It's Time for San Francisco to Bring Algebra Back
UPDATE March 5, 2024
Thank you San Francisco voters for saying loud and clear: “Bring algebra back!”
Parents and math students are grateful Prop G won resoundingly by more than 80%. Now we can point to this mandate for 8th grade algebra when school board candidates run for election in November.
I put Prop G on the ballot because parents don’t trust the school district’s piecemeal promise to bring algebra back over multiple academic years. We’ve seen school board plans go off the rails too often before.
Our big win for Prop G does not mean the work is done to improve math in San Francisco’s public schools. We must also focus on fixing the deficits in math from Kindergarten to 7th grade so every student is set up for success in 8th grade algebra and beyond.
If a kid loves math, let’s encourage it — and give them the pathway to 12th grade calculus!
UPDATE: February 14, 2024
The San Francisco Chronicle endorses Prop G to bring algebra back to 8th grade:
“Teaching algebra to eighth graders is a worthwhile pursuit to enhance public education and to potentially staunch declining district enrollment. Given the capriciousness with which the school board has governed in recent years, we agree with supporters of the measure that sending a public message is necessary.”
Read the endorsement.
By Supervisor Joel Engardio
I introduced a ballot measure urging San Francisco’s public schools to let kids take algebra by the 8th grade. Proposition G is on the March 5 ballot.
We make everyone wait until 9th grade because some kids aren’t ready for algebra sooner. Let’s better prepare all students instead of holding back kids who love math.
When did you learn algebra? At my public school in Michigan, I took algebra in the 8th grade.
This is still the standard today. Most school districts in the Bay Area teach basic algebra in the 8th grade. Some even let 7th graders take it, when they show eagerness and ability in math.
The map shows when kids can take algebra in the Bay Area.
Dark Green = 7th grade
Light Green = 8th grade
Yellow = 8th grade (online)
Red = 9th grade
Source: sfguardians.org/8th-grade-algebra-map
In San Francisco, Algebra 1 is not offered until 9th grade. We stopped offering it in 8th grade algebra because not every student was prepared for it. How is that a solution? We should do better to prepare all students for algebra — and not punish kids who can handle it earlier.
By delaying algebra, math-loving kids in San Francisco are punished because they won’t be able to take calculus coursework by high school graduation — and this hurts college options. There are workarounds. Students can cram a year of geometry in summer school, but a long waitlist means not everyone gets a seat. Parents can pay for math courses that help students reach calculus by senior year, but that only works for families who can afford it.
Why 8th grade algebra matters
Every resident of San Francisco should care about this because well-run public schools are essential for a city to function and thrive.
We have a tale of two school systems in San Francisco. Private schools are growing and public school enrollment is declining. This reduces school district revenues, which are based on the number of enrolled students. And this makes it more difficult to provide what students and teachers need.
A quarter of our kids attend private school, compared to only nine percent in California. A policy against 8th grade algebra is a big factor when families decide to leave public schools when their child reaches middle school.
Families also leave San Francisco entirely. They leave for many reasons: cost of housing, quality of life — and schools. We have the lowest percentage of children among major U.S. cities. It’s often said San Francisco has more dogs than kids, and that’s a problem.
San Francisco’s future depends on keeping families here. This starts with treating parents like partners and offering the courses and programs that will make parents want to choose public schools — especially the parents stretching themselves to pay for private tuition.
Policy history and unintended consequences
How did we get to this point? San Francisco stopped letting 8th graders take algebra in 2014. It was a well-intended policy. There were concerns about a racial gap in algebra completion rates. The goal was to stop tracking kids based on ability and keep all students together until everyone was prepared to take advanced math classes.
But Schools Superintendent Matt Wayne told the San Francisco Chronicle that delaying algebra until 9th grade didn’t improve outcomes. A study by Stanford University showed the policy “had little to no impact on improving pass rates, proficiency or enrollment in higher math classes.” And a report by Families for San Francisco questioned the data the San Francisco school district used in its approach to algebra.
Another unintended consequence of the math policy affects college applications. San Francisco offers a compression class of Algebra 2 and pre-calculus that combines two years of math into one. It’s supposed to make up for the late start of Algebra 1. But this mash-up course doesn’t meet the admission standards to the University of California system — because it doesn’t have enough pre-calculus content to be considered advanced math. Imagine the disappointment of a student who wants to attend a UC school.
Rex Ridgeway is an advocate for 8th grade algebra because his granddaughter Joselyn loves math. Waiting until 9th grade would have kept Joselyn from reaching calculus by high school graduation. Rex fears this would limit his granddaughter’s ability to succeed in college, as he notes that UC San Diego has 78 majors that begin with calculus.
Parent advocacy
Rex Ridgeway is an advocate for 8th grade algebra because his granddaughter Joselyn loves math. He wanted to make sure Joselyn could get into the college of her choice. He paid nearly $1,000 for Joselyn to take algebra the summer before 9th grade. He paid another $1,000 for a pre-calculus class the summer before 11th grade. Rex says knowing calculus in high school is essential because he pointed to UC San Diego, which has 78 majors that begin with calculus.
Now Rex’s granddaughter is on track with all-As in math at Lincoln High School. But it shouldn’t have to be this way. That’s why Rex has written OpEds, spoken during public comment at City Hall, and organized parents to call on the school district to change the algebra policy.
Why we’re going to the ballot
The Board of Supervisors does not have control over the school district. Our schools are governed by an independently elected school board. But every resident of San Francisco is our constituent, including parents and students. Their voices deserve to be heard. That’s why I introduced through the Board of Supervisors a declaration of policy for the March 2024 ballot. It urges the school district to offer Algebra 1 to students by the 8th grade and to develop a math curriculum for students at all grade levels.
I want to thank the co-sponsors of the measure: Supervisors Ahsha Safai, Myrna Melgar, Catherine Stefani and Matt Dorsey.
Parents made algebra an issue in the 2022 school board recalls, and their advocacy pushed the school district to reluctantly consider it.
But the district wouldn’t have come this far to bring algebra back without the political pressure of Proposition G. When I first proposed the measure, the school district quickly announced the formation of a committee to restore algebra in middle school. They hoped Prop G would go away. But I put algebra on the ballot because the school district needs the political pressure to do the right thing and be held accountable. The district had delayed bringing algebra back to 8th grade after knowing for many years that the decade-long ban was a failed policy.
Now, the school board has agreed to bring algebra back to middle school. But kids shouldn’t have to wait three more academic years.
The school board voted to bring back algebra piecemeal by the 2026-27 school year, giving the superintendent leeway to figure out how to do it. One proposal is to limit an algebra pilot to only a third of middle schools next year. The rest would get algebra after two years. That means most of today’s 6th graders are out of luck. Kids who are not part of the pilot would have to take algebra during summer school or online. Parents don’t trust the implementation promise over multiple years because they have seen school board plans go off the rails too often before.
That’s why Prop G remains relevant and necessary. Parents deserve to be heard. Kids in San Francisco deserve the same algebra already taught in nearly every Bay Area city — and the school board needs to know that our families won’t settle for anything less.
We must also advocate for better teacher and paraprofessional pay so we can hire the teachers and staff needed to make algebra a success.
We need to better prepare all students for algebra. And if a kid likes math, let’s encourage it!