San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom came to the North Light Court of City Hall this afternoon to announce the kickoff of SF Promise, which is:
“… a collaborative partnership between the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF), and San Francisco State University (SFSU). It’s a new program whose mission is to have all SFUSD students graduate prepared and ready to pursue a post-secondary education. High school graduates will be guaranteed admission to SFSU and will be provided financial assistance if they meet CSU admission criteria and demonstrate financial need.”
Mayor Gavin Newsom works the crowd of sixth graders. Click to expand:
The director of S.F. Promise addresses the audience of hundreds:
SFUSD Superintendent Carlos Garcia and SFSU President Robert Corrigan. Also present were former Bill Clinton appointee Roberta not your garden-variety lesbian Achtenberg, Supervisor Bevan Dufty and representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Jackie Speier and Assemblymembers Fiona Ma and Tom Ammiano.
“Is Horace Mann in da house? YES! Is MLK in da house? YES!”
A certificate for each of the sixth graders:
Regarding the SFUSD Class of 2015, will this program ”cause 3500 lives to be changed,” as it was advertised today? No. But is today’s event a proper use of the bully pulpit? Yes. Yes it is, regardless of the details.
Speaking of which, is this program just the same as the one discussed back in ought-seven? No se, mi amiga/o. It certainly seems little a different than the plan introduced by Aaron Peskin, former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
The goals of SF Promise are to:
Increase the number of students participating in the Early Assessment Program (EAP) in English and Mathematics;
Increase the CAHSEE passing rate on ELA and Math* Increase the CSU/UC admission eligibility graduation rate;
Increase the number of students attending SFSU; and to* Increase the number of students pursuing a post-secondary education.
The SF Promise Program will support students who are “college willing” to:
Enroll in College Prep curriculum (i.e., classes that fulfill A-G requirements)
Participate with community-based organization to receive support services that improve college-readiness (i.e. mentoring, resume building activities, college knowledge)
Receive admission and financial assistance to attend SFSU
More deets after the jump
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