SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGIC GRANT
In June 2018, the Foundation Board awarded a strategic grant totaling $250,000 to the San Bruno Education Foundation to support two projects central to the San Bruno Park School District’s efforts to transform into “Schools with Tomorrow Inside.” The projects – the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) Program at Belle Air and Allen Elementary Schools and the Parkside Intermediate School Accelerating Student Learning Through Systems Transformation – are aimed at addressing the achievement gap and implementing 21st century learning strategies to ensure academic and personal success for all students.
SEAL builds the capacity of elementary schools to develop the language and literacy skills of students, particularly English language learners from kindergarten to the third grade. SBCF funding supported the first year of SEAL's professional development and coaching for Belle Air and Allen teachers in the 2018-2019 academic year.
Foundation funding also enabled the school district to utilize the expertise of Partners in School Innovation, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that works with school districts to bolster academic achievement, to support the transformation of Parkside into a 21st century school. The district’s goal is to better align Parkside’s academic programs to ensure that eighth graders enter high school with the knowledge and skills to participate in any program of their choosing.