The City of San Antonio’s new Pre-K 4 SA early education measure will be extending two contracts worth $540,000 to two curriculum programs.
Texas-based Frog Street Press will serve as the main curriculum for the 700 children at the initial two model education centers when school begins in the fall, and Maryland-based Teaching Strategies will act as a supplemental program.
The committee chose Frog Street Press for its strengths in math, science, literacy, support for English-language learners, oral language development, and its many social and emotional components.
"Where they really stood out was within the technology and their ability to customize parent reports on how their children were doing," said Rebecca Flores, who works in the city manager’s office and is overseeing the Pre-K 4 SA implementation.
Flores said the technology will allow parents to see how their child is doing in class, and work with them at home.
She also said project-based nature of Frog Street helps children take ownership of their learning. Frog Street, she said, also came with strong assessment capabilities to help the teachers evaluate how students are doing in small and large groups that will help them further individualize their learning.
As with any program, Flores said the program is only as good as the teachers who are hired.
"I think they're [the curriculum] just a tool that we can use in the classroom, and it really is going to come down to the quality of our teachers," she said.
The curriculum selection comes after extensive reviews from both the Pre-K 4 SA curriculum committee and the public, where nine learning programs were being considered.
