The Oakland Ed Week in Review 9/30/23-10/6/23

This week: a profile of District 5 school board candidate and longtime educator and education advocate, Jorge Lerma; a union representing 900 SFUSD workers — custodians, food service and clerical workers — goes on strike; more student debt relief coming from the Biden Administration, bringing the total to $127 million in relieved debt since he took office.


29 Times More Likely To Be Suspended: The Latest Data on OUSD’s Failure To Serve Black Students With Special Needs

OUSD continues to fail Black students in special education. A low-income Black student with an IEP is 29 times more likely to be suspended than a non low-income, non-Black student without an IEP. Our students with the highest needs are summarily dismissed from the classroom on the regular. Twenty-nine times more likely—think about that. The students who have…


What is wrong with the SPED department in OUSD?

By Andrew Pablo, former OUSD Special Education teacher I know everyone is tired of hearing the same statement that “public schools are underfunded.” However, the fact of the matter is, public schools are truly lacking the necessary amount of money to create learning spaces that can benefit ALL students, including those with IEPs (Individualized Educational…


Prioritize the needs of Special Education students this school year

This pandemic without a doubt forced us to focus on the basic economic needs of families and students. The need for economic stability and housing stability was front and center for so many and that took precedence over the search for internet and devices. The questions were real – will I pay for $10 internet,…