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Geetha Gantifor Walnut Creek School Board

Priority 01

Academic Foundations, Done Right

Reading, math, science, strong curriculum implementation, and the teacher support that makes good curriculum actually work.

The question I had

Are our kids getting the strongest possible foundation in reading, math, and science — and would I even know if they weren't?

Why I started looking

This question became personal in the ordinary places: a homework sheet at the kitchen table, a report card that raised more questions than it answered, a conversation at pickup with another parent wondering the same thing.

Why it matters

The elementary years are when reading and math foundations take shape. Gaps that open early are hard to close later, and parents deserve a clear view of how curriculum choices are made, how they're implemented, and how we'll know they're working.

What the evidence says

One headline statistic, one clear chart, a few findings — each with sources. Until they're verified, this section stays honestly empty.

Headline statistic

Statistic will appear here once verified against a primary source.

Research in progress
Research in progress

Findings will be published here — 2 to 4 at a time, each one sourced — as research is completed.

Academic Foundations: the key chart

One chart, one idea — published when the underlying data is verified.

Open question

Data being assembled

Verified sources will appear here as the analysis is completed.

Sources will be published with this analysis

What we know

Research in progress

Evidence-supported findings will be listed here, each with its sources.

What we still don't know

Open questions, stated plainly.

  • How does the district measure whether curriculum implementation is working, classroom by classroom?
  • What does teacher training and support look like for current curriculum adoptions?
  • How do outcomes compare across schools within the district?

What I would do

Action steps in development

Concrete actions will be published here as they're shaped with parents, educators, and community input.

How we would know it's working

Measurable indicators in development

Future indicators will be named here so progress can be checked, not just promised.

What could change?

No page on this site promises outcomes that depend on future funding, district staff, collective board decisions, or circumstances that cannot yet be known. Here is what would remain undecided — and who would decide it.

Decisions that remain with the board

  • Curriculum adoption and the budget that supports implementing it

Delegated to district administration

  • How implementation is monitored and supported school by school

Depends on teachers & school staff

  • Delivery depends on teachers — training, materials, and coaching determine whether good curriculum works

Funding assumptions

  • Materials, training, and coaching compete for the same budget dollars

Enrollment assumptions

Not yet assessed

State & federal dependencies

  • State standards, frameworks, and legislation set requirements the district must meet

Known risks

  • A strong curriculum implemented weakly is a known failure mode

Questions still unanswered

  • How do outcomes compare across schools within the district?

This is the campaign's language standard in practice: "will" is reserved for what Geetha can personally and directly control — asking for data, explaining trade-offs, making her reasoning public. Everything else is described as what she would advocate for, prioritize, or evaluate — never as a guarantee.

Explore the data

The Standards Tracker

WCSD's curriculum and test scores vs. the state and nearby districts — every number sourced.

Explore further

Sources

Sources will be published with this analysis