Liberals in San Francisco, the epicenter of progressive ideology, just received a sharp and swift rebuke over their latest destructive education idea: “Grading for Equity.” The ferocity and tenor of the backlash – which came from both sides of the political aisle – is a revealing vignette into Democrat dysfunction.
The equity grading plan, quietly introduced by San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Maria Su late last month, sought to dismantle traditional academic grading in district high schools and replace it with a system designed not to reward effort and achievement but to conceal failure.
Specifically, schools would do away with homework and requirements on attendance, punctuality, and class participation. Instead, a single final exam, repeated as many times as needed, would be the sole determinant of a student’s grade. Under the new grading scale, an 80 percent would earn an “A.” Scores as low as 41 percent would be a “C,” while an abysmal 21 percent would be considered a passing “D.”
Perhaps even more shockingly, the massive overhaul was slipped into an agenda through bureaucratic camouflage and buried on the last page of a dense PowerPoint file. Despite representing a radical change to school policy, it was never disclosed in full to parents. The plan would have impacted approximately 10,000 students across 14 public high schools. Had one brave board member not flagged it, the district might have bulldozed it into classrooms without scrutiny and transparency.
Yes, the whole thing really is as crazy as it sounds. If it wasn’t happening in California, you’d think it was satire.
It is so crazy, in fact, that even the residents of one of the bluest cities in America couldn’t take it. From liberal teachers to union-friendly board members and progressive-voting parents, San Franciscans told their own party that enough was enough and voiced their frustrations at a recent school board meeting. Clearly recognizing the political momentum of the issue, elected Democrats began piling on as well.
“My immigrant dad asked me where the missing 10% went when I scored a 90. He came to America for the chance to work hard & pursue excellence,” Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna, whose district covers part of the Bay area, including Silicon Valley, posted on X. “Giving A’s for 80% & no homework is not equity—it betrays the American Dream and every parent who wants more for their kids.”
San Francisco’s Democrat Mayor Daniel Lurie jumped on the bandwagon as well. “We owe our young people an education that prepares them to succeed,” he said in a statement. “The proposed changes to grading at SFUSD would not accomplish that. I have conveyed our view to SFUSD. We are optimistic that there is a better path forward for our kids and their future.”
In response to the outrage, district officials pulled an immediate U-turn just one day after the program hit the headlines. “It’s clear there are a lot of questions, concerns, and misinformation with this proposal,” Su said in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle.
However, the backlash made clear that there are actually strikingly few questions or “misinformation” about the proposal. San Franciscans understood exactly what Su was trying to do, and they loudly, wholeheartedly rejected it.
For Americans who don’t live in a far-left jurisdiction in California, this story may seem like nothing more than a local controversy. But it may well be just one small tremor in a brewing political earthquake, because it reveals something the Democrat Party can no longer ignore: Even their most loyal voters are losing patience with progressive overreach.
Progressive leaders claim they champion equity in education. But in reality, they lower the bar so far that achievement, excellence, and personal responsibility are framed as oppressive. They are pushing policies that assume children, especially minority or low-income children, aren’t capable of meeting high standards.
That’s not equity, it’s what past Republican leaders have warned to be the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” In their rush to engineer equal outcomes, Democrats are steamrolling the very principles that made this country exceptional. Parents, across the political spectrum, are done pretending otherwise.
Taxpayers in San Francisco have pumped hundreds of millions into school bonds and education funding in good faith. And what did they get? A school district that is more concerned with ridiculous left-wing fantasies about “grading equity” than classroom success and actually teaching students useful skills.
What happened in San Francisco is a lesson for the nation. Lowering expectations is not justice. It’s sabotage. When schools abandon discipline, effort, and accountability, they don’t help students. They trap them.
Democrats now face a reckoning. The swift about-face reveals a brewing rebellion among common-sense Democrats in the cities and a deepening panic within the party’s ranks that they’re no longer seen as the trusted stewards of America’s schools. If they continue down this road, pushing “equity” schemes that insult parents, ignore teachers, and damage kids, they will not only lose moderates. They will lose their own base.
W.J. Lee has served in the White House, NASA, on multiple political campaigns, and in nearly all levels of government. In his free time, he enjoys the “three R’s” – reading, running, and writing.
Just another spoke in the wheel for dumbing down the American population. Uneducated people translates to mindless followers. Mindless followers make the best little sheep.
In any plan that does not reward good students for doing well simply brings all of the students down to the lowest level. Of course, that is just what the Marxists want…a dumbed-down citizenry to make their oppression easier. Citizens who are uneducated and have no thoughts of their own just go with the Marxist flow. That is how all oppressed countries control their “subjects”.
Liberalism is truly a mental disorder.
I grew up in what I always considered to be the most beautiful and wonderful city to grow up in, in the country, if not the world! It is abhorrent what it has turned into and this article gives me a tiny spark of hope that people are waking up to what San Francisco has become. It breaks my heart and I pray eyes will be opened and it’s citizens will fight back!
How in the world could anyone, parent or educator, support this destructive ideology? Students need to commit to achieving an education and participate. If they don’t have to work for their grades, how can they ever expect to achieve and succeed in life? Are we intent on raising a bunch of illiterate Welfare recipients? They need to stop playing games with our children, grandchildren, and future generations!
This is exactly why the U.S. is the laughing stock of the world when it comes to Primary education. As long as the liberal govenment controls education, this country will continue to produce unintelligent liberals.
Unbelievable! I’m an educator and it pains me to say we are doing a poor job educating our children. Lowering the bar, rather than raising it, is certainly not the answer!
Lowering standards to help a few ends up harming everyone.
Of all the tactics that Cloward Piven envelopes, this one could very well fit that subversive system hatched up by a husband and wife. To any THINKING person this is blatant insanity. Of course it fits into the anti meritocracy mindset of the far left. The product? Frustrated employers who get even less than mediocrity. They get downright rank incompetence.
This is insane!!
“The bigotry of low expectations”- What could be more bigoted than claiming that standards have to be lowered because members of certain minority groups cannot achieve the same the same results as other groups? Those advocating lower standards are the true bigots.
Golly, even for those in entry level jobs, 20% of my fries at a fast food would not be acceptable. Not even a D.
My daughter in LA volunteers in school and for two years tutored a 12 year old boy born here, parents after 14 years not speaking any English. He was in grade 6, in her opinion belonged in grade 3. Nice boy. After 2 years she could not do it anymore. I am sure his situation was not unique .
Vote them out! Get rid of the San Francisco swamp!
Perhaps we should bring back the one-room schoolhouse with multi-grades. Emphasis on the 3 R’s. Teachers were considered in loco parentis and were disciplinarians. If Johnny in Grade 2 misbehaved, then Sister Suzie in Grade 5 would be certain to inform Mom & Dad. Johnny would be properly rewarded with correction to his seat of learning.
Whatever happened to Dick and Jane, and Sally and Spot? And how many people remember the stories of Horatio Alger and the American Dream?.
ALL public schools have been teaching to the “lowest common denominator” students, lowering standards so much that even those who cannot read or do simple math can get a diploma. I blame the teachers’ unions as they protect poor teachers via tenure and influence book publishers as to content for each course and grade level. Parents must seize back the power from the school boards. How did many of these people ever get elected and why did they even run for the Board?! This generation of kids have suffered the experimentation and lax standards and social engineering the school boards and teachers unions have been dabbling in. Time to wake the heck up and teach the basics: reading, writing and “arithmetic — but add in history/civics, that much needed and much neglected very important subject. If we don’t have this basic level of knowledge, our country is sunk.
Remember this when you vote, and we will make the Marxist Democrats w
extinct next election, and for yrs to come.
Looks like the someone in San Francisco is trying enforce the leftist attempt to bring America down
Just another system to place intelligent people at the bottom of the list so we give the jobs to people who do not or cannot earn them.
An extremely well-written and insightful article. It’s my hope that progressive policies in education and elsewhere, will be closely examined not only in progressive “blue” states but nationally.
Here’s another STUPID idea that they could try–to achieve “equity” let students VOLUNTEER to give some of their points to their lazier or more stupid classmates. Joe has a 90% in math and Jim has a 50%. Joe “donates” 20% to Jim and they both have an “equal” 70%. Doesn’t that sound like a typical NEA or AFT proposal?
Hey Left U seeded this years ago its on U
This has to be the dumbest democrap idea yet! Just like defunding the police, any person with an IQ over 50 would know what the outcome of this would be, dumb and dumber!
America’s scholastic score levels and intelligence, falling even faster and lower, below all the rest of the world.
This plan would make school a waste of time and money, why not just eliminate school altogether?
Anything in life worth having or doing, takes time and effort, and nothing is free.
Nor can it be equal, some people are smart, some are not. Some are lazy and some are ambitious.
Nothing is free, you get what you work for and the harder you work, the more you get!
F
This is proof that democrats want to dumb down America. Starting with the kids. This was a test policy to see if they could get it done across the country. DEI is one of those. Target went all out promoting trans and gay pride. Were boycotted. Now they are going the other way and are being boycotted again. Their DEI ends when it hits their pocketbooks. The attacks on Jews are increasing every day. The people walking peacefully on the streets in Boulder CO have to pay for what Hamas started. Israel didn’t start this war but they will end it in overwhelming fashion to stop these wars from ever happening again. Those siding for Hamas are on the wrong side like the Nazis were in WW II. What has happened in SF is just the tip of the iceberg of what else the democrats have planned. The democrats have created this atmosphere in this country like it did, Hitler didn’t kill 6 million Jews, They are now saying Hamas never started Oct 7 massacre. Here we are folks. Divide and conquer. SF tried it by dumbing down the next generation who will belief any propaganda the press puts out there. On top of the propaganda that came out of the White House under Biden, our in name only president.
Outrageous!
Sinking to the lowest common denominator!
I’m a registered Independent. It’s crazy stuff like this that gives ALL Democrats a bad name. One moderate Democrat I know called it a “leftist whacko” idea.
Why do they even call at school? They are not learning anything. Just making sure that Union teachers have a job. When kids graduate from that mess they will be perfect candidates to be government employees right?
destroying our kids
When the elites kill off 90% of the population, they can’t have the remaining 10% of the survivors being intelligent. They will need slaves to service their needs. We’re being “dumbed down” and this has been going on for years. It’s working!!!!!
We will not be able to compete globally with an uneducated populace.
I would love to see that happen!
and the RINOS can go too!!!
About time Democrat voters see the destruction their party subjects kids too!
They’re getting what they voted for. IMO
Not at all surprising as this is normal Democrat reasoning. I once worked in a Federal job, during a Decennial Census. When hired I was given a test which a passing score was 95 in order to be hired. A few months later the local Director came to visit the office and was told we were having to hire more workers. He told the office manager that he would put the word out to some of the minority areas that we were hiring as we had only a small number of minority workers in the office. When he found out the test required a 95 to pass, he said to lower that to 45.
I asked Google to tell me who this superintendent Su is, and it came up with her bio with Governor Newsom appointing her. She looks like a communist Chinese person.
Well no attendance requirements will reduce school overcrowding.
As usual the Dumocrats are trying to dumb down the country’s IQ so we can be easily manipulated and enslaved.
WOW! How do you cover up destroying the education system? Change the rules of achievement. This is appalling, not surprising coming from the Progressive Leftist, just reprehensible.
You too can be President of Harvard. Enroll in Plagiarism 101 today!
Only in the communista state of “kalifornia”. How will kids who want to get into college going to be able to apply? Oh well, I don’t care if “kalifornia” becomes the dumbest state in the Union in the coming years. Unfortunately not every parent can afford to pull their kids out of public school and send them to a private school that can ignore that balderdash, stupid, idiotic change.
Actually the NEA would love this proposal. Easy for teachers since no homework to give / grade, no record keeping for attendance or participation, and no tests during the term. The problem is having to grade tests over for any student that wants to “retake” a test for possible higher grade. Sounds like this was for the teachers, with a super low score for students (or children in a room, since a student would actually learn something).
And yet schools keep saying kids are less and less educated because people are giving the schools enough money. Schools have greater revenue than ever in many areas, but still, the kids are performing at lower and lower levels. We’ve got an entire generation coming up that contains a disturbing percentage of kids who are functionally illiterate and unable to do basic math. We won’t even discuss their lack of legible penmanship. The problem isn’t lack of funds. The problem is this sort of nonsense AND the fact too many teachers are wasting valuable classroom time on leftist indoctrination instead of academics.
This does not surprise me at all. Considering what I’ve been seeing, even in more conservative areas like Texas, I knew it would eventually lead us to an attempt like this. Ignorant, unwashed masses is the big plan of the Progressives. When my stepdaughters were in the Texas public schools back in the 1970s and 1980s, they came home with report cards with “E” for exceptional, “S” for satisfactory and “N” for not satisfactory. We used to get that in conduct but got actual grades on our report cards when I was growing up. There was no indication of how my stepdaughters were actually doing in a subject. It was almost like the grades were based on the personalities of the children not their ability to learn. My husband’s oldest daughter was more talkative and a tad bit lazy when it came to schoolwork but she was actually sharper than her sister who was more quiet, always willing to help, not as sharp but a hard worker. The second daughter was elevated in her self-worth since she got mostly “O”s and a few “S”s on her report card while her sister’s self-worth was minimized because she mostly got “S”s and a few “N”s. Whatever the school was trying to achieve at that time they failed miserably and it’s been getting worse ever since. This was phased our when my children came along in the 1980s and 1990s when they got percentage grades but there was still always some progressive effort taking place in education since I graduated from high school in 1965 and watched my younger sisters go through “progressive education”. They both never finished high school so that didn’t work well for them. It seemed like the challenge of doing well in school was gone.
Saints preserve us from ANY boneheaded Dimwitocrat from Kalifornia! Our kids are no longer taught ANYthing in school today, and THIS BS is just prolonger the agony. But you can depend on all those ignorant little kids to become Democrats….
How does this woman still have a job?
Like the dumbing down of America isn’t enough. California takes dumbing down a bit further. California’s new equity grading plan just passes everybody conceal the huge failure that “education” is in California.
What is really scary about this is that Maria Su is not an elected official. That one individual can implement total nonsense such as this is a real problem. She almost managed to sneak it through. When she got caught she displayed a complete lack of understanding as to what a loony idea this was. She should be fired immediately.
Continuing the dumbing down of America! They should be ashamed, this is not a productive idea but regressive! The school board should be ashamed.
They pride themselves on who can be the most outrageous. We’ll end up with a nation of idiots. We’re already behind in education compared to other nations. 20 year old’s can’t hand write in cursive.