1 Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment September 14, 2020 Orla O’Keeffe Chief Policy & Operations Henry O’Connell Project Manager
2 Tonight’s Agenda 1. Staff Presentation (45 mins) a. Introduction and Framing b. Draft Theory of Action c. Narrowing Down the Concepts and Discussion of Tradeoffs d. Key Questions Explore Further 2. Public Comment (25 mins) 3. Board Discussion (50 mins)
3 Desired Outcomes for Tonight’s Discussion By the end of this meeting, the Board will have provided staff with concrete feedback on: 1. A draft theory of action for student assignment. 2. Whether the Board is willing to take Concept 1 (initial assignment) off the table. What does the Board think? 3. Whether the Board would potentially approve non-contiguous or oddly shaped zones.
4 Introduction and Framing SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
5 Committee’s Purpose Supporting Materials Each year, the Board’s Ad Hoc Current Policy Committee on Student Assignment Video ● hosts a series of public working Board Policy ● meetings with staff to monitor SFUSD’s student assignment policy. Policy Development Materials sfusd.edu/studentassignment ● The focus since 2019 has been sfusd.edu/adhoccommittee ● Resolution 189-25A1: Developing a Community Based Student Assignment System for SFUSD ( Approved 12/11/2018)
Board Resolution 189-25A1 listed a 6 number of potential policy goals Stated in Resolution Synthesized Goals Predictability ● Simplicity ● Predictability ● Transparency ● Access to a school where sibling(s) attend ● Proximity ● Accessibility to neighborhood options ● Diversity ● A strong commitment to integrated schools ● Access to a diverse school ● Equity ● Equity Lens Access to a high quality school ●
7 Policy Design Principles What principles will help us choose between the policy goals if confronted with conflicting issues? 1. Equity: The student assignment policy will work towards equity in SFUSD. 2. Anti-racism: The student assignment policy will help produce a race equity culture. 3. Simplicity: The student assignment policy will be simple and easy to understand.
SFUSD’s Definition of SFUSD’s Definition of 8 Equity Working Towards Equity The work of eliminating oppression, ending biases, and ensuring equally Every learner receives what they high outcomes for all participants need to develop to their full through the creation of multicultural, potential. multilingual, multiethnic, gender equitable, multiracial, and inclusive practices and conditions; removing the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with any social or cultural factor.
SFUSD’s Definition of SFUSD’s Definition of 9 Anti-Racism Race Equity Culture A Race Equity Culture is one that is focused on Anti-racism is the active, conscious, and proactive counteraction of race inequities inside and non-neutral process of identifying and outside of an organization. Building a Race Equity eliminating racism by changing systems, Culture is the foundational work when organizations organizational structures, policies, practices, seek to advance race equity; it creates the conditions and attitudes, so that power is redistributed and that help us to adopt anti-racist mindsets and actions shared equitably. as individuals, and to center race equity in our life and in our work. A Race Equity Culture is the antithesis of The heart of an anti-racist system is personal, dominant culture, which promotes assimilation over professional, and system-wide accountability. integration and dismisses opportunities to create a - adapted from NAC International Perspectives: Women and Global Solidarity more inclusive, equitable environment. The work of creating a Race Equity Culture requires an adaptive and transformational approach that impacts behaviors and mindsets as well as practices, programs, and processes. Equity in the Center. https://www.equityinthecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Awake-to-Woke-to-Work-Glossary-of-Terms-.pdf
10 Simplicity It’s really complex to make something simple. - Jack Dorsey
11 Draft Theory of Action For Student Assignment SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
If… (implementation of change idea) then... (short-term impact) so that…. (long term impact) 12 Draft Theory If the Student Assignment Policy: Simplicity: Families’ first Diversity : Every elementary ● ● 1. Diversity: Creates assignment zones experience with SFUSD will be school will be diverse and of Action for that are racially, ethnically, a simple and predictable integrated socioeconomically, linguistically, and enrollment process; and Student academically diverse; and Equity : Every learner will ● Diversity : Zone enrollments 2. Diversity: Assigns students so that ● receive what they need to every school mirrors the diversity of will help create more diverse develop to their full potential. Assignment its zone; and enrollment and will increase 3. Choice: Gives all students access to enrollment in currently the range of programs in SFUSD; under-enrolled schools; and 4. Equity: Prioritizes younger siblings Predictability : Increasing and historically underserved students; ● and stability in enrollment patterns Does this 5. Predictability : Provides all students will reduce transportation with certainty that they will be placed costs and support multi-year accurately at an elementary school in their planning and budgeting; and capture what assignment zone; and Equity : Resources will be more changes the ● If the Educational Placement Center equitably allocated across Board wants to offers a simple process that makes it easy elementary schools (students, make and why? for families to enroll; and programs, staff, funding); and IF transportation routes and schedules Confidence: Community ● are aligned with and support assignment confidence in SFUSD will zones; and increase and there will be strong community connections IF each and every elementary school to local schools; and facilitates positive interaction across difference, and provides equitable access to resources and opportunities that exist within the school;
13 Goals and Metrics Feedback on the theory of action will help refine the Board’s goals for a new student assignment policy, and the metrics to monitor and measure impact. How will we know if a change led to improvement? What evidence of implementation will we collect? ● What evidence of immediate outcomes will we collect? ● What evidence of long-term outcomes will we collect? ●
14 Narrowing Down the Concepts and Discussion of Tradeoffs SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
15 3 Concepts for a New Elementary Assignment System Concept #1: Initial Concept #2: Concept #3: Assignment + Choice Choice in Small Zones Choice in Medium Zones Predictability, Diversity, Proximity Predictability, Diversity, Proximity Diversity, Predictability, Proximity Goals Student Automatic assignment, then optional Choice Choice Assignment choice process Geographical Attendance Areas (1 school) Zones (3 - 5 schools) Zones (8-12 schools) Constraints Portfolio of 1. Attendance Area Schools 1. Zone Schools 1. Zone Schools Schools 2. Citywide Schools 2. Citywide Schools
16 Summary of findings and Simulation Results tradeoffs Diversity Predictability Proximity Choice Community (Racial/ethnic, (Range of possible (Distance/ (Not a goal - Input socioeconomic) outcomes, # of community measure of different assignments cohesion) disruption to in 10 simulations) status quo) Concept 1 3.3/5 Mixed Slightly better Slightly better Mixed Depends on metric Depends on metric Initial assignment Concept 2 3.5/5 Non-contiguous Slightly better Better Better (generally) Small zones Slightly worse Contiguous Much Better Worse (always*) Concept 3 2.5/5 Better Slightly better Worse Slightly Worse (generally) (generally) Medium zones 2019-20 Assignments (baseline) *Simulations have not yet found a set of small contiguous zones that do better on measures of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity than our current system.
17 Community Input
18 How SFUSD will develop a new policy for Community Data (demographics, Input Research and assigning choice, capacities, etc.) Case Studies students to Feedback from Simulations of the Board of Policy elementary Education Outcomes schools How well do options achieve the Board’s policy goals of diversity , predictability , and proximity ? How well do options work in support of SFUSD’s goal of Access and Equity ? Policy
19 Key Takeaways Community members were conflicted on proximity -- people ● - Generally want to go to school close to home, but they want to be confident in the quality of their local schools first People also want to maintain some degree of choice. Most ● people don’t want too much (overwhelming) or too little (restrictive) choice Community Choice was especially important to African American, Latinx, ● Engagement and low-income families Report Boundary design will be very important; many found it ● difficult to give feedback without knowing what the boundaries would look like
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