Community and district officials highlight gains for Black students in Ali/OLLI annual report

District staff and community leaders used the Feb. 13 Board of Education meeting to spotlight the African American Achievement Leadership Initiative (Ali), present annual outcomes and press the board to sustain and expand the work.

Leticia Irving, director of Ali, introduced the initiative’s highlights and a set of five recommendations staff will pursue, including expanding culturally relevant curriculum, strengthening home‑to‑school partnerships, and investing in racial affinity spaces. Laura Hinton, an educational policy analyst, told the board there were nearly 3,000 Black students in the district last year — nearly 5,000 if multiracial students are included — and cited a 7‑percentage‑point drop in chronic absenteeism for Black students overall and a 33‑point reduction for students enrolled in targeted programs like Mastering Cultural Identity (MCI) and Black Star Rising.

The presentation also referenced a causal research project by Stanford researchers that found a 14 percent increase in the probability that a Black student stays in SFUSD after enrolling in MCI, a finding staff said supports expansion and sustained funding for culturally responsive programs. Bobby Pope, the district’s elementary and middle‑school partnerships manager, outlined MCI’s reach — more than 450 enrolled students across elementary, middle and high schools — and the initiative’s partnerships with community groups such as Kingmakers of Oakland.

More than 60 public commenters, including parents, principals, community organizations and former participants, spoke in favor of maintaining or expanding Ali, MCI and associated programs. Testimony included personal accounts of improved student confidence, increased attendance and academic engagement. Several speakers urged that Ali’s recommendations be incorporated into the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and budget planning so improvements are sustainable.

Board members praised the report’s gains while asking for metrics to track scale and districtwide integration. Staff responded that Ali is actively participating in LCAP planning and that some Ali work is grant funded; staff acknowledged the need for sustainable funding and cross‑departmental coordination to embed practices across all schools.

What happens next: staff said they will continue to pilot and expand targeted programs, put Ali recommendations into LCAP planning, and provide progress metrics to the board, including school‑level walk‑throughs and implementation evidence.