On behalf of the San Francisco School Alliance Board of Directors and staff, I am pleased and excited to announce the arrival of our new Executive Director, Dr. Terry Bergeson. Dr. Bergeson is a respected, national and statewide leader in public education. For the past decade, Terry served as State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington State where she developed and led their standards-based reform initiative. She brings to San Francisco a proven track record of improved learning outcomes for diverse students across Washington State. Despite having to operate in the challenging environment of system-wide educational change, she garnered the respect of colleagues, business and community leaders, and the many others with whom she worked.

In addition to possessing a deep understanding of policy issues related to education reform, Dr. Bergeson also lends a breadth of experience in raising the resources and building consensus among varied constituents essential to implementing change. Before serving as state superintendent, Terry headed the Washington Commission on Student Learning where she led the development of Washington’s academic standards and assessment systems. Prior to that, she served as the Executive Director of the Central Kitsap School District as well as both President and Vice President of the Washington Education Association. She earned her doctorate in education from the University of Washington.

Terry began her career working as both a teacher and a school counselor in Massachusetts, Alaska and Washington states. Her passion about the potential of young people continues to drive her desire to improve public education. Terry is described by her peers as someone who has always placed the needs of children first. She is a person of integrity and courage who is high energy, hard working, knowledgeable, collaborative, and results-oriented.

Terry shares the Alliance vision and commitment to creating opportunities for all children in San Francisco public schools to succeed. We are grateful that Terry has chosen to offer her incredible skills, commitment and passion to support the San Francisco public schools as Alliance Executive Director. Starting in January, Terry will begin meeting with key members of our local community to hear their thoughts and ideas on bettering public education in San Francisco. Thank you in advance for being a critical thought partner with Terry.

Please join us in welcoming Terry to San Francisco and her new role!

Sincerely,

The San Francisco school system is in need of a dramatic reform that can only happen with the help of nonprofit organizations, local businesses, parents and community groups, the U.S. secretary of education said at a keynote speech in The City.

Although San Francisco students scored all-time highs in their most recent annual Academic Performance Index, about 40 percent of the district’s black and Hispanic students don’t graduate, an indication that there is much improvement to be made, Arne Duncan told a group of elected officials, public school advocates, and business leaders at the Palace Hotel.

The speech was organized by the San Francisco School Alliance, a nonprofit organization that helps raise funds and advocate for the San Francisco Unified School District.

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