New push to bring algebra to SF middle schools

There's a new push to bring algebra back to San Francisco middle schools. 

Middle school city leaders will reveal the details of a ballot measure on Monday, they aim to put the plan before city voters in the coming year.  KTVU spoke with parents who are planning to talk with city leaders about the plan.

As it stands, students in San Francisco Unified School District do not have the option to take algebra in middle school. No matter how advanced a student is, they will have to wait until high school to step into an algebra class. San Francisco made that decision about 10 years ago, hoping to bridge the academic gap for those that are misrepresented within the school district. 

However, Stanford University studies showed that the effort did not work as planned, and student success rates in math didn't change. 

If a student wanted to take higher math classes in high school, say calculus, in order to prepare them for a STEM major in college, they would have to complete two years of math courses in a single year. Students may also have to consider taking summer classes to try to get ahead. 

City supervisors approved taking this issue to the voters. In March, voters will get a chance to decide whether algebra has a place back in middle school classrooms. However, even if voters overwhelmingly approve that ballot measure, it would only serve as a strong recommendation for the school district,

Two city supervisors, Joel Engardio, as well as Asha Safai are both saying they will ask the city of San Francisco to make algebra available in middle schools as an official policy. The supervisors plan to gather a group of parents and advocates at about 9 a.m. in front of city hall. The group will rally ahead of the city's rules committee meeting which is slated to begin at 10 a.m.