African American Achievement & Leadership Initiative

About AAALI Link to this section

The African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative (AAALI) was established in 2013 to provide recommendations to interrupt the inequitable pattern of outcomes for African American students in SFUSD. In 2015, through the leadership of the Superintendent and advocacy of the NAACP and San Francisco Alliance of Black School Educators, an African American Achievement and Leadership team was established to lead implementation of the initiative.

Through unanimous support of the Board of Education a resolution was passed in May 2015 directing SFUSD to set annual goals that would close the achievement and discipline gap for African American students in the next six years. The resolution also called for an Annual African American Student Report to monitor and support targeted strategies for African American students.

The African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative holds SFUSD departments and City agencies accountable for providing a high – quality educational experience to African American students, and provides a platform for African American students, parents, and community leadership.

Our Core Purpose

AAALI’s core purpose is 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.

Our Core Values

We believe that:

Our African American children and families have dreams and talents that we as educators are responsible for nurturing.
African Americans have a rich familial, cultural, and political history that deserves a central place in our classrooms.
African Americans are a critical part of the past, present, and future of the City and County of San Francisco, the State of California, and the United States of America.

Black Excellence

We recognize and honor 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 as a team. Our students and families are experts of their lived experiences, successes, and 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

We hold 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.