There's plenty wrong with the schools, and, when elected, I want to work with fellow board members on those problems. Behind San Francisco, school-aged children are the smallest proportion of our population compared to any other big city in the country. Nonetheless, we attracted a world-class superintendent, we built some beautiful new school buildings in the past two years and we've committed ourselves to having 90 percent of our children meet the state's new learning standards.
Education is the most important predictor of human success in every culture.
The quality of a person's education determines his or her ability to earn a living, be healthy and engage in civic society. There's plenty wrong with the schools, and, when elected, I want to work with fellow board members on those problems. But there is much that is good in the schools, too, and we have to sustain the people who get up every morning thinking about how to help students. I've been a pediatric nurse for 20 years. For seven years, I've worked with homeless children at First Place School, in child care centers and in shelters.