Our weekly look back on everything Oakland education and beyond; the OUSD budget update, a look at Oakland test scores, students and parents share stories, the East Bay Book fair in peril, the meetings that happened, why reforms based on parent “choice” may be flawed, funding for murals, opportunities for families and educators and more please take a look and share
Contents-Oakland
OUSD Will Cut Additional $14.2 Million – A Total of $46.7 Million Since January
How did Oakland do on the latest state tests?
Parents and Kids Should Not Need to Win a Lottery to Have a Quality School
East Bay Children’s Book Project Is in Peril
Saving the East Bay Children’s Book Project by Locating it in a School
3rd Annual Women Can Build Career Skilled Trades Fair
A Pleasantly Unsettling Visit to Oakland’s Urban Montessori
Bigger Than Bathrooms; Making Schools Safe for EVERY student
Curry Surprises Kids At Bushrod Community Center – Oakland Post
For Oakland youth and Families
Radio and Podcasting Class for Youth from KALW and EOYDC
Free Flu Vaccine Available For All Participating Oakland Elementary Schools
Meeting recaps
Best of the Rest
Back to the Roots of the Charter School Movement
California School Reform: What Is It, How Is It Going, and Why?
Hey, Rick Hess, Know Your History on White Supremacy
California voters strongly support expanded K-12 science and computer education, poll shows
Why Parents Make Flawed Choices About Their Kids’ Schooling
LISTEN: Let Brotherly Love Continue: An All-Male Public School Opens (Raising Kings, Ep. 1)
Educator Opportunities
Free Field Trips to the Exploratorium this Fall
West Oakland School and Resource Fair Public
How you can help
Help an Oakland student and educator whose home was destroyed by fire
Support students with Listening Tools
Bring Coding and Engineering to Life with Lego Robots
October Morning Volunteers Needed at Alameda County Community Food Bank
Oakland
OUSD Will Cut Additional $14.2 Million – A Total of $46.7 Million Since January OUSD faced a deficit of $37 million in 2003 when the state forced the district into receivership, requiring it to accept a $100 million loan.
How did Oakland do on the latest state tests? The latest state test scores don’t offer many statewide trends beyond stagnation and persistent achievement gaps. What about Oakland?
Parents and Kids Should Not Need to Win a Lottery to Have a Quality School Dominique Malone is an Oakland Parent, here was her speech at the Oakland REACH kickoff event, Who here wants the best for your child?
East Bay Children’s Book Project Is in Peril– The beloved nonprofit, which supplies books to low-income kids throughout Oakland, has lost its lease and may have to shut down.
Saving the East Bay Children’s Book Project by Locating it in a School A powerful literacy development non-profit that puts books in the hands of Oakland youth is on the verge of collapse, another victim of the rising rents.
3rd Annual Women Can Build Career Skilled Trades Fair will be held on 10/20 8:00 am- 2:00 pm, See event details here
A Pleasantly Unsettling Visit to Oakland’s Urban Montessori “My number one goal is that students are happy and want to come to school.”
Bigger Than Bathrooms; Making Schools Safe for EVERY student I’m sure when you’re out in public, or at work, all you worry about when going to the bathroom is if it’s clean or not. Nobody likes public bathrooms, they’re dirty, and you never know who you’re going to come across in them, though usually it’s okay.
Curry Surprises Kids At Bushrod Community Center – Oakland Post Oakland, CA – Stephen Curry, The Curry Family Foundation, Chase and Under Armor teamed up to celebrate the newly refurbished indoor and outdoor basketball courts at Bushrod Community Center.
Independent charter schools look to raise their profile, apart from networks and Betsy DeVos At a symposium last week number of independent charter school leaders agreed to launch a new national organization
For Youth and Families
Free Flu Vaccine Available For All Participating Oakland Elementary Schools. Shoo the Flu program will return this fall for teachers and students at elementary schools throughout Oakland.
Radio and Podcasting Class for Youth from KALW and EOYDC – Calling all East Oakland Youth 14-18! Tell a story you care about, in your own voice– take the Radio and Podcasting class from KALW and EOYDC.
The GIRL Project Shine Workshop began on 10/11 free for girls ages 11-14 living in the San Antonio district of Oakland. Come on down after school dismissal for art and dance classes. Food and homework support available throughout the session Workshops will be held every Wednesday from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM through December 13. Doors open at 1:00 PM. EastSide Cultural Center 2277 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94606 Questions? Please contact Shaunnah Ray
12/9 10 AM – 2 PM-School Enrollment & Community Resource Fair East Oakland Youth development Center 8200 International Blvd, Oakland, California 94621 learn all about your public school options. Meet school principals, teachers and families. Learn how to make the best use of School Finder to explore and compare public schools. Get help with your EOC enrollment application and/or apply online on the spot. And learn more about the services provided by local community organizations.
12/16 – West Oakland School and Resource Fair Public · Hosted by Enroll Oakland ChartersOakland families are invited to learn more about their public school options. There will be:
* School Booths (Elementary, Middle, High schools) – Visit with school principals, teachers and families
* Enrollment Booths – Explore and c ompare public schools using Oakland’s school finder. Get help with your online application and/or enroll online.
* Resource Booths – Learn more about support services provided by local community organizations.
Meetings
Budget and Finance Committee met on 10/16 see Meeting details here
Urban Strategies Council hosted the Bay Area Young Men of Color Employment Partnership (BAYEP) Career Pathway Summit at the Oakland Marriott City on 10/17. If you have any questions, contact Nate Phillip at Urban Strategies Council
Measure N Commission met on 10/17, see details here
OUSD Community Meeting was on 10/17. The OUSD School Year is Changing see meeting details here.
What is Waldorf-Inspired Trauma-Sensitive Education? by Mr. Bernd Ruf Tuesday, Oct. 17, 6pm – 7pm How To Care For the Care Giver by Dr. Christopher Huditz, MD, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 6pm – 7pm at the Community School for Creative Education 2111 International Boulevard, Oakland California
Measure G Committee held a meeting on 10/18, meeting details here
LCAP PSAC General Meeting was on 10/18 – Oakland High School 1023 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94610 The LCAP PSAC finalized elections for the nominations presented in May 2016 and reviewed samples of school site snapshots combining population, investment, staff retention, and student outcome data. The committee will also receive an update for the 2017-18 budget with emphasis on strategies and investments included in the 2017-20 LCAP.
California and Beyond
Back to the Roots of the Charter School Movement As a longtime believer in the possibility of charter schools, the so-called “charter movement” has been a disappointment.
Hey, Rick Hess, Know Your History on White Supremacy Last week, Rick Hess lambasted not only the Harvard protesters who greeted Betsy DeVos with a banner reading “White Supremacist,”
California voters strongly support expanded K-12 science and computer education, poll shows High marks for Next Generation Science Standards, computer coding in EdSource survey
Why Parents Make Flawed Choices About Their Kids’ Schooling A new study shows that families act on insufficient information when it comes to figuring out where to enroll their children.
LISTEN: Let Brotherly Love Continue: An All-Male Public School Opens (Raising Kings, Ep. 1) As Washington D.C.’s first all-male public high school opens, 100 9th graders will experience a school like none they have before—one that’s grounded in love.
Opportunities/Funding for Educators
Teachers: Free Field Trips to the Exploratorium this Fall. Take BART to the Exploratorium and get free admission for your class, plus free round-trip BART tickets. Click here to Register or email for registration.
9/19 – 11/30 Apply for Paint the Town! Apply for Oakland’s new street mural program from September 19th – November 30th. This pilot program allows community members to paint temporary street murals on Oakland’s roads. Make sure to come to an application clinic hosted at an Oakland Public Library, where community members can learn about the program and receive assistance on applications. Attending a clinic is not required to apply but they encourage you to come! The dates and locations of the clinics are available on the website. If you have more questions, email [email protected] and visit the website for all application materials.
How you can help
Help an Oakland student and educator whose home was destroyed by fire. Huber was an Education for Change student, and is now an Education for Change teacher in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. He and his family represent Oakland at its best, and in the early hours of Friday, September 8th, they awoke to their home on fire. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but you can imagine the pain, stress, frustration, and anger in seeing your family home on fire. We are asking that you donate whatever you can to help Huber and his family respond to this loss quickly so that he can resume the job he loves and support his family. Help spread the word!
Support students with Listening Tools – A strong listening center is much needed in all elementary school classrooms. The stacks of CD’s and cassettes on a day to day for engagement, enrichment in both love for learning and academic standards. My students need a protected space with a CD player and timers to listen, learn and be heard. Be the first to donate | $484 still needed, Ms. Semana Aspire College Academy, Oakland CA
Bring Coding and Engineering to Life with Lego Robots at Oakland Sol. This is the second phase of our great robot adventure, where students experiment with engineering concepts and coding practice, as well as learning about the design phases of a technical project. My students need these EV3 Mindstorms kits to take their skills to the next level! 2 donors | $466 still needed… Give to Mr. Davis
October Morning Volunteers Needed at Alameda County Community Food Bank Alameda County Community Food Bank 7900 Edgewater Dr Oakland, 94621. Harvest Season has begun! Truckloads of fresh produce that need to be sorted and bagged are coming in daily. Helping hands are urgently needed in October to ensure that the large quantities of incoming produce get out the door — and into the community! To find out more about dates or to register for a shift, go here. If you have a group of 5 or more, please go to Weekday Group Volunteering. Information about other Food Bank volunteer opportunities can be found at www.accfb.org/volunteer.