In 2014, the San Francisco Unified School District made the advanced math program available only to high schoolers, arguing that axing algebra for middle schoolers closed an equity gap among students. A course recommendation adopted by the district before the change was implemented shows school officials shifting from a course sequence that provided students “equal access” to a new program that sought to guarantee students “equal success”. According to the document, only 34 percent of black 11th graders and 35 percent of Latino 11th graders had reached Algebra 2, compared with 52 percent of white students and 78 percent of Asian students in the same grade. Voters will now have the opportunity to restore the program because school officials came under pressure after a Stanford University study released earlier this year showed that the program actually worsened the performance gap between students. During a board of supervisors meeting held last week, city supervisor Ahsha Safai called the decision to eliminate algebra in eighth grade a “failed experiment,” while adding, “We must recognize that it didn’t deliver on the promises of equity.” Since the policy was changed, parents have pushed back against removing algebra from middle school curriculum, but district officials refused to bring it back. “For years, (community members) have railed against the false claims by SFUSD regarding the math curriculum,” Patrick Wolff, executive director of advocacy group Families for San Francisco, wrote in a letter to superintendent Matt Wayne after the study was released. “In a horrible irony, those most harmed by SFUSD’s lies about its equity claims are the Black and brown students SFUSD falsely claims to have helped.” Now, the district is being forced to confront its nearly decade-long policy failure. The new math program is “not working” Wayne said at last week’s meeting. “We are working with experts, researchers, educators, labor partners, and our communities to implement our vision and principles in the classroom through strong curriculum, high-quality instruction, academic support, and opportunities for acceleration (in math),” he added.Next year, San Francisco voters will get to vote on a ballot initiative to put algebra back into middle schools.
