Spark* News

Spark launches Ready, Set, Read! - a 3-year, $5 million initiative to support SFUSD Literacy

August 24, 2024 - Welcome back to another exciting school year at SFUSD!
As the years begins with a renewed focus on literacy, we are excited to announce the launch of Ready, Set, Read! — Spark's multi-year strategic funding initiative supporting SFUSD literacy, with an initial $600,000 invested to support the district’s adoption of the new literacy curriculum, catalyzing robust support for teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders.

Uplifting Black Brilliance: Black Star Rising

July 31, 2024 - “What did you do this summer?” A group of ambitious SFUSD students can proudly say they pursued rigorous academic excellence and succeeded! On July 19, 2024, I was delighted to attend the Black Star Rising graduation, celebrating the incredible academic rigor, excellence, and success of 45 African American students. Every child is born into this world ready to learn and excel. When we cultivate the right conditions and set high expectations, our young people almost always surpass them.

$2.25M Grant for Student Nutrition

June 27, 2024 - As we close out the school year, we are excited to announce two new major grant awards - a $2.25M student nutrition grant from the Kodoma Foundation and a $1M grant from Crankstart supporting under-documented students- a significant outcomes milestone achieved in literacy, and a successful launch to SFUSD’s massive investment into literacy instructional excellence!

Together, In Community

May 25, 2024 - This month, we celebrate the power of coming together in community. Whether it's through celebrating teachers and their invaluable support to students, collaborative efforts to provide critical mental health support services in middle school, creating safe and inclusive spaces, or simply supporting one another, community is the heartbeat of our lives.

Celebrating Earth Month and the Power of Volunteers in SF Public Schools!

April 27, 2024 - As we embrace the spirit of environmental stewardship this Earth Month, we're thrilled to spotlight the incredible initiatives happening right here in our San Francisco public schools! At the same time, April is host to Public School Volunteer Week, and we're reminded of the vital role volunteers play in our educational ecosystem.

March Highlights at Spark SF Public Schools!

March 30, 2024 - This March, Spark proudly honors the remarkable achievements and contributions of women throughout history as we celebrate Women's History Month. Additionally, we acknowledge the significance of Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31st, within our diverse school community. We stand in solidarity with transgender and gender-nonconforming students, staff, and community members, affirming their identities and voices. 

Honoring Black History Month at SFUSD

February 28, 2024 - As we close on February's celebration of Black History Month, we are not only honoring the rich legacies of Black leaders but also acknowledging the imperative to confront real inequities within our educational system. This month serves as a poignant reminder of our collective evergreen responsibility to address disparities and create a more inclusive learning environment for our Black students. 

Welcome Spark's New President, Ginny Fang

January 31, 2024 - “I am delighted to extend heartfelt greetings to each of you as the newly appointed President of Spark SF Public Schools. It is an immense honor to join this incredible community that plays a pivotal role in supporting the San Francisco Unified School District.”

“Having spent over 20 years at the intersection of the public and private sectors mobilizing community resources towards addressing some of our most complex social justice challenges, I bring with me a deep-seated passion and commitment to excellence in public education for all students in San Francisco. As we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, I am excited about the potential for positive change and growth.”

SFUSD, Spark* SF Public Schools Announce 2023 Annual Report

January 31, 2024 - The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and SFUSD’s non-profit organization, Spark* SF Public Schools, announced the release of its Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report, reporting a total of over $123 million invested into the district’s highest priority initiatives and programs since it was established in 2015.

Creating Pathways to Careers in Life Sciences

November 4, 2023 - With a strategic location in the heart of Mission Bay, Spark is supporting the creation of a science and biotechnology hub in San Francisco, the Mission Bay Hub, which will deeply immerse SFUSD high school students as collaborative partners with local institutions that are leading the way in science and discovery. What’s exciting about the Hub is it will create access for ALL SFUSD high school students to experience careers in life sciences. 

Partnerships Powering Public Education at SFUSD

September 16, 2023 - Last Monday, on a beautifully sunny San Francisco September day, made even more spectacular by the view from SFUSD’s George Washington High School, Salesforce announced its 11th year of investment in Bay Area public schools. 

Spark continues to steward Salesforce’s investments in SFUSD, transforming our public schools here in San Francisco to better serve the needs of our students to graduate with the skills to thrive and succeed in today’s job market.

Happy New School Year!

August 19, 2023 - Back to school message from Superintendent, Dr. Wayne: I hope you enjoyed a wonderful summer. I’m so appreciative to be returning for my second year as SFUSD’s superintendent. 

I’ve greatly enjoyed visiting schools these first few days. From welcoming transitional kindergarten students to their first day at school in Cobb ES, to seeing Aptos MS eighth graders get to know each other in advisory, to observing students at Downtown HS already starting to analyze texts, I witnessed our values come to life across the district in service of our students. 

Summer Greetings from Superintendent Wayne

June 27, 2023 - Happy summer from Spark SF Public Schools. As we close the school year I want to thank you for continuing to support our more than 50,000 public school students here in San Francisco. It is having a huge impact.

The last few weeks of school reminded me of how special of a district we are, and so I wanted to share some of the exciting and innovative programs Spark is helping to develop and grow so that each and every one of our students has access to an equitable public school education.

Creating a Diverse Teacher Pipeline at SFUSD

June 10, 2023 - Pathway to Teaching’s innovative teacher preparation model provides candidates a rich and rigorous summer field experience and coursework so that teacher candidates are day-1 ready for their classrooms in August. Each day during the first six weeks of PSP, Pathway teachers are in classrooms with students engaged in modeling, teaching, real-time coaching, and rehearsals for teaching under the supervision of an expert SFUSD Teacher Educator. 

Ensuring Equitable Access to Technology

May 20, 2023 - The global COVID-19 pandemic accelerated our moral imperative to prepare SFUSD’s students to thrive in the 21st century by providing them with the rich learning opportunities technology makes possible. In response, Spark created the SF Unified Access initiative to catalyze the creation of a sustainable 1:1 digital district - a district where technology no longer stymies equitable outcomes for students and families, but, instead, helps ensure them.

Looking Ahead: SFUSD Mission Bay Hub

April 15, 2023 - Currently in the pilot stage, SFUSD’s future Mission Bay Hub will be a state-of-the-art space and program that will harness the potential of San Francisco’s public school students and the power of the life sciences to improve health outcomes for all. It will be located in the growing Mission Bay neighborhood on the 6th floor of SFUSD’s new Mission Bay Elementary School.

Expanding Career Pathways in Health

March 14, 2023 - ​​For students like Jayelyn, a recent graduate of Philip and Sala Burton Academic High School, the timing of SFUSD’s new Health Academy pathway program was serendipitous. Jayelyn has always had an interest in and passion for the healthcare field, previously volunteering at UCSF, so when the opportunity presented itself during her senior year, she applied. Her favorite part of the program was taking the theory and knowledge gained from the class curriculum, and applying it directly, explaining, “the more hands-on experience you have, the more your knowledge expands.”

Uplifting Black Students Through the Mastering Cultural Identity Program

February 18, 2023 - As a freshman, Sean was not engaged in his classes and as a result was underperforming in school, averaging a 2.0 GPA. His parents had recently divorced, he moved neighborhoods, and was adjusting to new family dynamics and new friends. It was in these moments of transition in the 9th grade, that Sean encountered the Mastering Cultural Identity (MCI) program at June Jordan School for Equity.

SFUSD Graduation Rate Reaches Highest in Six Years

January 17, 2023 - SFUSD’s high school graduation performance was recently featured in a piece by The San Francisco Standard! SFUSD's graduation rate hit a six-year high of roughly 88% in school year 2020-2021, outpacing the state rate by a few percentage points.

Celebrating 10 Years of Partnership with Salesforce

October 29, 2022 - Last month, Salesforce officially announced its 10th year of support for SFUSD and Spark SF Public Schools, marking a momentous milestone for San Francisco’s public school system. Salesforce and SFUSD launched the decade-long, multi-million dollar partnership with the late Mayor Ed Lee to provide the education and skills needed for students to thrive in the 21st century.

Expanding College Advising Services for SFUSD Students

September 24, 2022 - “The college admissions process can be very overwhelming and confusing,” said Erick Gonzalez-Gomez, a first-generation college student who recently graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School. It’s a sentiment shared by many high school seniors across the country, and it’s one of the many reasons the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is working to expand college advising services for students.

SFUSD Students are Back to School and Mental Health is in Focus

August 20, 2022 - On Wednesday, August 17th, the San Francisco Unified School District welcomed back nearly 50,000 students to kick off the 2022-2023 school year. As the district continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Spark SF Public Schools is committed to meeting the evolving needs of students by supporting students’ learning and well-being through investments in key district initiatives like the Middle School Mental Health Initiative.

Spark Welcomes SFUSD’s New Superintendent, Dr. Matt Wayne!

July 16, 2022 - "This is a city that has demonstrated its commitment to our schools time and again by providing additional resources and support beyond what many other districts in California receive. The district has countless partners from the City as well as foundations and nonprofit community-based organizations who step up to work with us to better serve our students. I look forward to serving the students, families, and staff in this vibrant district committed to educational equity and academic excellence."

-SFUSD Superintendent, Dr. Matt Wayne

Congratulations to Alexandria Real Estate (ARE) STEM scholarship recipients: Angela Hu, Jazmine Guzman de Anda, and Joanne Huang!

June 18, 2022 - ARE scholarships are awarded in the amount of $5,000 annually, for up to four years, to each student while they attend either a two- or four-year program at a community college or a college/university of their choice to study one of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

Introducing Superintendent’s 21st Century Award recipients Tashi Gotlieb and Un Ieng Sit!

June 4, 2022 - We are excited to introduce the final two students who were selected as recipients of this year's Superintendent's 21st Century Award! Get to know both Tashi and Un Ieng, and learn more about how they are Ready for Career, Ready for Life, and Ready to Tackle a Changing World. Congratulations Tashi and Un Ieng!

Introducing Superintendent’s 21st Century Award recipients Zainab Wisniewski and Joanne Yen!

May 21, 2022 - We are excited to introduce two more students who were selected as recipients of this year's Superintendent's 21st Century Award! Get to know both Zainab and Joanne, and learn more about how they are Ready to Lead, Ready to Work with Others and Ready to Be Their Best. Congratulations Zainab and Joanne!

Introducing Superintendent’s 21st Century Award recipients Carlos Huang and Jazmine Guzman!

May 7, 2022 - Each year, Spark* SF Public Schools presents the Superintendent’s 21st Century Award to six graduating seniors who exemplify the characteristics of SFUSD’s Graduate Profile, which identifies the knowledge, skills, dispositions and behaviors required by our 21st century world. Congratulations Carlos and Jazmine for being Ready to Think, Learn and Grow and Ready to Create!

Expanding Access to Mental Health Services for SFUSD Middle Schoolers

April 2, 2022 - In partnership with DCYF, the SFUSD Middle School Beacon Centers Mental Health Initiative provides culturally-relevant mental health and wellness services for thousands of middle school students through comprehensive health education and direct clinical services. With more than half of all mental health challenges manifesting before the age of 14, being able to reach vulnerable children and their families through school-linked supports offers SFUSD a viable and scalable way to address mental health challenges early. Starting this past fall and gradually expanding, the Initiative will eventually serve students in 13 middle schools and three K-8 schools.

Empowering the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Creators

March 19, 2022 - In 2017, SFUSD’s College and Career Readiness Department launched GOAT (Greatest of All Time) 23, a groundbreaking Career Pathways program for students, many of whom are newcomers and English Learners, to deeply explore entrepreneurship. Through an intensive afterschool business bootcamp, skill-building workshops, professional mentorship, and summer internships, students leave the program with the skills to start their own business. The program is often a life-changing experience by which students achieve greater access to opportunities. “If you want to materialize your dreams and challenge yourself, don’t hesitate to join us,” said participant Dina Wu.

Ensuring Food Security Across the District

March 5, 2022 - Two weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, in April 2020, SFUSD launched the innovative Door-to-Door meal delivery service after a multi-departmental planning effort. Dining staff prepared boxes with five days worth of food - much of which was made fresh, and supplemented with shelf-stable items as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. SFUSD employees volunteered to deliver the boxes directly to students’ homes, following routes that were carefully mapped out by the district’s Transportation team. By the end of July 2021 Student Nutrition Services (SNS) had delivered nearly 15,000 meal boxes containing more than 220,000 meals for high-need students, including students with disabilities and their siblings, students with severe food allergies, and geographically isolated students.

Building a Diverse and High-Quality Educator Pipeline

February 19, 2022 - For many aspiring teachers like Josefina Matus, the rigid schedule of credentialing programs and the prohibitive cost of tuition make it insurmountable. Recognizing these barriers along with the need to develop a diverse and high-quality teacher pipeline, SFUSD created the Pathway to Teaching program, which offers aspiring teachers an accessible way to enter the field, providing them with tuition support and an accelerated timeline to gaining a teacher credential. Each year, approximately 60 Pathway to Teaching interns engage in an intensive program of coursework, practice-based summer training and then work as full-time teachers as they complete their credentialing requirements, helping SFUSD address the severe teacher shortage that is evident nationwide.

COVID Recovery Fund: Test Kits For SFUSD

January 29, 2022 - Recently, Spark* SF Public Schools donated more than $100,000 to SFUSD from our COVID-19 Recovery Fund to purchase 4,500 take-home test kits for students. Spark* is thrilled to be in a position to support the district in this way given the ongoing focus on protecting students' health and safety.

Over a million masks delivered to San Francisco schools

January 19, 2022 - More than 1.2 million masks have been distributed to San Francisco schools over the past few weeks as omicron cases surge. In addition to the masks, the San Francisco Unified School District says 57,000 rapid test kits have also been given to all students, grades K through 12.

SFUSD Welcomes Students Back for In-Person Learning

August 31, 2021 - To welcome students back to in-person learning, Superintendent Vincent Matthews and other district and City leaders rolled out the red carpet and greeted elementary students on the first day of school.

Emerging Stronger: COVID-19 Response Fund Impact Report

July 31, 2021 - Thank you for supporting SF public schools. Our Emerging Stronger: 2021 COVID-19 Response Fund Report shows how our community, SFUSD staff, and partners came together in new ways -- physically distant, but socially more connected than ever before -- to provide San Francisco’s public school students with laptops and WiFi hotspots so they could continue to learn, as well as the meals they and their families needed to stay nourished amid an unprecedented crisis.

GOAT 23 Summer 2021 Update: Meet SFUSD's Budding Entrepreneurs

July 10, 2021 - Since 2018, almost 100 aspiring entrepreneurs in grades 10-12 have participated in our GOAT 23 Spring Business Bootcamp, a paid fellowship program for newcomers, English Learners, and first-generation students. This past school year we set a goal to have one student from the program qualify for NFTE’s national teen-entrepreneurship competition for the first time.

Meet the Six 2021 Superintendent’s 21st Century Scholarship Award Winners

May 7, 2021 - Each year, Spark* SF Public Schools and SFUSD celebrate six graduating students with the Superintendent’s 21st Century Scholarship Awards. Students are honored for their achievements in exemplifying one or more of the six characteristics of SFUSD’s Vision 2025 Graduate Profile.

Spark* Celebrates Black History Month

February 13, 2021 - Students are experiencing the transformative power of AAALI programs like Black Star Rising, a high school readiness and STEM success program. In honor of Black History Month, we are inviting you to ally with Spark* and SFUSD to celebrate Black students, families and educators by making a donation to support the African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative (AAALI) and its various programs.

Emerging Stronger: Spark* SF Public Schools 2019-2020 Annual Report

January 19, 2021 - Together, through your investments, partnership, and our newfound hope, we will recover from COVID-19 stronger than ever. In the year ahead, we will channel this momentum and continue working towards providing an educational experience that lives up to Vision 2025 and SFUSD’s Graduate Profile. This annual report provides a snapshot of our community’s support for the 2019-2020 year, one which was unprecedented in public education and far beyond.

Donations Will Help SFUSD Bring Students Back to Classrooms Safely

December 7, 2020 - If you’d like to help support SFUSD in preparing to return safely to in-person learning when it is possible to do so, as SFUSD’s nonprofit fundraising partner, Spark* SF Public Schools has set up a Return Safely Fund. Donations will go directly toward helping the district prepare for a safe return to in-person learning.

Salesforce Donates $9M Each to SFUSD and OUSD

August 11, 2020 - Salesforce has donated a total of $18 million to support Bay Area schools in advance of the new school year, which begins this month. With the contribution, the company said it hopes to support teachers and help close the digital technology divide amid the pandemic. While parents and children are expected to embrace remote learning, many students don’t own a computer or have internet access. 

San Francisco Schools Estimate $25m Needed to Close Digital Divide

August 5, 2020 - San Francisco Unified School District, facing a structural deficit and increased needs during a pandemic, is raising $25 million to meet internet and technology needs as it enters the fall semester with all students learning remotely. SFUSD estimates it will need up to 25,000 devices and WiFi access for as many as 14,000 students. 

How SFUSD Stays Connected to Students & Families in the Age of COVID-19

May 16, 2020 - In just two months' time, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has gone from brick and mortar classrooms to virtual learning environments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that rapidly reconfigured school districts across the country. As the district creates an entirely new way of delivering curriculum to students, SFUSD leaders, educators, and staff have exhibited tremendous dedication and ingenuity to ensure San Francisco’s public school students continue to learn and receive support while schools are closed.