Pilot math program shows two-year gains; supervisors, educators press for Student Success Fund support

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors heard data and testimony Oct. 29 showing early, measurable gains from a city-funded whole‑school lesson‑study math pilot at four elementary schools and urged the San Francisco Unified School District and funders to commit to continuing the work.

Supervisor Hillary Ronan introduced the 4 p.m. committee‑of‑the‑whole hearing, saying the program “is magic in San Francisco Unified School District” and asking district and city leaders to confirm they would sustain funding from the Student Success Fund.

Program leaders said proficiency and attendance data improved in the pilot’s first two years. Mira Carberry, the pilot’s grant manager, said, “The proportion of proficient students in math increased from 21 percent to 34 percent.” She added that students historically underserved — Black and Latinx pupils — showed particularly notable gains.

The pilot combines a teacher professional‑learning method called lesson study with a classroom approach known as teaching through problem solving (TTP). Teachers…