phenomenon where children who are not engaged in learning activity over summer are losing ground academically. they are forgetting the skills, and they start the next school year behind. children are falling more and more behind. the research suggests that two- thirds of the achievement gap between low and middle income children who can be attributed to what happens in the summer. it also turns out many children are gaining weight more rapidly in the summer because they lose access to physical activities and meal programs they have access to during the school year, so it is clear there is a

lot at stake, which is why we have launch this summer matters campaign to raise awareness across the state about why it is so important to make sure the children have safe and healthy learning experiences all summer long. i want to point out a map to our left, where we are beginning to chart a particularly exciting summer initiatives in southern california, one of them right here in san francisco, which we are going to hear more about today. we are thrilled to have a distinguished line of of speakers to talk about creating opportunities across the state. first, i am thrilled to bring up tom, who for his entire career

has really championed the cause of making sure the children have access to learning opportunities not just in the classroom but outside of the classroom as well. he was one of the first people to sign in the last year when he took office because he recognized this was a crowd of local ingredients -- a critical ingredient, so please join me in welcoming tom. >> are you ready for summer? i was born in this great city. it is in your heart and in your mind. i just want to say thank you for this coalition, this team that has come together.

you keep pushing the issue, i keep educating, and this is what it is all about, to share what it means so every young person can experience success. we are pleased to be here with the mayor and the team from the school district. mendoza, i am glad to see you. the rich partnership but has been developed in san francisco is truly a role model for the rest of california, and what we are here about is summer learning loss, because we know that with the joy that comes with summer for most families, there is a time to gather with family members. there is a time for freedom to play, maybe some trouble. this is not the case for all its

children in california. one in four children are growing up in poverty. they do not have health care, and they are struggling along with parents. they do not have summer camps. they do not have family travel together, and it is that differential hurting the success of kids and creating a great achievement gap that should be there. it is wrong morally, and it is wrong for the future of our economy. we formed a team that look at the top issues. we noted deaths middle-income kids of low-income kids learn in the school year of about the same rate -- we noted middle income kids of low-income kids learn in the school year of about the same state.

-- rate. during the summer middle income kids keep learning in their own environment, but low income kids go down, and that widens the achievement gap, so by eighth grade we have many students seeing that drop accumulate to maybe being a dropout statistics. they get behind and feel they are not as good as other students. we need to have them continue that learning. this is one of the top priorities. we want to see that matt still been -- map filled in. it is exciting, engaging, and excellent.

we want to see that throughout this state of california. what you are doing through san francisco with the after school for all initiatives and the summer programs, this is the way to go for the whole state of california. that is why we are here today. i am issuing a call to action for all the city councils, all the superintendents and board members, and you have a great champion in your superintendent. he has been a partner to make it happen, so we want to see the rest of california follow the great example of san francisco taking care of all of our children. thank you very much, and it is my privilege to introduce you to someone on the department of education foundation. he is the ceo of the education

foundation and a true leader in this area, summer matters. [applause] >> thank you, superintendent, for your leadership. silicon valley is known to have this dna where it produces steve jobs, sergei brin, all these people who innovate, and innovation transfers in a unique way. it is hard work, and hard work is the essence of that. we want to make sure we continue to produce more leaders like steve jobs, like larry page, like sergei brin, and like esmeralda, who has gone through

the last three summers. we are obsessed with preparing careers. there are 32 school districts. this is a chance for a lot of agencies to come together and address that. i hope it can be shared in an open source environment. this is a science and technology focus, but it does address a lot of things and brings them together. over 18 school districts have come together. over 50 nonprofits to address

one thing. how do we get 1000 kids over one year ahead in math competency to take algebra by the eighth grade? they go to the tech museum, the computer history museum, but they also learn actual on algebra, and we see great growth thanks to support from the foundation as well. we have a program that prepares students for biology in the ninth grade. we are also trying to figure out how you create a great programs that keep the kids in gauge, and that is a program. did we try to figure out what are the key practices and how do they bring this together.

they are mixing a lot of great things and becoming innovators in the process. if she had been gauged and had all of this come together, she wants to be a veterinarian, and she makes sure her sister is in the program as well. we are going to produce more a small the -- more esmeraldas and steve jobs. we look forward to working with you in the summer. >> thank you. before we move on, i want to recognize supervisors got wiener -- supervisor scott and

wiener. it means a lot to have you here. next i am going to invite our next guest, who is a true champion for youth programs in san francisco. mayor edwin lee recently challenged businesses to offer jobs and internships to use during the summer. he and values high quality program faor all youth. please welcome the mayor of san francisco, and will leave. >> thank you. -- edwin lee. >> thank you theory of summer does matter. now the whole state is going to work with you. i want to register our city, a strong desire to work with you, opportunities all over the

state, and it begins at home with our business community. we announce an exciting opportunity to create summer jobs. to make sure we use the summer and not allow it to be just an idle time, but you know already, because i think you are here with the knowledge that it is not just summer, but it is year round. we have to make better investments. that is why i was so happy when the other city departments, not just their teachers and administrators during the best they can, but we joined with other departments, our libraries, and our public works department, offering some connections, and when you find

out steps they got together with housing authority to offer summer access for free to kids who could not afford it, that says something about our commitment to enriching the lives of our youth, because it will never only be the school district said have this responsibility. it has to be the need for others to stepped-u up to create that o opportunity. the village concept has to embrace the future of our kids, and that is why i have always been happy. other people keep asking me, are you enjoying the mayor? that is a strong word, but there are moments i do enjoy it. those are when our kids are

involved. they think, is the city is doing anything for me so that i can get a job in richmond, so i can get training? and because i look at these high-tech jobs. the future economy is going to demand higher skills. what do we do about that? not only are we enriching the lives of our kids, but we are a listing all of the downtown members of our chamber of commerce, all of them to join us and to create miniature ships and and skill sets so our kids can have a foundation for these -- to create mentor's ships -- mentorships and skill sets so

our kids can have a foundation. we have extended those summer opportunities and when we knew there were gaps. we found that last year when advocates said there were going to be 400 or 500 kids that were going to fail in math and science, and we said we were going to offer summer classes so they would not fail. we are going to continue doing that. when we create the jobs that thing for them to have those skills they are going to need to be successful. that is how we are going to have to go throughout the state. in every opportunity you provide, we go well beyond our school district in.

i am going to see if we can do more so they go beyond the classroom. thank you for joining us. this instigates a lot of my enthusiasm for our kids, superintendent garcia. >> good afternoon.

>> if i went down the list, we would be here all day, but it is special to be here with the superintendent of schools the support us, and i know maria does a fabulous job with us, and when you look at all the difference funders and nonprofits that step up to support us, i want to say thank you, because the rest of the state is not like san francisco. everybody thinks we are a little out there, but we are out there in the right direction. we are out there to provide things for our children. we are providing a service. we are cutting all our funds for summer school. i want to thank representatives

who are here. all of us get hit did against each other. all of us are here to say there is nothing more important than our children. the board of supervisors, the mayor came to our rescue. immediately they came so our kids can keep learning. we are closing the achievement gap, and that cannot happen unless we have a good summer programs to keep our youth

engaged. they need to be engaged, and education needs to happen every single day. what a great place for a campus if you were a student if you were to go around this city. it is not just talking about it but actually stepping up and doing something about it. thank you to all of you.

i have her two daughters. come on up here. >> can my lower this? thank you all very much for being here today. dealing with the things we are talking about.

i run an after-school program. i am rare. most families need summer for their kids to be. now they need somewhere that is safe. they need somewhere to continue to build the strength and they work so hard for during the school year, and they need interesting things that do not already get packed into and and and and and and new school year. they need a place the kids are -- they do not already get packed into in the school year. they need things that are fun. gooi really want to speak to all the partnerships of make it possible, community-based organizations.

we need all of its. we can talk all day about the achievement gap, but it really comes down to what i hear parents say, which is where it will be safe? where is a good program? i can say there are a lot of good programs of support our kids, and we are very lucky for all of that. they are our future, and we need to be supporting all of our students so they have an opportunity to bring us the next generation of computers and technology. they are better at it than we are in the way. thank you 3 much, and please continue supporting summer programs.

>> thank you, michelle. i just want to echo the recognition of the united educators of san francisco for being here today. we want to maintain the great work they do during the year and send the kids back to the classroom on track during the fall. we are hoping all of you will be able to stay and talk with us some more. thank you all for being here.

within our population there are people who simply do not have access to the internet, who do not have the means to access information the way that others have, and i think that it's really imperative for government to make sure that we play a role in closing that technological divide. so you have to strike that balance between maintaining that character, but also welcoming in the new people who bring their own -- >> absolutely. >> so i love that. i love that mix, that balance that comes with it. it's hard to strike the right balance, but -- >> it really is. >> but it's there. >> i was born in guatemala and came to this country as a kid.

i was brought here by my parents. and essentially grew up in l.a. and then moved up to the bay area, where i went to college. i went to stanford. my background for the first few years out of school was a practicing attorney. i worked for -- in the private sector for a number of years and then i went and worked for the city as a deputy city attorney and then became general council of the school district here in san francisco, and through that became involved in politics and at some point decided to run for office. [speaking spanish] >> i think that san francisco

really represents the best that this country has to offer. it's a place that welcomes people from all over the world, from all over the country, and it's a place that not only tolerates, but actually embraces diversity, a place that is very forward thinking in terms of how it looks at issues. it always felt like home, and i felt that as a gala tino man that this -- gay la taken no man, that this is a place where i could be happy. now doing the job of a supervisor has been the most rewarding experience. it is really remarkable how amazing our neighborhoods are, how amazing its people are. i have a progressive outlook in terms of how i see things, and by progressive i mean we have to make government and make the city work for everyone, and that means that it's not just those who are doing well, it's also those who are not doing so well, those who have the least. but it also means making sure that the city works for the middle class. >> good evening, everyone.

good evening. thank you all for being here. and when we first got into office about two years ago, we started talking to the mayor's office of workforce and economic development and trying to figure out how we can help different corridors within our district have a better sense of what that neighborhood should look like, what its main concerns and priorities should be and a strategy for the community. and that means business, residents and the city working together to make whatever that vision is a reality. ultimately if there is a guidance on how i approach government, i believe in good government, i believe in transparency, i believe in accountability, i believe in making sure that we follow best practices. i think that oftentimes

transcends the left, the middle and the right. it goes beyond that. and that's why as a supervisor i focus so much on contracts and how the city spends its money, which is not traditionally a progressive issue. but i believe that we have an obligation to make every penny count. thank you. [applause] we are still going through a very tough economic time. we are still not where we need to be in terms of job creation and economic development. so government, i think, has to work with a lot of different folks, not only the business community, but also the community groups to see how we can create economic development that works for every san franciscans. >> one of the topics is -- [inaudible] >> as a member of the police

commission, i learned that the most effective policing is the policing where you have the police and the community working together. so you need training for the police officer who's already there. it is important to have police officers on the street and having that police presence, but at the same time, there has to be a connection between the police and the community. so i think we're on the same page. you have to make sure that you create an atmosphere where people feel safe, and i think that to feel safe they have to feel like they're in partnership. i really believe that when you are blessed with the opportunities that this country gives you, that you have an obligation to give back. i really believe in public service. i could be in the private sector and make a lot of money, but i believe that i have a duty to try to make things better for