San Francisco (April 16, 2026) - San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Superintendent Dr. Maria Su today announced a sweeping modernization of the district’s History-Social Studies curriculum across elementary and high school grades—part of her broader vision to build Strong Schools for All, anchored in Student Learning, Strong and Supported Schools, and Systemwide Stability and Effective Governance.
This marks the first comprehensive update to the district’s History-Social Studies curriculum in more than two decades. As a key step in advancing high-quality student learning, SFUSD is bringing forward to the Board of Education the adoption of new, rigorous, standards-aligned, and contemporary instructional materials designed to meet the needs of today’s students and prepare them for tomorrow’s world.
“This is a pivotal moment for San Francisco’s public schools, and part of the district’s efforts to modernize our teaching and learning,” said Superintendent Dr. Maria Su. “We are turning the page on decades-old social studies materials and ensuring that every student has access to high-quality, engaging, and academically rigorous content. I am proud to follow through on our promise to provide a world-class education for every student – this is about making sure that we are setting our students up for success today and into the future.”
Current materials are outdated and do not fully reflect the district’s values, particularly in the areas of cultural responsiveness and representation of diverse communities. This conclusion is supported by district analysis, Board of Education direction, and extensive feedback from educators, school leaders, and parent advisory groups.
In response, the district launched a comprehensive, multi-year curriculum review process beginning in 2022. SFUSD developed a research-based evaluation rubric grounded in national best practices, including the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework, and centered on five key priorities: inquiry-based learning, literacy development, diverse perspectives, equitable access, and culturally responsive teaching.
District staff conducted an initial review of numerous curriculum providers across K-12 grade bands, followed by a second round of evaluation led by a diverse committee of nearly 80 educators, parents, and community members. This process identified the highest-quality instructional materials for pilot implementation, with strong emphasis on student engagement, critical thinking, and inclusivity.
K-5 Grades
The History/Social Studies team conducted a comprehensive evaluation of five curricular programs for elementary grades to identify the strongest materials for presentation to the curriculum review committee. Each program was reviewed across a wide range of criteria, including textbooks, teacher and student materials in both print and digital formats, assessments, scaffolding supports, and multilingual accessibility. Based on both quantitative scores and qualitative analysis, the team advanced InquirEd and Weekly Studies for continued consideration, with InquirEd ultimately selected for piloting. InquirEd distinguished itself through its inquiry-based design, strong emphasis on student voice, robust literacy development supports, and deeply embedded culturally responsive teaching practices. Reviewers highlighted its ability to engage students in critical thinking, evidence-based writing, and inclusive exploration of diverse perspectives, while also fostering social-emotional learning.
6-8 Grades
After careful review, none of the evaluated and available programs for middle grades surpassed the performance or overall quality of the current program, TCI History Alive. As a result, SFUSD is confident in continuing with refurbishment of History Alive while prioritizing thoughtful refinements and enhancements to further strengthen its impact. Concurrently we will continue to review newly released instructional materials to determine if there are additional curricula that we would like to consider for evaluation, piloting and adoption.
9-12 Grades
The high school review team unanimously identified McGraw Hill as the strongest curriculum for both World History, U.S. History and US Government following a comprehensive evaluation process. Across multiple categories, including inquiry, literacy development, and culturally responsive teaching, McGraw Hill demonstrated a robust inquiry-based framework, which uses compelling and essential questions to drive critical thinking, deepen student understanding, and encourage meaningful application of knowledge through discussion, writing, and student-led inquiry. In addition, McGraw Hill’s approach to literacy development stood out for its variety of strategies that support student engagement, interpretation, and differentiation, moving beyond traditional recall-based instruction. The curriculum was also praised for its inclusive representation of diverse perspectives and its strong accessibility features, including scaffolds for multilingual learners and students with varied learning needs. Overall, McGraw Hill emerged as the clear leader due to its comprehensive, student-centered design and its alignment with the district’s priorities for rigorous, equitable, and engaging instruction. As part of this broader effort, the district is also recommending the adoption of the Voices curriculum for Ethnic Studies. This curriculum was vetted and reviewed by third parties during its pilot phase in the current school year.
Math and English Language Arts Curriculum Adoptions
The History-Social Studies curriculum follows the successful adoption and rollout of standardized math and English Language Arts curriculum in SFUSD. In 2024, San Francisco Board of Education adopted new Language Arts core curricula for Grades PK-8 for the first time in at least 10 years. Earlier this school year, SFUSD rolled out a new math curriculum for grades K-8, marking a major step in the district’s mission to give all students a stronger foundation in mathematics.
About SFUSD
SFUSD is the seventh largest school district in California, educating 50,000 PreK-12 students every year. San Francisco is both a city and a county; therefore, SFUSD administers both the school district and the San Francisco County Office of Education (COE). This makes SFUSD a “single district county.”
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