More school choice, by itself will not lead to more equitable outcomes.  Indeed “choice” for underserved families is often one of those platitudes, like “justice” whose airy description bears little resemblance to the ground level realities. So as Oakland potentially moves to a common enrollment system that will ideally increase the numbers of families making…

My friend’s grandson was struggling in his elementary school, a very smart kid, he had regressed over the last couple of years.  He can be a tough kid, he has seen more than he should have, and holds a reservoir of anger and sadness. But he has been labeled at his school as “the bad…

Note- this is an updated version of the Paideia piece, the Tribune wanted to publish it but I needed to add 100 plus words, you can find it in the Trib at http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_29195210/guest-commentary-copy-successful-programs-and-plant-them A weird thing happened recently at the Oakland Unified school board meeting. A real, substantive, solution-oriented question was asked by the Oakland Education…

Our current enrollment system is one of the most inequitable ways to assign schools.  Families with financial resources move to neighborhoods with good local schools and/or send their kids to private schools at middle or high.  Families with greater cultural capital and time can review and apply to the range of charters or look for…