For four years, FIA has celebrated high schools where 80 percent or more of our Black and Brown students successfully completed A-G, making them eligible to apply to four-year colleges. This Thursday, they are also uplifting schools meeting California Dashboard Standards, those making BIG strides in ELA and Math, and unveiling “Raise the Bar” schools…
Accountability
Rethinking Education: Beyond Grades to Proficiency
I run an organization called Energy Convertors. In that org, we train student fellows and parents to utilize their sense of agency to get the education they deserve. Once we accomplish that, our student fellows define local education issues, conduct scientific research, and then write a report that builds the agency of their whole community…
“On Track To Fail”: Dismal reading scores for Oakland students in data report from FIA
The data from FIA’s Unspoken Pandemic report has us asking what Oakland public schools are matching or exceeding the state benchmark of 47% – but for Black and Brown students?
Our Election Coverage Drops Wednesday: What One Student’s Attempt to Register to Vote Has Become…
When I arrived in the East Bay in early July from New York City to press on with our brother Dirk’s legacy, this month’s mayoral and school board elections were squarely top of mind for many who care about children and their futures. In fact, Oakland’s youth was excited, because thanks to Measure QQ –…
SOBE Rants Season 4 Episode 2 is Out Now
The following post is from your host of SOBE Rants, MarQuis Evans, and is intended as an introductory companion piece for the next SOBE Rants podcast . Follow Quis on this journey by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!
Throughout historical events on the timeline, people of African descent have worked together with allies in multiple movements to elevate our quality of life in America. When it comes to quality of education, I question if integration contributed towards the solution, or if it was the beginning chapter of new obstacles on our pathway to achieving educational liberation. In times of war, having solid allies on your team can play a contributing factor in receiving the ‘W’ or taking that ‘L’. In our case, it’s looking a little shaky in our battle to educate our scholars blessed with melanin superpowers.
What happens when your allies are not receptive to feedback given? What happens when the voices of Black excellence are not in the rooms where decisions for Black scholars are being made? What are the long term results when Black scholars are passed to the next grade level without demonstrating mastery of reading, while being provided a false sense of privilege and entitlement, with low expectations to succeed?
We vent it out by indulging in a quick S.O.B.E. style rant to crack open the door and welcome in an uncomfortable but needed conversation, then transition into the solution for the State Of Black Education.
We are also excited to present to you SOBE Rants S4E2. SOBE Rants was created by Dr. Charles Cole III and now hosted by Quis Evans! The podcast serves as a safe space to have those accountability conversations, while bridging the gap of understanding and providing clear action steps in our fight to elevate the educational experience for our blessed and melanated scholars, while maneuvering in an education system populated by uncultured and seasoning deficient individuals.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify with additional content here at Great School Voices for each episode. Excited to have this conversation with you.