Omar Khalif- Candidate for School Board

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:42:35 -0700

Omar Khalif is running for Commissioner of the San Francisco Unified School District. He is currently working with youths at the San Francisco Probation Department. He has four children and one grandchild who have or are attending school in the SFUSD. He is a passionate community advocate.

Emily Murase- Candidate for School Board

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:16:47 -0700

Emily Murase is running for Commissioner of the San Francisco Unified School District. She is currently Director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. She has children attending school in the SFUSD.

Norman Yee- Candidate for School Board

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:57:34 -0700

2008 District Board Elections for the San Francisco Unified School District

Perhaps there has never been a time in the history of the San Francisco Unified School District where it faces the prospect of such radical change. The parents of the district are angered because of district secrecy and lack of transparency. Special Education children and parents feel the district is treating them like the enemy.

Recently it was reveled that the District’s much criticized school assignment center made an error that caused the District to offer spaces for 23 English language speakers for the Spanish Immersion at two schools that should not have been made. Four weeks before school was to start the district informed the 23 families that their child would be reassigned to another school. This action energized the Parent community and all other simmering issues bubbled to the surface. It appears that the parents have a lack of trust in the District and are no longer satisfied with the Districts make-believe democracy. Parents want an active voice.

This is the first in a series of conversations with the candidates for school board. Fundamental changes in the education environment are on the horizon. Who will be the leaders that shape that change?

Norman Yee

For over 30 years Norman Yee has served our community. Now he is running for a second four year term as a Commissioner on the San Francisco Unified School District’s School Board. Norman is a gentle community-builder. We talk about issues that affect the future of the District and the issues we face today.

Laurel Kloomok- The Foundation for Life

Tue, 4 Mar 2008 09:52:24 -0800

The first five years of a child’s life are truly the foundation from which they build their lives. Children have many known needs for which we, as a community, can provide assistance. The needs are great. First Five San Francisco is funded by both state and local money to help children during these founding years. Laurel Kloomok, Executive Director of First Five San Francisco, joins Senior Dad Stan Goldberg to discuss what the challenges are and how First Five is working to address those challenges. How preschool- for-all is progressing; Does early intervention work?; Where will the funding come from?; Is the achievement gap created before a child enters school? Does San Francisco have the will to make the city family friendly?

Laurel Kloomok—First Five—the foundation for life

Lisa Spinali- Unifying Forces

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:08:56 -0800

The African American read-in is coming to San Francisco Schools February 4th to help kick-off Black History Month. Over 100 people from our generous community are going to visit schools and read books to classes by American authors of African decent. The volunteers will be a cornucopia of colors and sizes as we learn about the cultures that make up our city. The volunteer efforts are being spearheaded by a creative nonprofit, San Francisco School Volunteers (SFSV). Senior Dad Stan Goldberg learns about the event from Lisa Spinali, the committed Executive Director of SFSV. They talk about the education gap and teacher performance, about the competition for dollars among nonprofits, about the prospects for collaboration with nonprofits, and the exciting new projects that SFSV is launching to benefit the children of San Francisco. Lisa Spinali- Unifying Forces

Shary Nunan- Teaching a Less Traveled Way

Thu, 3 Jan 2008 09:01:07 -0800

The High School for Independent Learning of Albany and Piedmont California addresses the learning requirements of those students where a typical learning environment has not been successful. This school seeks to enable these students to be successful and enjoy learning, perhaps for the first time in their lives. The student body also includes youth who have work or practice requirements that preclude going to regular school. We talk with Shary Nunan, the Co-Director of the school, who tells us how the school got its start and how the needs of its students are addressed. Teaching a less traveled way.

June Jordan- Small School By Design

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:32:08 -0700

June Jordan High School of San Francisco is a small school, by design. Started five years ago by a group of upstarts, comprised of teachers, students and community activists who were not satisfied with how the system was addressing the needs of underserved youth in the inner city who aspired to attend college. These bold, brash, and outspoken individuals got June Jordon rolling and perhaps ruffled a few feathers in the school district in the process. With test scores sinking, the faculty is becoming aware that solutions in concept are easier to achieve then solutions in reality. We speak with Matt Alexander, Principal of the school about the genesis of the school, the school structure and the challenges the school faces today. Are we seeing a very public, public school sink or are we viewing an intelligent well planned mid-course correction?

Amanda Johnson- Picking a Kindergarten, Are we all Archie Bunkers?

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:57:25 -0700

Amanda Johnson works as an analyst for the San Francisco School District. Last year while she was studying for her master degree she wrote a paper called “In San Francisco’s ‘School Choice’ System, What Are Parents Really Choosing?” Some people have used her study to accuse the city of being racist. Amanda explains her study and what she has learned from it. She also discusses the policy questions relating to student assignment and selection process.

Dana Woldow – Status on Food

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 20:57:04 -0700

Co-chair Dana Woldow of San Francisco United School District student nutrition and physical activity committee announces when she will retire from the committee. We discuss some of the successes and issues of the last six months. Is the food that is served safe? Are the privacy concerns of parents valid? Can we cook our own food? Are birthday parties on the endangered species list? Will Food Services have a monopoly on all food brought into a school? Has the committee gone too far and will we see the committee control what is allowed in your own child’s lunch box in the future? These issues and more as Stan Goldberg asks some tough questions.

Carlos Garcia- Superintendent

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:26:30 -0700

Carlos Garcia is the new Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District. He inherits a position that has had placed its previous occupants at odds with the Commissioners of the Board of Education and the parents of the school children of the district. Carlos shares with us how he feels and what he intends to do on most of the issues facing how our children will learn. Will he be Don Quixote or will he be the leader that everyone will marshal their energy behind to bring our system into this century?

David Alexander– A helping hand for children’s health

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:44:23 -0700

David Alexander went to Public School 152 in Brooklyn New York. He later became a physician, ran two hospitals, and most recently has been appointed CEO of one of the most prestigious children’s health foundations in the nation, The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. David has learned from the journey and shares with us his vision for the future, and where he would like to lead the Foundation.

Senior Dad Parent Panel on School Assignment 2- Solutions

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:31:53 -0700

In light of the Supreme Court decision in the Louisville KY and Seattle WA cases several weeks ago we have our second Parent Panel on the San Francisco Schools assignment method, this time focusing on possible solutions. Should we go to a firm school assignment policy with a guaranteed spot? Should we adopt School Board President Sanchez’s recent new position on school assignment? What can we do? Is one person’s fair another person’s injustice? Do we force families to move from San Francisco by the current system?

Panelists
Caroline Grannan
David Greene
Stan Goldberg

A Teacher Talks Gangs

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:30:22 -0700

Rich Bruni has been a High School history teacher in the San Francisco schools for over twenty years. Teaching has been a second career for Rich he was an auto mechanic. Tinkering with motors trained him to tinker with minds. He is out spoken, bold, acerbic, opinionated and sometimes down right irritating but through it all he is an observer of our times. In this segment we talk about gangs.

Senior Dad Parent Panel- a week at SFUSD

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:16:15 -0700

Parent Panelists:
Katy Franklin
Rachel Powell Norton
Stan Goldberg
Topics covered:
Teacher pay
Board of Education overhead
More local control?
Are charters better?
Why do school results vary?
New ideas for administrating schools
Welcome Carlos
Eastside/Westside different districts?
Board of Education pay

Senior Dad Parent Panel- how to avoid school law suits

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:16:09 -0700

A few months ago I interviewed Eric Mar, one of the Commissioners of the Board of Education of the San Francisco Unified School District. While chatting about some of the issues facing the school board we discussed the expenditure of Board of Education funds to defend lawsuits brought against the SFUSD by parents of children with extra needs, Eric said “there must be a better way”. That statement haunted me the past few months as I learned what parents and children were experiencing as they tried to cope with their children’s needs while dealing with the frustrations of dealing with the San Francisco School system. The Winkelman case, just decided by the Supreme Court, establishes a parent’s right to represent their children without an attorney in a special education matter. This one case changes the playing field from the parents going uphill to level for the first time in history. Last week we recorded a parent panel that analyzed some of the implications of Winkelman, but more importantly we discussed the issues that cause parents to file suit, and as well as ideas for sensible ways to update the process so that both the parents and the professionals in the schools can work in harmony. An important step in moving towards change is for everyone to hear about the impact that our own school system is having on our community. Parent Panel, Katy Franklin, Rachel Powell Norton, Stan Goldberg.

An African American views the school system

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:16:01 -0700

A large number of African American students in the San Francisco Unified School District are behind academically. I attended the SF Public Defender’s Juvenile Justice summit. The summit made it clear how these youths view SFUSD. Bennie Wright did not attend the conference. Her four children (three adopted) have never been involved in the Juvenile Justice system. Bennie is a native San Franciscan. She went to the public schools here and is a college graduate. She is involved in her community and shares with us her views of the school system and how well it is serving the African American community.

Senior Dad Parent Panel on School Assignment

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:15:58 -0700

Senior Dad Parent Panel on School Assignment and other issues of San Francisco parents relating to raising children to adulthood. Crystal Brown, Katy Franklin, Caroline Grannan, Amy Ottinger, Stan Goldberg.

Joan Williams- One sick child away from being fired

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:15:54 -0700

Joan Williams-Director, Center for WorkLife Law University of California, Hastings has made a study of arbitrations related to discharges because of mandatory overtime and family emergencies. We all could be one sick child away from being fired.

Marie Hoemke- Retired Nurse speaks on school safety

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:15:51 -0700

Marie Hoemke was a school nurse for almost 40 years. She tells us what the Health Department was like 40 years ago and how it changed and why. Candid, unabridged and straight from her heart. Does the relationship with the Health Department and the SFUSD put our children at risk?

Eric Mar- School Board Member

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:15:48 -0700

Eric Mar is a father, husband, full time educator, activist and incidentally a member of the school board of San Francisco Unified School District. What motivates a man to take such a thankless job? Is it a stepping stone or is there something deeper? We learn his feelings on all the major issues facing us now and for some time in the future. Some of his choices have no winners.

Dana Woldow- What kind of food do we serve our children

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:15:44 -0700

Dana Woldow a San Francisco volunteer is co-chair of SFUSD student nutrition and physical activity committee. She tells us how San Francisco changed to a healthy food policy and how the started a grab 'n go breakfast program.

Pamela Wolfberg- Teaching teachers to understand Autism

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:56:32 -0700

Pamela Wolfberg forward thinking educator at San Francisco State University lets us see her vision of future education and how we can plan for the rising rate of Autism.

Katy Franklin's two wars

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:28:16 -0700

Katy Franklin has a child with Autism. Faced with finding schools she learned quickly that the system's quick answer was always no. She resists the system that rejects her child while finding new ways to help him grow with his condition.

How Bay Area Parents Say their Kids are Faring-2007

Tue, 6 Feb 2007 16:27:57 -0800

Andy Krackov, Senior Director of Public Information for the Lucile Parkard Foundation for Children's Health helps us understand what is in their 2007 study "How Bay Area Parents Say their Kids are Faring-2007". This is the second year of this annual study.