damian trujillo: hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today dr. hilaria bauer is back on our show, plus the innocence project on your "comunidad del valle," male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with the mission neighborhood centers out of san francisco. with me is the executive director and i'm presuming founder of it, sam ruiz, who spent over 30 years working in the community in san francisco. welcome to the show. santiago ruiz: thank you very much. damian: now, we have video from--that y'all sent us, but what a great endeavor. what was it that made you say we need to do something here in our neighborhoods? santiago: well, the reality is that we want to be able to prepare children to succeed in school, to enter college, and to graduate from college.

and in order to do that, we realize that there's a certain level of steps that we need to take in order to make sure that the child is ready to enter kindergarten. damian: you know, we talk about no child left behind, but you're not leaving anybody behind. you're helping pre-k and head starters, you're helping youth, and you're helping seniors. santiago: that's correct, our organization is multi-purpose, multi-generational, and we operate out of multiple centers primarily because of our head start and early head start programs. damian: talk about that need and the demographics of the folks you're serving. santiago: the majority of children that we serve are latino children, obviously latino families. they are primarily from the mission community in san francisco, as well as the excelsior and bayview-hunters point community of san francisco. damian: what kind of needs are they coming in with, or what are you seeing demographic wise? santiago: you know, most of our parents demonstrate the need for full daycare, or early care and education services. damian: everybody's working full time, three, four jobs. santiago: yes. and they are, in essence, working poor parents.

so, our head start program--as you know, head start is a part day-part year program, but we combine head start dollars with california department of education child care dollars to provide full early care and education services to over 400 children and their families. and so, primarily working poor parents have the opportunity to leave their child in good hands, qualified staff, healthy and safe facilities. and again, our goal is to prepare the child to enter kindergarten so that she or he can succeed in school and graduate from college. damian: now, obviously you're doing something right, otherwise you wouldn't be around for more than 30 years. santiago: we think we have-- we think we're doing an excellent job, actually. and our goal with this, you know, because we are very excited to announce that we were granted an award from the kellogg foundation over a 3-year period. and in essence, you know, the way that we look at it and going along with a number of studies that have been conducted that

demonstrate that a child will succeed in school and in college if both the child and the parent is ready. and so, with our kellogg grant, we will be able to provide family support services to the parent, leadership development skills so the parent also is prepared to support their child as he or she going through school. damian: that's almost a million dollars, the grant that you got. how big of a victory is this for your effort? santiago: it's a significant victory for us, but it's more of a victory for our parents and those children who will benefit from the services that we will provide in the coming years. damian: is there a waiting list, or how do you recruit? i mean, you have 11 sites around san francisco. santiago: we're providing-- currently, we're providing services to 415 children. we operate 10 different facilities. all of them are head start or early head start, a combination of. and again, are either part-day or full-day. we do have a waiting list. on the average, it's about 150 children that are on the waiting list. damian: do you--i know a lot of these successful programs, they have graduates who come back because it's been so successful, you helped them out. do you see that with your program, that folks who have

gone through the program maybe come back and shake your hand and say gracias, or anything like that? santiago: we do, and we see it quite often. as a matter of fact, we employ former head start graduates. damian: is that right? santiago: both teachers, as well as ir, for example. our it person is a former head start graduate. most of our--or a good number of our teachers are either head start parents or have had some experience with head start in one way or the other. damian: what does that say about the need maybe and the success of early childhood education? santiago: it says that there is definitely a need, but it is also a testament to the success of the program. and not just locally in san francisco, but nationwide. head start is one of the oldest federally funded program in the nation, and it is obviously attributed to its great track record. damian: we're going to have dr. bauer with the superintendent of the alum rock school district here. you're not sending your students to her, per se, but talk about the quality of the students, as young as they might be,

that you're sending off to kindergarten and to the elementary school levels. santiago: so, most of our children who enter kindergarten are 5 years or older. and you know, i'm proud to say that most of the feedback that we receive from either charter schools or the public school system at large is that they can tell the difference between a head start child and a child who has not attended head start. there are a number of letters that we have received that identify that children who have attended head start come into the classroom knowing their numbers, knowing their letters, and bilingually. damian: maybe they can give a class to some of our producers here at nbc bay area. if you'd like more information on what's happening here, this is happening here in san francisco. any final thoughts that you might have for our viewers? santiago: the final thought, if they are interested in enrolling their child, please call 415-206-7752 in san francisco, or visit our website, mncsf.org.

damian: all right, and any questions, you can just give us a ring here at nbc bay area. we'll put you in touch with sam here. thank you so much for the work that you're doing. santiago: thank you very much. damian: all right, and up next here on "comunidad del valle," the innocence project of northern california, stay with us. that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough.

give it a pop. this moment is perfect in every way just like my kid gooey...flaky...happy. toaster strudel. now with more icing. with me on "comunidad del valle" is lucy salcido carter to fill us in on the great work that they are doing. welcome to the show. lucy salcido carter: thank you. damian: i can't imagine sitting in a jail cell for 8, 10, 15 years, knowing that i'm innocent. talk about the reaction from those who you've helped, your office has helped, your agency has helped. reaction when your agency has finally cleared them of something that was wrong. lucy: well, you can imagine they're very relieved and jubilant. extremely, extremely happy. and angry, too, that the system has done them wrong. very grateful for the work that people have done

to get them out. so, it's a range of emotions. you know, they've missed this big chunk of their lives, and yet they know that they've got their lives back going forward, so it's complicated and, you know, a lot of-- a range of emotions. damian: so, that's what you do, you go out and help people who you believe have been wrongly convicted. lucy: well, i'm the policy director, so a lot of what i do myself is think about what legislative fixes need to happen so that people don't end up wrongly convicted to begin with. so, that's a lot of what i do. we also have staff attorneys who work on actual cases. we have about 26 active cases right now. damian: are there key words that you're looking for in a case, or is there something that kind of piques your interest that says, "ah-ha, we got to look at that file." lucy: well, we really do want to help innocent people, so that's important. there has to be new evidence that shows us that we've got some new arguments we can make in the case, yeah.

damian: and talk about the success rate. when you find that you've kind of hit on something, how many times are you right, would you say? lucy: well, we've helped free 17 people so far. we were founded in 2001, so we've got a good track record. we like to be able to work with the prosecution. that's really our preferred way to do things, where we work together to determine new facts in the case, and then make a decision. obviously, the court makes the decision, but we really like to work together to show that the person is innocent. damian: and how cooperative have the prosecutors been, the das been in cases like that? lucy: it varies very much from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and also from case to case. damian: i would imagine they don't want to hear from you if you're calling because that means that maybe they overlooked something, right? lucy: well, you know, actually quite a few jurisdictions are reviewing their own cases anyway. they're looking at convictions they believe are problematic. so, you know, sometimes we present cases to them.

they want to correct mistakes too. nobody wants innocent people in prison, so they're motivated to correct mistakes, and then also think about how they can make changes to practice earlier on in the process so that innocent people don't end up in prison to begin with. damian: you just had a conference. tell us how that went and what you all discovered, if you will. lucy: well, it was a wonderful conference. we had about 350 register and close to 300 attended. and the topic was conviction review programs. so, there are a number of jurisdictions that have programs in place where they are proactively looking at cases to determine whether the conviction really should stand as it has, or whether there's been a mistake and an innocent person has ended up in prison. these programs vary a great deal. some are more transparent than others, so we know more about what they are doing. some work with defense more than others. and most of them are new, so we don't know a lot about them. so, that was why we hosted the event.

we had prosecutors attend, we had defense attorneys attend, and a range of other participants. but also, we could learn from each other about how to do conviction review in a way that will help free more innocent people. damian: and i'm going to ask you to look into your crystal ball and look at all the inmates who are incarcerated right now in our prison system. what percentage would you say need a second look? is that hard to say? lucy: that's a very difficult question to answer. researchers are spending a lot of time doing that, and i am not a researcher. i have read the research. and you know, what they have to do really is look at the number of exonerations that have happened and then try to extrapolate from that number, and they've done it with particular sub-populations. so, for example, just a certain number of death penalty cases, and then extrapolate from the number of death penalty cases that have resulted in exonerations. so, you know, the percentages can be 1%, 4%, and they always have a wide range of error.

whatever number it is, it's too many. damian: but--absolutely. but it sounds like it's a forensic review of that case, or the case you're reviewing. lucy: it can be forensic, it can be other kinds of evidence as well. damian: so what--as the policy person there, what kind of changes can the legislatures make to improve the conviction rates that are supposed to be convictions? lucy: well, there are all kinds of ways that we can improve laws in california so that innocent people stay out of prison, which is our key goal. we would like to prevent people from experiencing what our exonerees have experienced. one example is videotaping confessions of felony-- in felony cases in particular. because what we've found is that there are a number of false confessions that happen. because of the circumstances surrounding arrest, people feel a lot of pressure sometimes to confess to things they haven't done.

so, by videotaping confessions, you would have an active record of what actually happens in that process and would be able to better determine whether the confession is real, or not coerced necessarily, but sort of the result of pressure. damian: wow. well, they are freeing people who've been wrongly convicted for quite some time. it's the northern california innocence project, and there is the web address out of the santa clara law school. thank you so much for the work that you're doing. lucy: my pleasure. damian: all right. and up next here on "comunidad del valle," dr. hilaria bauer returns, stay with us.

of the alum rock school district in san jose. with me once again is dr. hilaria bauer. welcome back to the show. hilaria bauer: thank you so much for having me. damian: well, give us a progress report on common core, if you will. how has that been going? has it been a success so far? i think as parents, some of us are still a little confused, but as long as the kids know what they're doing, i think that's the important part. but how is that going so far? hilaria: i think it's fantastic. i think it's a good thing for our students

because it's going to prepare them for the career world. and like anything new, it's going to take us a little while to get it right, so don't panic. you know, don't go around saying, "oh my gosh, we need to redo this," because anything that is worth doing is going to take time, and common core is not different from that. so, the best part of that is that it will prepare our students for college and careers. it is what they need to learn, it is the way--the new way of teaching that we need to implement. it's what they need to be ready for the workforce. and so, we just need to be a little bit patient, very inquisitive about what's going on in the classroom. i think we welcome that from parents. and just let it--let it gel. damian: i know that--i think that the one thing that i get out of it as a parent is that it eliminates memorization and it makes you kind of prove your answer, show your work.

hilaria: exactly. and it's--as adults, with all the access to technology that we have, really if we want to know something, we just google it, right? damian: right, ask siri. hilaria: basically, what we need to learn is the skills that would allow us to find the right answer. and so, that's a little trickier because not everything that we find in google is going to be appropriate or relevant, you know, to whatever it is that we're looking for. so, we have to shift from a bunch of facts to how do we search, and how do we make decisions that are appropriate to get the results that we want? damian: i know my son in second grade--in first grade last year at adelante, he was asked--the whole class was asked if lizards were nocturnal or not. and his answer was, "why don't we ask siri?" that's not the answer, right? we can't rely on siri or google or whatnot. you got to kind of look into it and--

hilaria: exactly, exactly. they need to know how to navigate, you know, the different search engines, and that's what we need to work on in the classroom. how do you make those decisions? what are the skills that are necessary in terms of critical thinking to be able to guide students to make those searches? damian: we've talked a lot about stem over the years, but a new word that i learned last year, a couple years ago, was steam. and, well, talk about what steam is and how you're integrating that into your curriculum. hilaria: so, steam is science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. damian: and arts is a new element. hilaria: arts is the new element. and we have always known in education that an artistic endeavor allows students to apply critical thinking, you know, in its essence because it is coming up with a message using something that is, you know, is not really what is intended for in a brand-new way to express a concept

or to send a message. so, arts kind of bring that element to scientific inquiry. when we're trying to--you know, there is a difference between trying to solve a problem or trying to know why something in nature is the way it is, right? so, scientific inquiry in terms of knowing what nature is all about and trying to answer why something happens is one thing, but trying to solve a problem, it's a different endeavor. so, steam is trying to do both, right? how do we know more about the natural world a la science type of learning, and how do we solve problems as they emerge? and that's part of innovation, right? how do we figure out the solution for,

i'm going to be very global, for global warming, right? science says, "is there a global warming?" engineering says, "is there a solution for that?" so, it's kind of the balance between both that we need to bring into our classroom so students are able to see the difference and to find their pathway. damian: and it sounds like life skills actually goes along with it just by happenstance. there is the web address for more information for the alum rock school district and the phone number. we'll be back with dr. bauer when we continue. stay with us.

♪my milkface is an elevated state.♪ ♪cinnamon is my soul mate. ♪no debate 'cause it tastes so great.♪ ♪that's why i got milk face. ♪yes, you want it. ♪ the milk tastes oh so sweet.♪ ♪just like heaven between your cheeks.♪ ♪try this technique, put your mouth on fleek.♪ ♪la-la-la-la-la. the superintendent of the alum rock school district, and you just broke ground on the new multi-purpose building over at fischer. why is that a big deal? hilaria: it is a huge deal because it is not only about bringing a building to the community, which in itself is great, right?

having students--giving students access to a gym, you know? and the community having its own space to have gatherings. but we are adding an element of steam, if you will, to the multi-purpose building. we are having the first full equipped--fully equipped 21st century classrooms into the building. and that's very exciting because we're trying to foresee in 5 and 10 years what is education going to look like so that we can build something where that can happen. so for us, it has been a tremendous push in terms of how do we solve for the future in some ways? because once you build, it's going to stay, right? so, that's why it's very exciting that in the middle of our neighborhood, we're going to be able to have this kind of facility. damian: so, we have the alum rock youth center,

we have the ymca, and we have the boys and girls club, but this is something that's in the district within the schools. hilaria: absolutely, and it's unique. because for the most part, schools are able to have-- you know, we have to problem solve with what we have, and construction is a luxury in some ways, especially in our case, right? so, instead of transforming a classroom, a present classroom into something, we have the opportunity to say, "here is a brand-new building where we need to equip with the kinds of things that are yet to be used," right? and so, as we look into designing the 21st century classrooms, it's what is our instruction going to look like, as i mentioned, in 5 to 10 years so that it is relevant,

so that it's not something that people are going to say, "well, that was totally 2016 and is no longer relevant"? so, it's very exciting. damian: so, when people look at their property taxes and they say, "alum rock, i'm getting $38, why is it?" this is where it's going. hilaria: they can come and check it out and say, "okay, this is what i helped build." and i think that's a great opportunity. damian: badly needed. you kind of touched on it, but i would imagine that the students and the parents, there--again, talking about demographics, this is a place where this is badly needed. hilaria: yeah, our students don't--none of our middle schools have a full court to play basketball. so, it is present in many other communities, but we have not been able to give that to our students. and i think they deserve that, right? damian: what message is that sending them, do you think, the fact that this is theirs? hilaria: absolutely, this is yours, and you can compete, you know, with any other student in any other area of the country.

damian: and briefly talk about your demographics tambien, porque i would imagine that a lot of english language learners, low-income, i mean this-- hilaria: yeah, and you know, that's kind of an interesting concept. i usually look at them as students of promise. you know, many other people talk about our communities with students at risk, and that is part of why sometimes i see them just like any other kid. and you're absolutely right, we have 90% of our families fall below the poverty level, so that's very acute for any community. however, when we proceed, when we make decisions, and we look at our demographics just like any other demographics, instead of trying to fix the problem, we're trying to craft the solution all the time. and how can we create environments just like

any other student in the bay area has access to? so, that what we're doing in alum rock. damian: well, congratulations. we talked earlier in this show about early childhood education. do you agree that that-- hilaria: oh, i was jumping in my chair when you were talking about head start because that's such a critical element for our communities. our students, the point of success are third grade and eighth grade algebra. and how they do in them determines pretty much how they're going to do in college. so, if we start thinking about getting them ready in third grade, it's way too late, right? so, we always have to kind of move back the needle. and preschool is essential for our communities. damian: he's clapping over there, so he loves what you are saying. hilaria: yes, we are on the same page. we are totally on the same page.

damian: that's the alum rock school district in san jose, taking care of our kids. there's the web address and the corrected phone number, 928-6800. thank you so much, dr. bauer, for everything you're doing for this community, gracias. and now here's what's happening in your comunidad on que pasa. [music] [music]

damian: and nsaludos to those celebrating a special day. felicidades. [music] damian: and here is our address for next weeksaludos. you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. and also pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. you can watch us on telemundo channel 48 every saturday at 5:30 p.m. that's your "comunidad del valle." we'll see you again here next week. buenos dias. [music] cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com

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