James Dierke is a 36 year veteran of the San Francisco public schools. In addition to being principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco. Dierke is President of the United Administrators of San Francisco (UASF), AFSA Local 3 and AFSA National Vice President.
When Dierke took the helm of VVMS in 1999, the school was ranked last out of San Francisco's eighteen middle schools. Low test scores, high absenteeism, unsafe building conditions, and high teacher turn-over plagued the school. Eighty-seven percent of VVMS’s students qualify for Title I assistance. The school is an area with the second highest murder rate in San Francisco.
Under Dierke’s leadership, teaching and learning improved. The school enjoys a 98% in-school attendance rate, and the test scores rise annually. He has worked with the staff to create a positive school environment for creative educational activities. The school has received many outside grants and recognition for achievement. The San Francisco Chronicle once referred to VVMS in a news article as “... an island of safety in a sea of trouble.”
To help students with parents absent from the home environment, the school began a nationally recognized, special assistance program funded by a safety grant from the sheriff's department. To address the many students who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, Dierke worked to provide in-school counseling for students and parents. He made headlines when, as a result of the large number of students exposed to violence daily and who have lost family members to gun violence, Dierke took steps to hire a full-time grief counselor to work on-site at the school. While his first grant application to obtain the necessary funds for the counselor was rejected, there was a bright side. The headlines shone a much-needed spotlight on the plight of the school which inspired the members of the business and local community to donate computers, office furniture, services, even basketball tickets, and more. Most importantly, the kindness bestowed upon the school helped build positive feelings among the students for now they feel that people care, and they are not alone.
Dierke has worked to integrate the community and the school. The San Francisco Beacon Program has a unit housed at the VVMS. Various community groups maintain office space at the school. The City College of San Francisco holds day and evening classes at the school for parents. The campus is used for community activities. Partnerships flourishing at the campus include a full-time gardening program, and a seniors' reading/tutoring program. The school and the community act as one in many ways, sharing resources and working to improve services.
