San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom became the latest political leader to call for the expansion of Experience Corps, the successful tutoring and mentoring program engaging adults over 55, as a way to improve public schools.

“If there is one place where San Francisco must continue to lead by
example, it is in reforming our public schools,” Newsom said in his second inaugural address. “Fundamentally, we are creating a new culture of lifetime learning.”

The mayor called out the city’s efforts in early childhood
education, science education, community service and college admissions
and then said:

“Because improving our public schools will take the talent and
energy of this entire city, I believe we should harness the knowledge
and experience of the coming influx of baby boom retirees, to mentor
San Francisco’s next generation. That’s why I will expand successful
programs, such as Experience Corps, to encourage retired San
Franciscans to mentor and tutor our public school students.”

Newsom joins Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, the former mayor of
Baltimore, who has called for the statewide expansion of Experience
Corps as part of a broader “boomer initiative.”

And Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential hopeful, singled out Experience Corps
in his December speech calling for a major expansion of national
service. In its policy paper, Obama’s campaign proposed, “Experience
Corps is a good model that should be expanded beyond reading and and
mentoring to other challenges on which national service will be
focused.”