San Francisco Flunks Failing Schools

San Francisco is shutting down one school and making changes to nine others as officials try to secure federal funding intended to boost the test scores of the city's worst performing students.
     
School officials announced on Friday that Willie Brown Jr. Academy will shut its doors at the end of the next school year. Students at the nine schools targeted for improvement will be taught under new instructional programs.

At four of those schools, half the teachers will be replaced. Some schools will also have new principals.

San Francisco school officials say the changes are needed as part of a bid to secure up to $50 million in federal funding.

To qualify for the money, districts with persistently low performing schools must initiate major reform by the start of 2010-11 school year.