Abnormal end of school year, beginning of a promising summer

A message from our President & CEO,
Dr. Lisa Andrew

Extended Learning Time for
Students Is No Longer Optional for Academic Success

Dear Friends,

It is widely known that students did not have access to a “full year” of learning and a “full year” of grade level standards in any subject area during the 2020/21 school year. While a tragedy for all, this lack of access is especially devastating for students who live below or at the poverty level. Students who were caught in the opportunity gap prior to the pandemic are still there and are now joined by thousands of others. Summer learning loss has always been a major contributor to the “achievement gap”— the academic disparity between students of color and white and Asian peers that educators for years have been struggling to close. Nearly 50 percent of that gap can be attributed to summer knowledge loss.

During a normal school year, there can be a difference of as much as 6,000 additional hours of out-of-school learning experiences between students. And research has shown that if students fall behind in math by the end of 3rd grade, they are not likely to catch up without significant extended learning time.

Summer and after-school programs provide a separate experience from a student’s regular school courses, and they offer core academics as well as creative enrichment experiences. They can include math studies, hands-on science activities, visits to museums and businesses, or work on a community service project.

The Silicon Valley Education Foundation recognizes the need for math and science extended learning time for students farthest from access and opportunity. For the last 13 years, we’ve presented successful summer programs in math, science, and computer science in collaboration with some of the Valley’s top corporations, including Cisco, Micron, Western Digital, KLA, Flex, Google, Applied Materials, and the 49ers Foundation. Our results show that math students posted a 22 percent growth rate, on average, in mastering next-grade-level content after completing the 4-week summer program. During the 2020/21 school year, per requests from partner districts, we launched computer science after school programs and enhanced our after school Elevate [Math] program.

Today, we expect a much higher degree of learning from our students. We expect them to be college and career ready to enter the 21st-century workforce. To achieve this, we need to make sure they are exposed to much more than the current 180 instructional days and 6.5 hours a day in class. Extended learning time for students is no longer optional for academic success. Thank you for your support in ensuring students have the opportunity to succeed through sharing of your time, talent, and/or treasure!

Lisa

President & CEO, SVEF

Professional Learning Planned for 300+ Teachers and Coaches

The Elevate [Math] team, in partnership with our curriculum and professional learning team, revised the teacher and coach training to weave in a new focus on social justice in math education. The 30+ hours of Professional Learning connected the 4Es highlighted in the position paper Mathematics Education Through the Lens of Social Justice: Acknowledgement, Actions and Accountability to our curriculum and program. These 4Es include: Eliminating deficit views of math learning; Eradicating math as a gatekeeper, Engaging the sociopolitical turn of math education; and Elevating the professional learning of math teachers and leaders with a dual focus on math and social justice. Since Elevate [Math] was already working on many of these topics, this framework extended the conversations impacting students in positive ways. Other powerful topics included Math Talks, Reengagement, Math Language Routines and a deep dive into the curriculum and content. Last summer 63% of our students showed improvement and we expect similar or stronger results this year with our improved alignment to the new Math Framework. Everyone is looking forward to putting the learning into practice this summer!

This summer, Elevate [Math] will be hosting over 270 classes with an equal breakdown between genders. The Elevate [Math] program is proven to be 2x more effective than similar summer math programs. Some districts have chosen to continue virtual classes while 40% of the classes will be hosting Elevate [Math] face-to-face. Offering both of these options allows the Silicon Valley Education Foundation to meet families needs. The first classes began on June 7th and the last will end on July 30th. Elevate [Math] is committed to front loading next year’s curriculum, giving students a head start in the next year.

End of School Year and Launch of Computer Science Summer Program

Our students have completed what has to be one of the most unique school years in all of time. SVEF has just completed its first school year programming where over 157 of students gained computer science knowledge and learned how to use new digital tools and platforms to communicate and collaborate in a virtual setting. Students applied foundational computer science skills through a creative lens by building musical instruments using physical computing.

This summer SVEF’s Computer Science Institute (CSI) will host 40 summer classes virtually and in person. The program staff is ready and excited to welcome back more than 40% of our students in person this summer! As did last summer, SVEF will once again work diligently to ensure at least 50% of participating students are female.

The CSI curriculum has been revised and expanded to high school using formative feedback to enhance design thinking and making skills. With the rapidly evolving K–12 computer science landscape and expansion of SVEF’s CSI program, the pool of qualified computer science teachers has grown! SVEF’s professional learning workshops have also prepared teachers of other subjects to teach introductory computer science. These workshops develop conceptual understanding of computer science standards and provide tools to operationalize culturally responsive computer science pedagogy. As one teacher best described it - “At first I thought computer science is only for gifted individuals, now I know that computer science is for everyone and it needs to be taught at K-12 so that our tech workforce will be more diversified.”

Efforts to Close the Mathematics Achievement Gap and Digital Divide

Assessment for Learning Series (AFL) in Mathematics is a free professional learning series offered to East Side Alliance educators. Central to AFL is the focus on mathematics performance assessments for students in grades K-12. In school year 2020-21, AFL served 63 East San Jose teachers in grades K-12. “Thank you for this opportunity, even virtually. It’s always great to be able to talk to and share ideas with other teachers from different grade levels, schools and school districts”, shared an AFL teacher. As a result of AFL participation, 100% of participating teachers agreed that virtual interactions with their peers was meaningful and found AFL learnings highly applicable to their current online classrooms. This summer, SVEF will conduct a comprehensive AFL evaluation to demonstrate the effectiveness of AFL in shifting teachers’ mathematics instructional practices toward increased student engagement and achievement.

SVEF is proud to report that five East Side Alliance middle schools are joining our School2Home initiative. School2Home* is an innovative statewide program designed to close both the achievement gap and the digital divide by integrating the use of computing and broadband technologies into teaching and learning. The pandemic shined a spotlight on the digital divide and deepening of the digital inequality among East San Jose families. At Fischer Middle School, in East San Jose, 25-30% of staff reported that accessing the internet was a struggle for them in addition to occasional power outages in the neighborhood. Hear their stories here.

*School2Home provides a systemic approach to improve education that builds on principal leadership and teacher professional development to infuse technology into the classroom. Additionally, school staff work to increase parent engagement and raise the digital literacy skills of the entire family. Check out a School2Home global learning project.

49ers STEM Leadership Institute Celebrates Graduating Class of 2021

Like most students across the country, our seniors overcame an incredibly challenging year of distance learning and missing special milestones that make their last year memorable. Fortunately, vaccinations came in the nick of time and we were able to celebrate and honor 49 students in their six- year journey with the program during the STEM Leadership Institute picnic in early June. Students were able to be reunited with their teachers, past and present and share in fun and laughter one last time before everyone part ways. Some of the top schools our graduates are headed to include UC Berkeley and UC Davis...and now Yale and MIT are a part of our alumni community too! As our school year came to a close, we honored our 2021 graduating 49ers SLI class in a virtual ceremony with all SLI students and families, alumni, and supporting partners.

Save-the-Date!

Fall 2021

KEEPING THE SPOTLIGHT ON RACE

September 9, 2021 | 4:30 - 6:30 pm PST

ENGAGING MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

November 4, 2021 | 4:30 - 6:30 pm PST

Volunteers Needed!

Do you or someone you know work in the STEM field? We are in dire need of volunteers to tell their STEM journey story. If you have an hour to spare consider enlightening a student today!

To find out more or to sign up visit: svefoundation.org/volunteers

Thank you to our Donors

SVEF appreciates the generous individuals and institutions who made gifts to SVEF from March 23rd to June 17th, 2021. If you have a question about your gift or would like to make a change to your listing, please contact development@svefoundation.org.