Schools bear much of the accumulated sludge of history and culture and are often tasked with addressing them. Racism, classism, patriarchy, homophobia–pretty much all the isms, archys, and phobias will find their way into the classroom. And while I get angry when I hear stories where students or families are disrespected, I am very hopeful…
Month: May 2017
The Debate We Need Is Not About School Choice, It’s About Access and Quality
As a long time education reformer, I couldn’t care less about “school choice.” And focusing on “choice” by itself, doesn’t necessarily help kids or increase equity. Most importantly, that’s not how I hear families describe what they want, which should be our focus. Sadly though, parents and families are more often positioned as props than…
Privileged Oakland Parents Need to Clean Their Own House Before They Meddle in the Deep East
It was a heartfelt moment recently when a member of the Alameda County school board asked the question that many of us were thinking, why are some Oakland families so opposed to charter schools in Deep East Oakland. A question doubly important, because there are some serious hostile environment issues playing out at the Hills…
A Charter School “Moratorium” in Oakland Would Be Wrong, Illegal and Stupid
Rather than asking why so many families attend charters or even more pay for private school in Oakland, there is a misguided effort at a charter moratorium. This is not only illegal, it’s counterproductive—which makes it stupid. Case in point: Unnamed Charter School, a school soundly denied by the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), was…
We Got Our Homegrown Superintendent in Oakland. Now What?
The community spoke. We wanted a homegrown leader, who understood OUSD and could hit the ground running. And now we got one in the appointment of Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell for superintendent. Whether we actually give her a chance is another question. But before the mud flies, let’s pop a cork. We need a leader and…