WESTED PARTNERS WITH INNER CITY SCHOOL TO INCREASE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Released by: Mark Kerr, WestEd

A school serving San Francisco's "toughest" housing project became a shining example of academic ach

Email: mkerr@WestEd.org

Keywords: education, school reform, African American student achievement

Update Date: 10/1/2005 12:10:39 AM

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Descrption:
Prospects are improving for kids in the San Francisco Bayview Hunter's Point area, thanks to hard work at the Malcolm X Academy by teachers, parents, and students. This year's vastly improved test scores paint a rosier future for the neighborhood children.

Just last year, the K-5 school, which serves children in this low-income and predominantly African American neighborhood, was threatened with closure due to two consecutive years of being labeled as a state monitored school - the result of falling short of annual academic progress targets set by the state.

But the 2005 California Standards Test (CST) results released by the California Department of Education show that Malcolm X has increased the schoolwide percent scoring at "proficient or advanced" in math from 8% in 2003 to 33% in 2005. Further, the school's African American students increased math scores from 10% in 2003 to 29% in 2005.

In English language arts, Malcolm X has increased the schoolwide percent scoring at "proficient or advanced" from 10% in 2003 to 19% in 2005. Further, its African American students increased English language arts scores from 7% in 2003 to 16% in 2005.

The improvements are largely the result of a turn-around process that began in 2002 when the school partnered with San Francisco-based WestEd and its School Assistance and Intervention Team (SAIT). "The indicators for success were not good," says Noelle Caskey, WestEd's SAIT team leader for Malcolm X Academy. "The teachers at Malcolm X had a well-deserved reputation for providing excellent emotional and social support for their students. Now I'm proud that their academic support equals all the other benefits children receive at Malcolm X Academy."

Arlene Ackerman, SFUSD Superintendent, adds, "I am happy that WestEd has entered into a collaborative partnership with Malcolm X Academy. My hope is that the end result will be higher achievement for the children who attend Malcolm X because they deserve the highest quality education available to them."

"This school is so very important to families all over Hunter's Point," says Principal Rosalind Sarah. "The kids can walk or take a short bus ride to a school where teachers care about them in every way." She adds, "We've collaborated with WestEd to improve our student achievement, and even though the SAIT process was not easy, I'm pleased that our hard work has paid off."

Malcolm X has now exited the list of state monitored schools. Visit http://www.WestEd.org/SAIT