SFUSD Superintendent Is Passionate About Black Student Success. He Lived It.
The series has received support from the Fund for Journalism on Child Well-Being, a program of USC's Center for Health Journalism.
Other stories in this series include:
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Learning While Black: Community forum
A legacy of mistreatment for San Francisco’s black special ed students
African American honor roll student says when teachers set the bar high, ‘you gotta go get it'
SFUSD program intervenes early to keep kids out of special ed for behavior
SFUSD fires up Bayview teachers in hopes they will stick around
G: The Miseducation of Larry P
A Landmark Lawsuit Aimed to Fix Special Ed for California's Black Students. It Didn’t.
State Audit Of Program For Homeless Students Finds Undercount, Lack Of Oversight
The Big Lift: Meeting Family Needs In A High-Poverty School
One African American family, half a century of experience in SF public schools
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Vincent Matthews stands in front of the mural at George Washington Carver Elementary School, where his teaching career began.
LEE ROMNEY / KALW
This is part of an ongoing series “Learning while black: The fight for equity in San Francisco schools.”
San Francisco Unified Superintendent takes our reporter on a tour of his hometown — to explain why he’s so passionate about boosting the academic success of black students here.
"Our mission as a district is that every day for each and every student we will provide quality instruction and equitable support ... So when I think about that each and every, that's really where the 'Little Vincent' comes into play for me. I think about what people did for me."
Vincent Matthews has been superintendent of SFUSD for over two years now. His biggest initiative is called “PITCH” and it’s all about boosting academic outcomes for low-income kids of color. Especially African American students. Because as a group they post the lowest math and reading scores. Matthews knows what it’s like to be young and black in public schools here. He’s from San Francisco.
In this interview, Matthews drives us around his town to talk about his goals, his passions — and his past. He chose four stops: his childhood home in the Haight Ashbury, his nearby elementary school, his high school near Twin Peaks, and the Bayview school where he launched his teaching career.
Click the audio player above to listen and go along for the ride.
[This story was originally published by KALW]