Spaces for Black students to dream, achieve, and lead.

This work is part of SFUSD’s Vision, Values, Goals, and Guardrails framework adopted in 2022. This framework is designed to provide each and every student with the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.

Understanding systemic barriers to African American/Black student achievement, the African American Achievement & Leadership is integral to achieving the Vision, Values, Goals and Guardrails.

AAALI provides equitable support in order to increase African American/Black student achievement in literacy and math, making them college and career ready by Grade 12.

Black Star Rising (BSR) is a holistic Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program for high school students that focuses on STEM achievement, authentic community engagement, culturally sustaining practices and exposure to careers. Last year, BSR served 100% African American students, 65% of whom were economically disadvantaged. Black Star Rising includes a STEM intensive, a math and science credit-recovery course, and an advanced geometry class with programs during the school year and summer.

Each and Every by Name (EE) is an initiative for ALL SFUSD Black and Pacific Islander Kindergarten students to ensure that they are proficient in literacy by 3rd grade. In order to meet this goal, AAALI employs a case management approach that includes

Each and Every by Name offers:

1. Coordinated Care Teams that track student progress and strategize for supporting individual students.

2. Engaging families through personalized outreach, literacy kits, and family literacy nights, while also enhancing professional learning for staff and creating targeted support structures. 

3. Customized data reports for teachers, a “Play Book” of best practices

4. Targeted academic support for literacy.

Mastering Cultural Identity (MCI) aims to disrupt persistently inequitable outcomes for Black students by employing culturally affirming curricula and pedagogies. MCI courses teach lessons that integrate historical and contemporary African and African American cultural elements, empowering students to explore their identity, manage emotions, harness personal determination, and cultivate a positive sense of purpose for themselves, their families, and their communities. By enhancing students’ sense of belonging, self-identification as Black individuals, and fostering self-awareness and literacy, MCI significantly enriches the educational experience for Black students.

African American Parent Advisory Council (AAPAC) is a parent-led organization that works to improve the academic outcomes of Black students in SFUSD. Historical exclusion has created a gap in trust and collaboration between the district and African-American families, affecting advocacy and partnership. AAALI works with families and community members to navigate the educational system, provide platforms for their voices to be heard, and establish partnerships with local organizations for wraparound care. AAPAC continues to add school-site groups across the district.

PITCH is a multi-year commitment to coordinate and resource high-impact, sustainable strategies aimed at enhancing the achievement of African American/Black students in 10 Historically Underserved Schools and 10 High Equity Gap schools across San Francisco and provide site leaders with protected professional development time to ensure implementation. PITCH seeks to improve African American academic achievement and close the opportunity gap through an integrated approach that cultivates five necessary conditions of a high-quality learning environment in SFUSD schools. This approach is informed by ​a ​theory ​of ​improvement ​that ​builds ​on ​the ​“five essential ​supports” ​framework ​by ​Bryk ​et ​al. ​(2010) ​and ​the ​district’s ​strategic plan.

Core Purpose: to promote the success of African American students and families by supporting academic and social-emotional learning, elevating effective practices and strategies, and cultivating leaders in the work of deconstructing systemic barriers to African American achievement. 

Core Values:

• Black Excellence: recognizing and honoring the accomplishments and contributions of Black or African American people, past and present, throughout the world and believe that excellence is present in every Black or African American child in SFUSD.

• Student & Family Centered: The success of our students and families in SFUSD drives our programs, policies and decisions. Our students and families are experts of their lived experiences, successes, challenges, therefore, we must elevate their voices to support them to thrive.

• Data-Driven: We review and analyze implementation data, outcome data, and high-quality research to inform and adjust our programs for African American students and families. 

• Asset Based: Our African American students, families, and broader community have unique strengths, skills, and expertise that benefit our school communities and the district as a whole. 

• High Expectations: AAALI holds high expectations for our students as learners and our families as their children’s first teachers. We hold accountable all stakeholders that influence African American achievement– SFUSD central office and school site leadership, SFUSD educators, community partners, and the AAALI team.

• “It Takes a Village”: In order to deliver a high quality educational experience to our African American students, we must partner and collaborate with stakeholders throughout the district and city.