All the Oakland education news from the last week- more on the budget crisis OUSD resignations, analysis of latest test scores, a great look at a program supporting student voice, SFUSD”s crisis in Black education, sexual harassment on campuses, a podcast digging in to reform and segregation, the challenges that LGTBQ youth face and much more, please read and share
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Oakland
Oakland Unified Financial Officer Resigns Amid Budget Crisis
Elementary Schools That Oakland Families Should Consider Based on the Latest Test Scores
Middle Schools That Oakland Families Should Consider Based on the Latest Test Scores
Energy Convertors Rising: A Call to Action for Education and Community Leaders
Battle against sexual misconduct hits Bay Area high school campuses
Oakland company wants to spark school food revolution
Power to the Parents; the Best Hope for Black Children in Oakland
California
Pension costs are threatening public services all over California. It has to stop.
New education laws passed by California Legislature in 2017
California education issues to watch in 2018 — and predictions of what will happen
Proposition 13 isn’t the problem, pensions and spending are
From pesticide use to ‘lunch shaming,’ new California laws will affect education in 2018
The feds are right: California students deserve to know how their schools are performing
Best of the Rest
#33Segrenomics: The Long History of Cashing In on Unequal Education
Math Doesn’t Have to Suck. Here Are Three Ways to Make It Better
Young, gay and living on the street: LGBT youth face increased odds of homelessness
How you can help
Creating Beautiful Writing Pieces In 2018 | DonorsChoose.org project by Ms. Modelson
Oakland
Oakland Unified Financial Officer Resigns Amid Budget Crisis – Oakland Unified School District senior business officer Vernon Hal has stepped down from his post amid a district-wide budget crisis. “Vernon has been a long time dedicated servant of our students, and is a proud graduate of Skyline High School,” Oakland Unified Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said in a statement.
Elementary Schools That Oakland Families Should Consider Based on the Latest Test Scores – Where you send your child to school is one of the most important decisions you can make. The new school quality data was released by the state recently, and I wanted to highlight some of the schools making progress with Oakland children, and encourage families to visit. But before I get to the public schools showing the most progress, let me give a warning.
Middle Schools That Oakland Families Should Consider Based on the Latest Test Scores – Where you send your child to school is one of the most important decisions you can make. The new school quality data was released by the state recently, and I wanted to highlight some of the schools making progress with Oakland children, and encourage families to visit.
Energy Convertors Rising: A Call to Action for Education and Community Leaders – Energy Convertors is an Oakland-based boutique organization focused on improving public education by utilizing the authentic voices of students. So far, the student fellows have published over 40 original pieces and the reception has been great.
Inside the fight over how to address San Francisco’s ‘state of emergency’ for black student achievement – The San Francisco Unified School District has acknowledged a state of educational emergency for low-income black students.
Battle against sexual misconduct hits Bay Area high school campuses – As the #MeToo movement garners national attention, high school students are starting to speak out about their own experiences and working to stop sexual harassment and assault.
Oakland company wants to spark school food revolution – An Oakland company is delivering healthy school lunches using only natural ingredients. Dishes like cold soba — or buckwheat — noodle salad, jerk chicken with “not-so-fried” rice, and chicken potstickers could be menu items at a hip restaurant, but for many schools in the Bay Area and around the country, they’re on the lunch line.
Power to the Parents; the Best Hope for Black Children in Oakland – We know there is no cavalry coming to save our kids. If there was it would have already done come. Centuries of educational exclusion where it was illegal to teach Black slaves, followed by decades of legal educational neglect during Jim Crow, and now a formal equality that exists largely on paper, but not the lived experiences of children and families.
California
Pension costs are threatening public services all over California. It has to stop. – Local governments can’t keep up with obligations to CalPERS and CALSTRS, and services are being crowded out.
New education laws passed by California Legislature in 2017 – This past year, dozens of bills related to education passed through the California legislature and received Gov. Jerry Brown’s signatures. The new laws effect everything from public school instruction and curriculum to community college tuition, free or reduced-price school lunch, school facilities and school districts’ finances.
California education issues to watch in 2018 — and predictions of what will happen – Place your bets: CTA troubles, pension woes, student deportations, battles with Trump, tax reform and other issues.
Proposition 13 isn’t the problem, pensions and spending are – Not for the first time, an effort is underway to persuade voters to “reform” Proposition 13 and raise property taxes. “The California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2018” was filed in mid-December with the attorney general’s office. It aims to raise $11 billion per year by removing Prop. 13 protections from industrial and commercial properties, reassessing them based on the unrealized, paper profits from rising real estate values.
From pesticide use to ‘lunch shaming,’ new California laws will affect education in 2018 – Starting Jan. 1, a slew of new state laws and regulations concerning California schools went into effect. From rules limiting the use of pesticide near schools to a law banning “lunch shaming,” 2018 brings changes to the way schools and teachers provide for their students.
LCAP Weekly – Weekly digest of Ed news focused on CA’s LCFF, LCAP, Labor and EdTech by Troy Christmas
The feds are right: California students deserve to know how their schools are performing – Last week, the U.S. Department of Education told California it needed to make changes to its plan for holding schools accountable. The feds are right.
Best of the Rest
#33Segrenomics: The Long History of Cashing In on Unequal Education – Education reform is often referred to as the “civil rights issue of our time.” But what would have happened if “edupreneurs” (like Mark Zuckerberg, Wendy Kopp or Dave Levin) had used their money, influence, connections and access to solve the riddle of why we can’t integrate schools?
Math Doesn’t Have to Suck. Here Are Three Ways to Make It Better – Would you rather read a book about mythical sea creatures or do a sheet of multiplication problems? Given the choice between listening to a hilarious Read Aloud featuring Elephant and Piggie or laboring through a long-division word problem, what would you choose?Many teachers hated math when they were kids, Justin Minkel writes. He shares three instructional strategies to break the cycle and make math creative.
Young, gay and living on the street: LGBT youth face increased odds of homelessness – Of the nation’s 1.6 million homeless youth, 40 percent identify as LGBT, according to one survey.
How you can help
Creating Beautiful Writing Pieces In 2018 | DonorsChoose.org project by Ms. Modelson – My students need pencils, markers, erasers, glue, construction paper, and glitter to continue creating literary and art masterpieces in the classroom! My classroom is a self-contained kindergarten class.