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Following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, TACT reached out to SFABSE (San Francisco Alliance of Black School Educators) and other educator groups within San Francisco to:
On July 14, the newly formed Educators Affinity Coalition presented a joint statement in support of the BLM to the San Francisco Board of Education. Since then, members of SFABSE (San Francisco Alliance of Black School Educators), Kababayan-SFUSD (Filipina/x/o Employees of SFUSD), TACT (The Association of Chinese Teachers), LATA (Latin American Teacher Association), NHPI (SFUSD Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, SFABE (San Francisco Association for Bilingual Education) and other educator and community members, including members of AAPAC (African American Parent Advisory Council) have been working on how to facilitate discussions and trainings for colleagues to combat anti-Black racism. In a survey sent out in July, we asked our membership and community supporters the following questions: How can TACT help you become better at addressing racism as an educator and which of the following would you likely participate in and/or take advantage of? The highest request (72% of the respondents) asked for articles, books, videos, & links to learning webinars. 55% would like TACT to help facilitate periodic discussions with fellow Chinese American educators to build personal and professional awareness on racism and colorism within our community. TACT recognizes the importance of having a safe space and time for members of our community to come together to learn, share and talk about racism. Some of us have been doing this work for years while for others, this has only surfaced in recent months. Many of us have taken part in various anti-racist work within our school sites, SFUSD or on a more personal level, yet we may not have had the opportunity to specifically speak with fellow Asian American educators. It is with this in mind that TACT invites interested members of our community to join us in monthly conversations and peer learning (60-90 minutes). Participants must be willing to commit to regular attendance (time TBD by participants). Please RSVP your interest here. Stanford University Graduate School of Education and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education, in partnership with San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), are hosting an online speaker series about issues related to Student Assignment Policy in San Francisco.  History of Desegregation in San Francisco Schools
UPDATED: Discussion of Research about School Integration
Discussion of Research about School Choice
NOTE: The presentation by sean reardon on October 1st has been integrated with the presentation on Sept. 17. SFUSD is currently revisiting its policy for how elementary school students are assigned to public schools, and the San Francisco Board of Education will vote on a new policy on December 8, 2020. Also, OUSD has launched an initial exploration of its student assignment system’s functioning this spring.
In an effort to infuse policy discussions with additional evidence, this speaker series will examine research related to the history of school desegregation efforts, school integration, school choice, and SFUSD’s student assignment policy options. While these sessions focus on SFUSD, separate sessions looking at OUSD’s policy options will be scheduled in the future. The series will culminate with a panel discussion where researchers provide feedback on SFUSD's proposed changes to student assignment, prior to a Board of Education vote. In the first presentation, the community will hear from Rand Quinn about the history of school desegregation and student assignment policies in San Francisco. A panel of SFUSD community members will provide commentary and pose questions to spark discussion. Quinn is associate professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Class Action: Desegregation and Diversity in San Francisco Schools. The panel discussion where researchers provide feedback on the proposed changes to the policy has yet to be scheduled. Today, TACT joined these SFUSD educator affinity groups at the Board of Education meeting, in a reading of this joint statement on the Black Lives Matter movement:
 TACT is currently working with other educator groups in regards to education and the role of SFUSD within the wider context of what is happening in our country. Specifically, we would like to know about your experience and perspective on any inequities that you have observed, how we can address racism in school and the implications of COVID-19 on student learning.
Link to Survey Your input will inform TACT's priorities for the coming school year. To show our appreciation for your time and feedback, simply leave an email address at the end of this survey and you will be entered into a drawing to be 1 of 2 winners for a $15 gift card. Thank you! 
From SFUSD: Virtual Town Halls: Give Input on Fall Learning Plans. Our community is working together to shape what fall learning will look like for SFUSD students. We would like your input. We also know you have questions, and we'll do our best to answer them. Town Halls for Families, Students, Staff and Community Partners will be held throughout the week of July 6th. See schedule and instructions to join. All you need to join is a device (phone or computer) with internet access. Meetings will be hosted on YouTube Live and participants will be able to share input and questions through ThoughtExchange. Visit sfusd.edu/townhalls for more information. |
