The Basics

The school-choice model of the San Francisco Unified School District (here on out referred to as the SFUSD) has been a primary barrier to entry for many low income students and students of color. Simply put, the school choice model allows for the perpetuation of racial and economic segregation. It inherently dictates the demographics of schools by allowing parents with greater resources to compete for spots at higher-performing schools, and leaving those with no competitive edge to continue to send their children to schools with fewer resources and less support. Orla O’Keeffe, the Policy Director at San Francisco Unified School District Children, says that because of this system, students “from poor and working-class families, disproportionately black and Latino, often end up in underperforming schools.” Increasingly disproportionate circumstances for lower-income families of and families of color, combined with the structure of school choice, represent massive barriers to entry for students of color in San Francisco.

The Lottery System

The school choice model in the SFUSD is characterized by preference lists created by parents, ranking upwards of 15 schools from most preferred to least preferred. Parents then submit their applications to the district office, and the assignment process gets underway. The assignment process depends on an algorithm that randomly selects a school and then looks at all the students who listed that school as a choice anywhere on their list and puts them in a pool together. The computer then fills the available spots at the school based on tiebreakers such as sibling preference and Census Tract Integration Preference – students in parts of the city with the worst test scores. “The current lottery system tries to balance parental choice with the district’s goals of integrated schools.” (Schwartz).

photo: https://www.sfgate.com/mommyfiles/article/SFUSD-lottery-how-to-get-your-first-choice-14461913.php