SFEDup

SFEDup focuses on examining various aspects of education within the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), discussing budget allocations, math and English learner programs, enrollment patterns, staff and school sizes, and the challenges of educational disparity and resource distribution.

Budget and Funding Math Education Policies English Learner Programs School Enrollment and Demographics Staffing and School Operations Educational Disparities and Performance District and School Capacity Fiscal Management and Crisis

The hottest Substack posts of SFEDup

And their main takeaways

Trash Cans and Math Policy

98 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🚌 Education Curriculum School Districts Learning methods
  1. San Francisco tried to create its own trash can but had to stop due to budget issues
  2. San Francisco Unified School District is considering changing its math policy and creating new math pathways
  3. The school district should learn from how other districts address similar issues and consider increasing instructional time for math

Classified Staff

78 implied HN points • 24 May 23
🚌 Education Staffing School Districts
  1. Classified staff levels in schools vary significantly and have increased by 60% in the last decade.
  2. Paraprofessionals in schools play many roles and their numbers vary greatly among schools, sometimes without clear explanations based on need.
  3. Office/Clerical and Other Classified staff numbers in schools show little variation with enrollment, impacting the per-student cost of operating a school.

8th Grade Algebra and Math Acceleration

78 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🚌 Education Curriculum High School
  1. SFUSD is facing challenges in meeting Math proficiency rates and its current Math pathway has faced criticism.
  2. Other districts offer various methods for Math acceleration, including doubling up, compression courses, and early differentiation in middle school.
  3. There are different approaches to Math education across districts, with some focusing on allowing students to accelerate earlier while others prioritize a more uniform progression.
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Salaries, Staffing, and School Sizes

58 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
🚌 Education Staffing Salaries Compensation Programs
  1. San Francisco Unified School District employs more certificated staff per thousand students compared to most other districts in the state.
  2. San Francisco has the smallest elementary schools and highest percentage of small schools among Bay Area districts.
  3. San Francisco spends more on teacher compensation than most districts, primarily due to employing more teachers and providing benefits to retired teachers.

Excess Capacity in SFUSD's schools

58 implied HN points • 21 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Education Planning
  1. Different sources provide varying estimates of capacity for SFUSD schools.
  2. Actual enrollment history may provide a more accurate measure of capacity than the Facilities Master Plan.
  3. SFUSD has excess space for about 25% more students than currently enrolled, which may indicate too much capacity.

SFUSD Enrollment Demand

39 implied HN points • 11 Apr 23
🚌 Education High School
  1. SFUSD enrollment applications were down, especially for higher grades, and there are discrepancies in reporting kindergarten numbers.
  2. The enrollment process involves families applying to multiple schools, with many weighing options between SFUSD, private, and charter schools.
  3. High school admissions show variations in enrollment yields across different schools, with an overall decrease in 9th grade assignments for the upcoming year.

How Good Is SFUSD At Teaching English Learners?

39 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🚌 Education Teaching
  1. SFUSD struggles with administrative aspects related to testing English learners.
  2. The process for reclassifying English learners involves multiple subjective criteria.
  3. Reclassification rates for English learners in SFUSD vary by language and grade levels.

English-Language Learners

19 implied HN points • 28 Feb 23
🚌 Education Languages Demographics Challenges
  1. San Francisco has a high percentage of novice English learners, especially among Latino students.
  2. Home language surveys in California reveal varying English learner numbers and dominant languages in SFUSD.
  3. SFUSD faces challenges in administering initial English proficiency tests, with some students starting to learn English in high school.

Why do Latino students do so poorly in SFUSD?

19 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
🚌 Education
  1. Latino student performance in SFUSD is closely tied to the percentage of novice English learners among them
  2. English proficiency levels in kindergarten can impact SBAC test scores years later
  3. Variability in student achievement may be influenced by factors like parental education and language proficiency

Improving SFUSD's School Funding Formula

19 implied HN points • 07 Feb 23
  1. SFUSD's current funding formula allocates resources based on a Multi-Tiered System of Supports, which may not effectively target schools' varying needs.
  2. The district's funding formula does not directly consider student outcomes, leading to potential inefficiencies in supporting struggling students.
  3. Alternatives to the current system, like focusing support on schools with the most struggling students or varying funding based on student need, could offer more effective and transparent ways to allocate resources.

Enrollment Trends

0 implied HN points • 01 May 23
🚌 Education Market Share Forecasting
  1. Enrollment in SFUSD is down by almost 4,000 students (7.6%) since before the pandemic.
  2. Charter schools overall saw a 5.8% decrease in enrollment, with variations among individual schools.
  3. Cohort survival rates have recovered since the pandemic, but future enrollment projections for SFUSD are challenging due to declining birth rates and migration trends.

Winter is Coming

0 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
🚌 Education Finance Budgeting School Districts Staffing
  1. There is an impending fiscal crisis in many school districts due to various financial challenges.
  2. SFUSD will face significant budget deficits due to factors like declining enrollment, loss of pandemic-related funds, and potential recession impacts.
  3. The complexity and challenges of managing a school district budget are highlighted, including issues with expenditures on special education, staffing allocations, and transportation costs.