Citywide Tutorial Program

Academic Achievement

Citywide Tutorial Program engages with educators, families, and the community to provide academic tutoring to African American students in SFUSD.

Description of Citywide

The Citywide Tutorial Program aims to provide tutoring in SFUSD after-school program to bridge the achievement gap for Black students in the SFUSD, grades K-12.  Our Services, as an SFUSD Federal and State program in Curriculum and Instruction, supports supplementary education (before-school programs, lunch programs, after-school programs, Saturday school, and summer programs.). Tutors go to a partnering site to work one-on-one with students to check homework and remediation/enrichment activities.  The History dates back to the San Francisco Board of Education's approval of establishing the Citywide program to address the need to close the achievement gap between whites and African Americans. The managerial role is essential in planning, organizing, and implementing all areas of the San Francisco Citywide Tutorial after-school program that once had as many as 20+ sites when the population of African Americans in San Francisco was exponentially higher.  The Organization Governance is Academic Officer Curriculum and Instruction/Summer Program Superintendent; Director, Federal & State Programs; Supervisor, Federal & State Programs; (me) Program Manager, Teacher on Special Assignment; and Citywide Tutorial Program.

Citywide community demographics

The department of education reported in 2021-22 that there were African American/Black students who were 7.3% of 55,592 students enrolled in San Francisco Unified.  That is down from 9.6% in 2014-2015.  Among these are many African American students and families at-risk for historically underserved or high equity gap schools, exposure to brutality, abuse, trauma, and suffering from mild to severe mental health challenges.  According to SFUSD Research, Planning, and Assessment Department 2020, this unique population is 30% of African American youth connected to foster youth services, 14% experiencing homeless, 23% residing in public housing, 72% receiving free or reduced lunch, and 29% in special education.

The schools identified as needing to interrupt systemic barriers to equity.  They are historically underserved schools and high equity gap schools.  The elementary schools where the Citywide Program focuses on addressing inequities between schools are Bryant, Carver, Chavez, Drew Harte, Malcolm X, Muir, and Sanchez elementary schools.  The high equity gap schools where the Citywide program can help to address inequities within schools are Flynn, Ortega, and Parks elementary.

"Making Education The Number One Priority in the African American Community"

SFABSE coordinates events to promote student voice and leadership, such as the Black Student Union (BSU) Summit; a Historical Black College/University Fair for students to meet with college recruiters; and ceremonies such as the African American Honor Roll and Black Graduation/Rites of Passage.