Equity drives science lab decision in Berkeley

Equity drives science lab decision in Berkeley:

"A recent proposal by the Berkeley school district to move high school science laboratory periods from before- and after-school periods to the regular school day has received considerable attention in the media. We in Berkeley Unified are grateful for our community's passionate concern for the education of our children."



To understand the discussion, it is important to look at overall efforts to improve education for all in Berkeley. Berkeley's citizens and school board have a long tradition of taking seriously class, race, equity and excellence in education. For decades, the citizens of Berkeley have voluntarily taxed themselves to supplement state funding for public education in order to provide high-quality instruction in core academic subjects as well as the arts for all students.
Our educational equity work in Berkeley focuses on raising all students to the high standards that some students currently achieve.
This tradition continues in a unique collaboration of school, city and community groups - the 2020 Vision. The 2020 Vision recognizes that without "the village," we cannot address systemic problems - physical and mental health issues, nutrition and preschool preparation - that keep many of our students from achieving all they can. Rescheduling the high school science labs to be part of the regular school day is just one small example

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/18/EDHU1BUEGP.DTL#ixzz0fzEmKFXe