Equitable Public Schools: For the Wellbeing of Berkeley
In 2021, we revisited and refocused our Mission to better reflect the equity work that is so critical to the success of all students in BUSD.
After doing so, we worked with staff, board, Teaching & Learning Advisors, and Community Advisors in the spring of 2022 to build out our Theory of Change, which guides our work toward eliminating the predictability of success that is currently correlated with race, gender-identity, sexual orientation, wealth, zip code, immigration status, etc.
We seek to work closely with BUSD administrators, educators, and families to co-create a school system that gives all our students the opportunity to develop their academic skills, social-emotional wellness and intelligence, and a sense of agency and civic responsibility. The work of the Schools Fund is now more clearly targeted at creating the conditions for student success and wellbeing by addressing Basic Needs, Safety and Belonging, and Love of Learning.
We invite parents and guardians of students in BUSD to help us build a community committed to public education—as a donor, a volunteer, or both. Two years into our new mission, we are more thankful than ever to have your support.
Click the image above to enlarge.
The Berkeley Schools Volunteers (BSV) program includes Classroom Volunteers and School Support Volunteers. Both types of volunteers are essential to the support the Schools Fund is able to provide directly to BUSD educators and families.
Since 2021, the Schools Fund has awarded around $500,000 in yearly grants to BUSD educators to implement equity focused projects at their individual school sites (LEARNING Grants) or at a district-wide level (LEADING Grants).
The Schools Fund, in coordination with BUSD, is offering a continuum of free K-12 STEM program opportunities, which are designed to to close the opportunity gap in STEM education and to build student confidence and participation in STEM fields.
