Woodside Learning Center

Woodside Learning Center (WLC) serves incarcerated youth that are detained in the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center (Juvenile Hall). It is our belief that we are given an opportunity to intervene in students academic progress and interrupt any patterns of negative behavior in order to reengage students with school. The staff at WLC are very dedicated to this population with expertise in differentiating instruction to meet the needs of a wide range of learners.

Our student population ranges in age from 12-18 years of age and changes daily as students are detained and released. Upon arrival at the facility SF Juvenile Probation assigns youth to a unit (living quarters). Students attend class with their unit and students from different units can not be blended, which creates a class roster that could have students with a wide range of educational needs. This is our greatest challenge as some classes will have students with IEP's, ELL's, range of reading levels and varying experiences with school. As a staff we have to be aware that our students are in a state of anxiety as they go through a legal process that could have a wide range of outcomes to their future. Our goal is to provide a setting that will allow students to be available to receive instruction that is free of judgement, predictable, safe while maintaining a level of academic rigor.

While attending WLC, students are exposed to a wide range of programming that includes guest speakers from community based organizations that can provide support when they return to their home school, a culinary garden with an outdoor classroom, and early morning tutoring program in their units.