education;
• Culturally relevant pedagogy that accounts for students’ home language and culture, including implementation of the actions in our Lau Plan and;
• Parent and community programs that empower broader engagement in student learning.

Let’s make this the best year yet for our students.

 

Yours truly,

Carlos A. Garcia

 

Listen here for the Superintendent’s Report from the latest Board of Education Meeting. >>