That might help. If anything can help. My sense is what is needed is less feel good, and a lot more basic work. If a family will not commit to getting their children into class, and also to helping them study at home, then the schools and teachers will not be able to change predictable outcomes.
It begs the question of WHY absenteeism is so high. Kids don’t learn if they’re not in school. I would think targeting absenteeism should be a priority. Great well-written article, Carol.
During COVID-19, we didn't even take a formal role. We were expected to develop schedules that worked best for the kids/families. That wasn't easy, to say the least, juggling 150 students a day. When we returned to brick-and-mortar, we were asked to "work on better attendance." The schools reactivated their automatic attendance caller, and the attendance secretary started making direct calls. That was the big push: no incentives, no certificates, nada. This was a typical rollout. I don't think I need to say more.
Am I missing something? My impression is that absenteeism has been a top subject and concern for many decades. Getting students to class is obviously step one. What happens in step two may be the key to getting them to keep coming back? Not as facts, but as pure examples; the old one room school house worked because the students wanted to be there or wanted to avoid punishment for not being there. Teachers had very limited resources, but plenty of determination and desire to succeed. Other more modern examples are depicted by movies showing extreme challenges of urban ghetto schools where some teachers over come, and others are literally chased away.
I am a product of S.F. public schools. Anza Vista elementary, Visitation Elementary, Luther Burbank JH, Woodrow Wilson HS. Each stop had it's good and bad. Some how I learned enough to progress until I met Algebra. I managed to graduate HS with nothing going for me other than musical ability, and imagination. Being accepted to university was me first real lesson about how important studying is, and I had literally no foundational knowledge of how that works. I was smart enough to figure it out, many others may not be.
Through in the foreign students who don't speak English, and the teacher's job seems pretty unrealistic.
One thing I wonder about though is math - math is a foreign language of its own, and we began by buying paper folders that had math tables printed on them. These days there are many alternative sources for tables and flash cards in any language, so what's the problem? If I were teaching - I'd be using grocery and retail ads, and counting money as ways to show the practical value for math.
I worked for almost 20 years in AZ public schools after retirement in 1998. I have a doctorate degree and taught statistics at the university level. I wanted to become a volunteer math helper in the public schools so I researched where the math score problems were. It turns out that third grade is a very critical grade--Why? because that is when students are supposed to gain a total mastery of the multiplication facts. Why is that so important? It's because if you are not multiplication fact fluid, you can never go backwards and factor. It you cannot immediately see factors of numbers, the rest of math is a struggle forever
So, I am now volunteering in a fourth grade math class in San Francisco and when I arrived about 6 weeks ago, only one child new their multiplication facts. I explained my theory to the classroom teacher and she took the issue on big time. Now almost every child is doing better at all math
The third grade curriculum does not allow the time period and methods necessary for mastery.
There is not sufficient time in the designated curriculum for the teacher to stress the addends of ten and the multiplication table--both are the basis of future success
Our scores in one AZ elementary school went up so much, that the state officials came to inspect whether there was cheating on the standardized test in one of our school. No cheating, just teaching!
I would love to bring this experience and evidence to those responsible for the elementary school math curriculum--I truly believe I could help
Carol, I don't mean to hijack your blog or your readers, but until structural and governance changes are made in SF, scores will continue to plummet.
FACT BOX: SFUSD Oversight, Board Role & Staffing Realities
• Turnover costs:
Replacing a teacher or administrator in an urban district costs $15k–$22k (recruiting, onboarding, training, lost productivity).
• Staff drain:
Retirements, resignations, and rapid promotions into central office roles have stripped away institutional knowledge, leaving fewer trained people to make high-impact decisions.
Unique SF Structure
• SF is the only county in California where the County Office of Education (COE) is merged into the district — a City Charter cost-cutting measure from the 30s.
• In every other county, a COE provides:
– Independent oversight
– Fiscal audits
– State compliance monitoring
– Corrective action
– Training/support for districts
– Charter & alternative program review
• In SF, a tiny internal team handles these functions, and many duties fall onto the Board of Education and SFUSD staff.
Board of Education: Typical Role vs. SF Reality
• In most counties, School Boards focus on:
– Policy
– Hiring/evaluating the superintendent
– Budgets
– Community engagement
– Monitoring student outcomes
• In SF, because the COE is merged:
– The Board absorbs oversight tasks usually handled by a separate agency
– Commissioners must monitor compliance and fiscal risk without independent guidance
– Many Board members must navigate complex operational issues without the specialist support that other counties receive
• Effect: Power shifts upward to the Superintendent because the Board is overloaded with duties it was never designed — or staffed — to carry.
Who Feels It Most
• Site-level employees — principals, teachers, custodians, paras, clerks — carry the most demanding work but receive the least structural support.
• Without independent oversight, district decisions often miss the realities of school sites.
Call to Action
If San Francisco wants stable, accountable schools, we need to fix the structure that puts us out of step with every other county. Amending the City Charter to restore independent oversight would rebalance power and finally give our Board and schools the support they lack. It’s time to align our governance with the higher standards we should expect from our schools.
I saw a lot of this firsthand, teaching middle school in Berkeley and SFUSD. Some kids were ready for 8th-grade Algebra, and many weren’t—middle school is peak cognitive and emotional chaos. At the same time, things like Honors classes and even memorization were treated as “bad,” but when I directed after-school drama, memorizing lines was one of the best tools for long-term English learners to build confidence, fluency, and comprehension.
The bigger issue is structural. Middle schools are essentially funded for six periods—Math, English, Science, Social Studies, PE, and one Elective—so there’s little room to rebuild foundational skills before pushing students into abstract Algebra. Teachers were expected to teach three different levels in one class, and the system kept assuming all kids came in with the same base. Those gaps have been showing up in scores for decades.
Absenteeism matters, but so does what’s waiting for students when they do show up.
SFUSD only cares about its woke programs. Unlike every other public school district across the SF Bay Area, SFUSD kids are taught early woke activism while reading/writing/math proficiency are not emphasized. Yearrs ago, didn't Alison Collins and Gabriela Lopez called math curriculum as racist?
The reasons for absenteeism vary with each family situation and a smart plan must address individual needs. Thanks Sandy.
Yup. But I think each student is worth the effort.
Carol - There is obvious truth in your reply to Sanford (?), but attempting to address each individual's needs is like chasing clouds.
Always learn from your great articles. I think you should get on the Board again, and educate them as to how it should be done.
That might help. If anything can help. My sense is what is needed is less feel good, and a lot more basic work. If a family will not commit to getting their children into class, and also to helping them study at home, then the schools and teachers will not be able to change predictable outcomes.
It begs the question of WHY absenteeism is so high. Kids don’t learn if they’re not in school. I would think targeting absenteeism should be a priority. Great well-written article, Carol.
During COVID-19, we didn't even take a formal role. We were expected to develop schedules that worked best for the kids/families. That wasn't easy, to say the least, juggling 150 students a day. When we returned to brick-and-mortar, we were asked to "work on better attendance." The schools reactivated their automatic attendance caller, and the attendance secretary started making direct calls. That was the big push: no incentives, no certificates, nada. This was a typical rollout. I don't think I need to say more.
Am I missing something? My impression is that absenteeism has been a top subject and concern for many decades. Getting students to class is obviously step one. What happens in step two may be the key to getting them to keep coming back? Not as facts, but as pure examples; the old one room school house worked because the students wanted to be there or wanted to avoid punishment for not being there. Teachers had very limited resources, but plenty of determination and desire to succeed. Other more modern examples are depicted by movies showing extreme challenges of urban ghetto schools where some teachers over come, and others are literally chased away.
I am a product of S.F. public schools. Anza Vista elementary, Visitation Elementary, Luther Burbank JH, Woodrow Wilson HS. Each stop had it's good and bad. Some how I learned enough to progress until I met Algebra. I managed to graduate HS with nothing going for me other than musical ability, and imagination. Being accepted to university was me first real lesson about how important studying is, and I had literally no foundational knowledge of how that works. I was smart enough to figure it out, many others may not be.
Through in the foreign students who don't speak English, and the teacher's job seems pretty unrealistic.
One thing I wonder about though is math - math is a foreign language of its own, and we began by buying paper folders that had math tables printed on them. These days there are many alternative sources for tables and flash cards in any language, so what's the problem? If I were teaching - I'd be using grocery and retail ads, and counting money as ways to show the practical value for math.
I worked for almost 20 years in AZ public schools after retirement in 1998. I have a doctorate degree and taught statistics at the university level. I wanted to become a volunteer math helper in the public schools so I researched where the math score problems were. It turns out that third grade is a very critical grade--Why? because that is when students are supposed to gain a total mastery of the multiplication facts. Why is that so important? It's because if you are not multiplication fact fluid, you can never go backwards and factor. It you cannot immediately see factors of numbers, the rest of math is a struggle forever
So, I am now volunteering in a fourth grade math class in San Francisco and when I arrived about 6 weeks ago, only one child new their multiplication facts. I explained my theory to the classroom teacher and she took the issue on big time. Now almost every child is doing better at all math
The third grade curriculum does not allow the time period and methods necessary for mastery.
There is not sufficient time in the designated curriculum for the teacher to stress the addends of ten and the multiplication table--both are the basis of future success
Our scores in one AZ elementary school went up so much, that the state officials came to inspect whether there was cheating on the standardized test in one of our school. No cheating, just teaching!
I would love to bring this experience and evidence to those responsible for the elementary school math curriculum--I truly believe I could help
Carla Springer, PhD Psychology and Statistics
carlaspringer711@gmail.com
Carol, I don't mean to hijack your blog or your readers, but until structural and governance changes are made in SF, scores will continue to plummet.
FACT BOX: SFUSD Oversight, Board Role & Staffing Realities
• Turnover costs:
Replacing a teacher or administrator in an urban district costs $15k–$22k (recruiting, onboarding, training, lost productivity).
• Staff drain:
Retirements, resignations, and rapid promotions into central office roles have stripped away institutional knowledge, leaving fewer trained people to make high-impact decisions.
Unique SF Structure
• SF is the only county in California where the County Office of Education (COE) is merged into the district — a City Charter cost-cutting measure from the 30s.
• In every other county, a COE provides:
– Independent oversight
– Fiscal audits
– State compliance monitoring
– Corrective action
– Training/support for districts
– Charter & alternative program review
• In SF, a tiny internal team handles these functions, and many duties fall onto the Board of Education and SFUSD staff.
Board of Education: Typical Role vs. SF Reality
• In most counties, School Boards focus on:
– Policy
– Hiring/evaluating the superintendent
– Budgets
– Community engagement
– Monitoring student outcomes
• In SF, because the COE is merged:
– The Board absorbs oversight tasks usually handled by a separate agency
– Commissioners must monitor compliance and fiscal risk without independent guidance
– Many Board members must navigate complex operational issues without the specialist support that other counties receive
• Effect: Power shifts upward to the Superintendent because the Board is overloaded with duties it was never designed — or staffed — to carry.
Who Feels It Most
• Site-level employees — principals, teachers, custodians, paras, clerks — carry the most demanding work but receive the least structural support.
• Without independent oversight, district decisions often miss the realities of school sites.
Call to Action
If San Francisco wants stable, accountable schools, we need to fix the structure that puts us out of step with every other county. Amending the City Charter to restore independent oversight would rebalance power and finally give our Board and schools the support they lack. It’s time to align our governance with the higher standards we should expect from our schools.
I saw a lot of this firsthand, teaching middle school in Berkeley and SFUSD. Some kids were ready for 8th-grade Algebra, and many weren’t—middle school is peak cognitive and emotional chaos. At the same time, things like Honors classes and even memorization were treated as “bad,” but when I directed after-school drama, memorizing lines was one of the best tools for long-term English learners to build confidence, fluency, and comprehension.
The bigger issue is structural. Middle schools are essentially funded for six periods—Math, English, Science, Social Studies, PE, and one Elective—so there’s little room to rebuild foundational skills before pushing students into abstract Algebra. Teachers were expected to teach three different levels in one class, and the system kept assuming all kids came in with the same base. Those gaps have been showing up in scores for decades.
Absenteeism matters, but so does what’s waiting for students when they do show up.
SFUSD only cares about its woke programs. Unlike every other public school district across the SF Bay Area, SFUSD kids are taught early woke activism while reading/writing/math proficiency are not emphasized. Yearrs ago, didn't Alison Collins and Gabriela Lopez called math curriculum as racist?