Oakland’s fractious public education sector may have found some common ground. New leadership in the OUSD enrollment office, openness to real changes at the top, and a public push for equity and integration in Oakland across the community have created a moment of opportunity. In my view the biggest doable change we can make in…
Month: September 2016
There is No “Free Market” in Public Education
Any time someone starts talking about the free market in K-12 education I immediately know that they don’t know what they are talking about. And as a hack economist myself, I know that public education is nothing like a free market—for good reason. Stick with me. There is no “free market” Economists like competitive markets…
What’s Missing in the Charter School Ruckus with the NAACP and BLM
Black families support charter schools. Every survey I have ever seen that actually asked families found significantly more African American families supported charter schools than didn’t. I challenge someone to show me a respectable survey to the contrary. So why aren’t some of our civil rights organizations listening? Broad, Consistent Support for Charter Schools Every…
Ending Separate and Unequal Schools in Oakland
Most everyone says they want integrated schools. Maybe not “too integrated” if you know what I mean, but “diverse” schools. There is a significant body of research that says it’s good for kids too. But integration ain’t happening. Schools nationwide are more segregated than they were decades ago and nothing will change until we affirmatively…