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Partnerships for School Improvement
To engage parents, youth, and the broader community in activities to improve the quality of education in public schools. |
Alternatives in Action -
$50,000
Alternatives in Action's model “community school” in Alameda includes a charter high school, after-school programs, and a preschool. It also serves as a host for other youth and community services. This model campus spurred the Oakland Unified School District to ask Alternatives in Action to coordinate two other community schools: Life Academy in East Oakland and McClymonds Educational Complex in West Oakland. Alternatives coordinates all three schools, serving more than 600 students. All three schools are located in neighborhoods where many families live below the poverty level. Alternatives in Action plans to continue to help OUSD to develop its district wide community school model.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.alternativesinaction.org
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Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network -
$50,000
Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network (PLAN) works with organizations that serve the parents of Oakland public school students, providing them with training and leadership development support. PLAN has distinguished itself with the quality of its training. Its intensive capacity-building training series, PLAN to Lead, prepares parent organizations, schools, and school districts to work with and develop parent leaders in public schools. PLAN now focuses on increasing parent engagement in OUSD schools. To that end, it helped the school district develop family engagement standards and a rubric that schools can use to improve their practice. In 2012, it will provide technical support to a group of schools and foster a cadre of parents who can participate in school governance.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
,
$40,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: www.parentactionnet.org
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California Budget Project -
$85,000
With California's budget woes worsening, it is important that the California Budget Project continue its work clarifying the complex fiscal policies that shape state services and governance. In 2011, the Project analyzed the impact the state budget and other key proposals would have on communities and families. It published briefing papers on budget issues such as school finance and workforce development. In 2012, the Project will continue this work, expanding outreach efforts through its website, blog, and publications. This grant is split between Education ($50,000) and Other Grantmaking ($35,000) programs. The full amount is listed in both areas.
Grant Amount: $85,000 [2012]
,
$85,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2014
Project Web Site: www.cbp.org
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Center for Cities and Schools -
$80,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Regents of the University of California
Center for Cities and Schools conducts research, provides education, and facilitates collaborative policymaking between local governments and school districts in order to improve Bay Area public schools and their surrounding communities. It unites mayors, city workers, superintendents, educators, and community leaders to tackle regional problems. Center research fellows in San Francisco, Oakland, and Richmond also gather data and assist partners in implementing projects on the ground. This grant from the Fund helps to provide civic and educational leaders with professional development and coaching.
Grant Amount: $80,000 [2012]
,
$70,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: citiesandschools.berkeley.edu
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Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth -
$60,000
Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth engages parents and youth in organizing efforts to improve San Francisco's public schools. In 2011, the organization worked with the San Francisco Unified School District to implement a policy requiring students to take the courses needed to attend California's public universities. Budget cuts and gaps in district capacity have slowed implementation of this policy, but the organization continues to apply pressure. Coleman Advocates also works intensively with parents in schools that serve low-income students, helping them participate in school governance and advocate for change. The Fund supports the organization's efforts to close the achievement gap.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.colemanadvocates.org
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Community Alliance for Learning -
$30,000
Community Alliance for Learning recruits and trains community volunteers to work one-on-one with students, helping with English writing assignments. Its WriterCoach Connection program held 13,208 regular sessions with students in 72 East Bay schools during the 2010-11 school year. Students served by the program show impressive gains in writing skills. This grant from the Fund helps Community Alliance to build operational capacity and expand its presence in Oakland and Richmond.
Grant Amount: $30,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 06/27/2012 through 06/27/2013
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Educate Our State -
$25,000
A group of San Francisco parents, frustrated with diminishing funding for their children's public schools, organized Educate Our State. Their initial public event drew 1,000 people and presented an opportunity to mobilize other parents. The group expanded its work to the state level in order to tackle fiscal reform, coordinating its efforts with groups representing other constituents.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 09/23/2012 through 09/23/2013
Project Web Site: www.educateourstate.org
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Oakland Kids First -
$50,000
A lack of college counselors keeps many students from understanding which classes they need in order to be eligible for admission to University of California and California State universities. In response, Oakland Kids First created the PASS-2 program. This trains students to become peer counselors, offering instruction on graduation requirements, the college application process, and transcript literacy. Kids First also operates Real Hard, a youth leadership program that focuses on improving students' connection to school communities and academic success. This grant from the Fund supports general operations and helps pay for Stanford University researchers to implement a program evaluation.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.kidsfirstoakland.org
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Oakland Schools Foundation -
$60,000
Oakland Schools Foundation raises money for Oakland public schools and also helps schools manage funding to implement school-based programs. One of the foundation's most successful efforts helped a network of schools build their family-engagement programs collaboratively. Oakland Schools Foundation raised funds to support the network and convened regular meetings that included staff, teachers, and principals. Family engagement grew substantially at the network schools, resulting in increased resources, technical support, and collaboration among principals and staff. The network now includes 11 schools and reaches more than 3,000 students and their families.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.oaklandschoolsfoundation.org
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Parent Advisory Council -
$50,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Community Initiatives
Created by the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education, the Parent Advisory Council provides parents with a formal mechanism for shaping the district's education policy. Through the Council, parents learn about important reforms and add their voices to board deliberations. During 2012, Council members will tackle critical issues such as aligning the district's core curriculum with all schools and grades, redesigning how the district delivers special education services, and implementing reforms to improve nine persistently underperforming schools.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
,
$50,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: www.pacsf.org
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Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco -
$100,000
Parents for Public Schools is a prominent supporter of public education in San Francisco and an indispensable organization for parents seeking information about public schools. It engages and informs parents about the school system and prepares them to lead change within the district. Each year it tackles timely issues, providing information and training about the district's efforts in its lowest-performing sites. The organization plans to build its network of public school parents, encourage public school enrollment, and develop parent leaders. Staff will also continue in their role as central players in public school reform efforts.
Grant Amount: $100,000
[2011]
,
$100,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2013
Project Web Site: www.ppssf.org
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Public Interest Projects -
$40,000
Communities for Public Education Reform (CPER), a project of Public Interest Projects, connects local and national funders so they can provide grants and technical assistance to groups working to improve student outcomes in low-income communities. It supports nonprofits in three priority areas: education funding, teacher quality, and community engagement in education improvement. Grants from CPER facilitate collaboration and capacity building among participating groups. Support from the Fund goes to the organization's work to improve education in the Bay Area and California.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 10/31/2012 through 10/31/2013
Project Web Site: www.communitiesforpubliceducationreform.org/
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San Francisco Education Fund -
$50,000
The San Francisco Education Fund supports the San Francisco Unified School District with programs that support post-secondary school success and volunteer engagement. The Education Fund screens and places volunteers throughout the SFUSD and coordinates their activities at those schools that serve low-income students.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfedfund.org
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School Leadership
To help principals and teachers in leadership positions improve practices in schools that result in academic gains for all students. |
EdSource -
$65,000
Through publications, an annual conference, and a website, EdSource distributes impartial, clarifying information about public education in California. In response to the economic crisis, the organization will focus on the recession's impact on school success and on those local-level strategies that mitigate the recession's effects on children in school. EdSource is developing new distribution formats under the guidance of a new director. These include online and digital tools that will provide timely information on issues such as school budget cutbacks.
Grant Amount: $65,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.edsource.org
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KIPP Bay Area Public Schools -
$50,000
KIPP, a nonprofit charter school management organization, runs five middle schools and two high schools in underserved Bay Area neighborhoods. These schools educate a diverse, high-needs population—95% of students are of color and 75% qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Despite facing life challenges, KIPP students excel academically. All five of KIPP's Bay Area middle schools have been named California Distinguished Schools. Of the organization's high school students, 86% enroll in college. KIPP attributes its success to talented principals. This grant from the Fund works to further strengthen school leadership, offering professional development to current KIPP principals and coaching to future school leaders.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.kippbayarea.org
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Leadership Connection for Justice in Education -
$60,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Regents of the University of California
Leadership Connection for Justice in Education at the University of California, Berkeley is the leading trainer of Bay Area public school principals. Leadership Connection has worked extensively with Oakland and San Francisco school districts, placing 420 principals since 2000. It also offers a three-year induction program and a coaching initiative that trains current principals to earn administrative credentials and improve their skills. A portion of the Fund's support will help overhaul Leadership Connection's funding model to improve service sustainability. This grant is split between Education and Other Grantmaking program areas, $50,000 and $10,000 respectively. The full amount has been listed in both areas.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: lcje.yvod.com
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New Leaders for New Schools -
$65,000
New Leaders for New Schools' hallmark program recruits and trains principals to lead and improve struggling schools. By the end of a 15-month residency that includes coursework and hands-on experience, each trainee takes over a low-performing, under-resourced school. In five years, Oakland schools led by New Leaders principals have almost doubled their yearly average proficiency growth on the California Standards Test. New Leaders programs also include intensive training of high-potential teachers and assistant principals. Future principals-in-training will be recruited from this group.
Grant Amount: $65,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.newleaders.org
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Oakland Unified School District -
$125,000
In 2012, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) launched its African American Male Achievement Initiative in order to improve educational and social outcomes for its African American male students. The pilot year focused on one middle school and included intensive summer courses, after-school programming, and manhood development classes. With support from the Fund, OUSD will expand the Initiative to three additional middle schools. The program aims to narrow the achievement gap between African American male and other student populations, and to increase this community's literacy and graduation rates.
Grant Amount: $125,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2013
Project Web Site: www.ousd.k12.ca.us/
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Partners in School Innovation -
$75,000
Partners in School Innovation trains elementary school principals to reshape and strengthen instruction in their schools. The organization specifically focuses on schools that serve a high percentage of African American, Latino, and English Language Learner students. Partners in School Innovation is a lead organization supporting schools in San Francisco Unified School District's Superintendent Zones, where it helps principals and teachers to plan engaging lessons, analyze and react to student data, and support struggling learners. Partners in School Innovation continues build instructional leadership, extend its work to more schools, and help San Francisco schools to solidify their advances.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2012]
,
$75,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.partnersinschools.org
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Pivot Learning Partners -
$40,000
Pivot Learning Partners, with support from the Fund, seeks to expand use of their pilot technology tool in school districts and youth organizations. The tool is a social networking application modeled after popular networking sites like Facebook. Using the tool, youth identify five known, trusted adults in their lives. The students and their chosen mentors then set academic goals together and track progress towards those goals.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/18/2012 through 11/18/2013
Project Web Site: www.pivotlearningpartners.org
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Reach Institute for School Leadership -
$85,000
Reach Institute for School Leadership grew, with support from the Fund, from an idea shared by a group of teachers and educators into a full-fledged graduate school of education. It credentials teachers and offers a leadership academy that trains teacher leaders to become instructional coaches, model teachers, and professional-development facilitators. Reach has received a competitive Teacher Incentive Fund grant from the federal government. This allows it to pilot a model for measuring teacher performance and to provide teachers with incentives and supports to improve their practice. The Walter & Elise Haas Fund provides general operating support to the Reach Institute.
Grant Amount: $100,000
[2011]
,
$85,000 [2012]
,
$70,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/06/2011 through 07/06/2012
Project Web Site: www.reachinst.org
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Teacher Quality
To help teachers improve instructional skills to engage students in rigorous, academic pursuits. |
826 Valencia -
$50,000
826 Valencia provides students with essential one-on-one writing tutoring and instructional support, cultivating a passion for writing. Participating teachers credit the organization with helping them improve both the quality and quantity of their writing instruction. In 2011, 826 Valencia tutors provided assistance to 6,100 students and 150 teachers inside schools and at the organization's headquarters. It ran Writers Rooms in two Mission neighborhood public middle schools and increased support for English Language Learners. General operating support from the Fund helps keep 826 Valencia's critically needed programs active.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.826Valencia.org
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Aim High for High School -
$25,000
Aim High for High School provides quality summer school programs to middle school students throughout the Bay Area. In 2009, with support from the Fund, Aim High launched a math pilot program that incorporates experiential learning. This 2012 grant supports professional development for Aim High's San Francisco teachers. It also funds training teachers to pass along the skills they acquire through the program.
Grant Amount: $25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 09/29/2012 through 09/29/2013
Project Web Site: www.aimhigh.org
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California History-Social Science Project -
$50,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Regents of the University of California
Studying core subjects helps students to develop the analytical skills that prove essential later in life. The California History-Social Science Project links academic researchers in the University of California system with teachers, students, and instructional leaders in California's K-12 schools. These interactions provide teachers with the tools and training that improve instruction and simultaneously prepare students for college and careers. In 2011, the Project began designing comprehensive online teaching supports for school districts. With support from the Fund, this process will be piloted in the Bay Area, giving teachers access to curriculum units, assessment tools, and professional development and coaching.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: csmp.ucop.edu/chssp
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Great Oakland Public Schools Leadership Center -
$50,000
The Great Oakland Public Schools Leadership Center provides essential information and support to public school stakeholders, enabling them to participate in decision-making. It convenes meetings and facilitates dialogues about effective teaching, student assignment, school budgeting, and school and district leadership. In 2012, the Center will focus on improving teacher quality; engaging citizens in state-level education policy discussions; and increasing school-based decision-making on budgets, curricula, and staffing.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.goleadershipcenter.org
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Internationals Network for Public Schools -
$65,000
In partnership with school districts, Internationals Network for Public Schools creates schools that educate high school students who have recently arrived in the United States and who speak little English. Together, its Oakland and San Francisco schools serve 600 students from 31 countries, 95% of whom qualify for free or reduced price lunches. While each Internationals Network school is designed to serve its unique community, the organization's sharing of educational resources, knowledge, and best practices has proved key to its success.
Grant Amount: $65,000 [2012]
,
$65,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: www.internationalsnetwork.org
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Mills College -
$50,000
The Mills College Teacher Scholars program guides teams of East Bay public school teachers in building collaborative learning communities to investigate student learning. These communities help teachers to: better understand their students' thinking; learn to gather and analyze data; and tailor instruction to meet students' needs. Support from the Fund will help expand the reach of this program.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
,
$50,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.mills.edu
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Public Counsel -
$50,000
Seniority-based layoffs are devastating many budget-challenged California public schools. These layoffs are concentrated in schools that serve low-income students. They undermine teacher-training efforts and end valuable teacher-student relationships. Public Counsel successfully negotiated a settlement in Los Angeles that protected underperforming schools from this disruption. In the Bay Area, the organization provided guidance to school districts and nonprofits on how to shelter similarly vulnerable schools. During 2012, Public Counsel's advocacy will be critical in both evaluating which San Francisco and Oakland schools will face layoffs and in identifying strategies to protect students' access to quality education.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.publiccounsel.org
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San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance -
$50,000
Fiscal Sponsor: San Francisco School Alliance Foundation
San Francisco passed a city bond to build green schoolyards at 84 public schools. Every elementary school and ten middle and high schools in the San Francisco Unified School District will get one. These schoolyards will provide students with engaging ways to learn about science and ecology. Dynamic features will include edible gardens, wild habitat areas, and renewable energy installations. San Francisco Green Schoolyards Alliance receives support from the Fund to establish an outdoor and environmental education curriculum accompanied by teacher training, staffing, and coaching. It will also expand a program that trains aspiring teachers to teach science in outdoor classrooms.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfgreenschools.org
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San Francisco Teacher Residency -
$50,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Community Initiatives
The San Francisco Education Fund launched the San Francisco Teacher Residency to recruit, train, place, and retain quality teachers. Prospective teachers in the program combine master's level coursework with a full-year, mentored residency in an urban classroom. In the second year of the program, teachers lead classes independently, with ongoing support. The model is based on successful urban teacher residencies and incorporates the resources of university partners. Each year, the program places 24 teachers. Teacher Residency's university partners jointly evaluate the program's effectiveness.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.usfca.edu/soe/programs/ted/teacher_residency/
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San Francisco Unified School District -
$65,000
Fiscal Sponsor: San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools
In 2009, a literacy coach and a small group of teachers at Sherman Elementary School raised funds to study a literacy model developed at Columbia University's Teachers College. After launching the instructional model in their classrooms, student reading proficiency increased dramatically. In 2011, four additional San Francisco public schools developed literacy programs based on the same model. Now, a learning collaborative unites literacy specialists and teachers from all of the city's public schools so that they can share professional development training provided by Columbia University literacy experts.
Grant Amount: $65,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfcess.org
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Teachers 4 Social Justice -
$15,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Community Initiatives
Teachers 4 Social Justice provides peer-learning opportunities for Bay Area public school teachers and community educators. The core of its work is the offering of 30 local study groups per year. For the teachers, each group is an opportunity to improve their practice and improve group facilitation skills. Teachers 4 Social Justice has grown over the last decade and now works to strengthen teacher leaders within the organization in order to sustain and enhance its work.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 10/31/2012 through 10/31/2013
Project Web Site: www.t4sj.org
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World Savvy -
$50,000
As our world becomes more interconnected, young people entering the workforce will have to understand complex global issues and work with increasingly diverse communities. World Savvy increases educators' capacity to teach global competency to middle and high school students so they can face this challenge. World Savvy has three core programs: it audits schools' global education programs; engages youth and their teachers in project-based learning about global issues; and develops free curricula about global issues. This general operating grant from the Fund allows World Savvy to implement years two and three of its strategic plan, serving 5,200 youth and 1,100 educators each year.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
,
$40,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.worldsavvy.org
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Capital
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Exploratorium -
$114,250
The Exploratorium has outgrown its home at the Palace of Fine Arts and is building a new, state-of-the-art facility on the Embarcadero. This new facility will be located on Piers 15 and 17 and will allow the Exploratorium to double the number of visitors it can accommodate each year. The Fund's grant supports this capital investment. The Exploratorium will also be producing advertising, exhibition materials, and educational programs in Spanish as well as English with the particular goal of attracting more Latino visitors.
Grant Amount: $271,500
[2011]
,
$114,250 [2012]
,
$114,250 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.exploratorium.org
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