Students at California school struggling after $250K in federal funds spent on ‘Woke Kindergarten’ program
Students at a San Francisco Bay-area elementary school — where officials hired a for-profit company called "Woke Kindergarten" to train teachers — are continuing to struggle with some of the lowest math and reading scores in the state, according to a report.
The school spent $250,000 in federal funds provided by a program meant to help boost test scores for some of the country’s lowest-performing schools, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, but after two years with "Woke Kindergarten," students’ scores are reportedly worse.
In a 4% drop in both areas in the last two years, less than 12% of the students at Glassbrook Elementary in Hayward, California , can read at their grade level and under 4% are proficient in math, according to the Chronicle.
Hayward Unified School District Superintendent Jason Reimann told the Chronicle that hiring "Woke Kindergarten," which he said was supported by the parents and teachers after it was approved by the board, was more about boosting attendance than test scores. He said attendance has gone up almost 20%.
He said, "helping students feel safe and whole is part and parcel of academic achievement. I get that it’s more money than we would have liked to have spent."
He added, "We are in favor 100% of abolishing systems of oppression where they hold our students back. What I do believe is we should pick providers based on their work and how effective they are."
"Woke Kindergarten" describes itself on its website as "supporting children, families, educators and organizations in their commitment to abolitionist early education and pro-black and queer and trans liberation."
The organization also has "Woke" words of the day like "ceasefire" "abolish" and "Woke Wonderings" about challenging the "legitimacy of the Supreme Court" and abolishing the police, money and the military.
Another "wondering" asked, "If the United States defunded the Israeli military, how could this money be used to rebuild Palestine?"
"Our reading scores are low," a Glassbrook teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Chronicle. The funds "could have gotten us a reading interventionist."
The teacher added of the "Woke Kindergarten" training, "It slowly became very apparent if you were a dissenting voice that it’s not what they wanted to hear."
Tiger Craven-Neeley, another teacher at the school, told the Chronicle that "Woke Kindergarten" trainers told him he should focus on "disrupt[ing] Whiteness" in the classroom.
"What does that mean?" he said to the Chronicle. "I just want to know, what does that mean for a third-grade classroom?"
Craven-Neeley, who said he supports discussing racism in the classroom, said his requests for clarifications got him temporarily banned from training sessions.
He added that one of the trainers referred to the "so-called United States" in one of the sessions.
Come to California. We won't teach your kids to read, but we'll teach them to hate other students and hate the USA.
Here's the person making bank indoctrinating kids into racism.
“I believe Israel has no right to exist. I believe the United States has no right to exist. I believe every settler colony who has committed genocide against native peoples has no right to exist"
If you go far enough back in history, that statement would apply to everybody, including the speaker.
Damn, why would you send your kids to a nuthouse like this? Blame for this one has to go on parents who support it by sending their kids there.
I wonder how many know? and those that go to the schoolboard and complain about it get treated like terrorists by the Biden DOJ.
Some Glassbrook teachers have questioned the decision to bring in the program, saying Woke Kindergarten is wrongly rooted in progressive politics and activism with anti-police, anti-capitalism and anti-Israel messages mixed in with the goal of making schools safe, joyful and supportive for all children.
"But two years into the three-year contract with Woke Kindergarten, a for-profit company, student achievement at Glassbrook has fallen, prompting some teachers to question whether the money was well-spent given the needs of the students, who are predominantly low-income. Two-thirds of the students are English learners and more than 80% are Hispanic/Latino.
English and math scores hit new lows last spring, with less than 4% of students proficient in math and just under 12% at grade level in English — a decline of about 4 percentage points in each category."
Obviously, math and reading are of lower priorities.
Woke Kindergarten Website, it would be comical if it wasn't so damaging to already disadvantaged children.
Well the country needs lawn care workers and room painters and house cleaners.
We seem to be missing our Woke NT this afternoon.
Day-drinking, I'm sure they'll be here shortly.
“Day-drinking,…”
Going on 14 months sober. Part of the hard job is dealing with flippant comments such as this. You haven’t a clue, sir, or you would leave it at the door.
Good on you Afrayedknot.
You're right, I don't have a clue as to why someone would take a comment on the internet that wasn't directed at them personally. Or is that you identify as "Woke NT"?
Wow, the empathy and compassion are quite underwhelming.
Of course that is great news. I am not sure the internet (especially forums) is the best place to be if you are trying to avoid flippant comments about drinking.
How much empathy or compassion do you have for any Republican or heaven forbid a Trump supporter?
It's a fair trade, as San Francisco loses retail, it gains Woke Kindergarten.
“I am not sure the internet (especially forums) is the best place to be…”
Fair enough. We all seem addicted to one thing or another…peace.
“Not really all that hard at all,…”
Promised myself a while back I wouldn’t waste my time with you, but this requires a response.
If you are indeed 23 years in, good on you.
But for anyone who has dealt with it, gone through it or going through the program to dismiss it as ‘not really hard at all’ is beyond the scope of understanding, and actually beyond believable.
Suggest a meeting may be in order to discuss the realities and get back in touch. I’d be honored to hook you up.
Personally I'll take a genial alcoholic over a mean dry drunk.
Not that it compares but as an Italian diabetic my wife has to physically stop me from going into bakery's that have Sfogliatelle. Peace
Licking their wounds from getting trounced last week.
Meanwhile on our other coast, the founding member's of Woke Kindergarten refers to Israel as a “made-up place,” was hired by NUC’s Museum of Modern Art to develop and conduct MLK workshop about climate change.
Akiea ‘Kiki’ Gross is pro-black, queer and transgender early educator Akiea ‘Ki’ Gross, who uses they/them pronouns.
Them had suggesting children can use “tree” as a pronoun. This suggestion was in an audio book to avoid discriminating against the illiterate.