All the news relevant to Oakland education, state policy and equity in one place– this week–A new library parcel tax? A DACA school worker shares concerns, lots more on lead and how LIFE Academy youth are helping, how to reduce charter growth, looking back on the Panther’s school, the Warriors are in schools and so is Sheila E, the Oakland Promise, two youth testimonies, on what our youth need to learn and feel safe in school, time to reform prop 13, the LCFF seems to be working, 3% of CA youth identify as trans, and lots of content relevant to Black history month, all that and much more below with links, please read, share and get involved
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OAKLAND
In-depth: Oakland school employee on DACA fears deportation
Oakland library parcel tax measure to be on primary ballot
It could cost Oakland schools $38 million to fix lead contamination
Black Panther school a legend in its time
How OUSD Can Practically Reduce Charter School Growth and Help Educators and Families
Warriors to Celebrate Black History Month Throughout February
Sheila E. in Oakland, promoting music in public schools. And her thoughts on the Prince “hologram”
Oakland kids test high for lead levels
Oakland teens visit SF State in Fruitvale lead pollution study
How Oakland is getting kids into college — and keeping them there
Being Arab and Female in These Hallways
Preparing for our second experiential unit – in northern Thailand! – Thrival World Academies
Real Talk for Teachers: Teach Life Skills & Don’t Be Corny
CALIFORNIA
Database on chronic absenteeism in California schools 2016-17
Summer Learning – A Smart Investment for California School Districts
School Reforms Are Narrowing Achievement Gaps – Year 2018 (CA Dept of Education)
Is California ready for a Proposition 13 overhaul?
Governor wants California school districts to give more detail on use of state funds in budgets
Contrary to critics, parents tell pollster they find California’s school dashboard useful
More teens identify as transgender, new research survey finds – San Francisco Chronicle, 2018-02-05
BEST OF THE REST
Trump’s proposed cuts to science education would be ‘devastating,’ educators say
Why Schools Fail To Teach Slavery’s ‘Hard History’
Teach For America Alum starts charter for foster youth
Courageous Conversations About Race in Schools – National Network of State Teachers of the Year
‘It’s a big world out there’: Teachers take math outside the classroom
BLACK HISTORY MONTH | Real ways you can support Black communities
RESOURCES FOR YOUTH
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes Accepting Applications
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Click here to support Back to South Africa organized by Albert Mitchell
Oakland
In-depth: Oakland school employee on DACA fears deportation – A budget deal was reached in the Senate on Wednesday with no DACA deal, prompting House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to give a speech totaling more than 8 hours.
Oakland library parcel tax measure to be on primary ballot – The Oakland City Council unanimously voted to place a library parcel tax on the June ballot.
It could cost Oakland schools $38 million to fix lead contamination – It will cost Oakland Unified an estimated $38 million to fix the lead contamination at about 15 schools.
Black Panther school a legend in its time – The Oakland Community School turned children from poor and marginalized communities into eager scholars. The revolutionary black school closed in 1982 when the Black Panther Party fell apart.
How OUSD Can Practically Reduce Charter School Growth and Help Educators and Families – Oakland has tried and failed several strategies to reduce charter school growth. Here I offer some free consulting (“POP” the sound of OUSD heads exploding) and two practical ways the district can reduce or even stop the growth of charters here. They won’t be easy, and they aren’t the sloganistic, short term symbolic actions that the partisans will cheer for, but they will work.
Warriors to Celebrate Black History Month Throughout February – The 2017 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors will celebrate Black History Month throughout February with numerous in-game activations, community outreachefforts and a multimedia partnership with BAYCAT Academy, a Bay Area nonprofit that educates, empowers and employs youth to produce digital media.
Sheila E. in Oakland, promoting music in public schools. And her thoughts on the Prince “hologram” – Sheila E. knows only too well the challenges and joys of music education in Oakland public schools. And she’s in town to raise money for Elevate Oakland.
Oakland kids test high for lead levels – Children in Oakland may be exposed to more lead contamination than residents in Flint, Michigan, according to a new report.
Oakland teens visit SF State in Fruitvale lead pollution study – Some Oakland teenagers are doing a science project that could have a big impact on their neighborhood — and in the search for important answers, they took a field trip to a chemistry lab at San Francisco State University.
How Oakland is getting kids into college — and keeping them there – A program aimed at tripling the number of Oakland students who graduate from college is entering its second year.
Being Arab and Female in These Hallways – As an Arab, especially a female, you experience differently. It’s kind of rare if you feel safe in the community and sometimes they don’t feel like they belong or fit in anywhere because they look different than others.
Preparing for our second experiential unit – in northern Thailand! – Thrival World Academies – This week in English class, students will be preparing for their second homestay. On this homestay, students will be collecting evidence, making claims, and beefing up their arguments in order to hold their own in their final unit assessment. What is the assessment?
Real Talk for Teachers: Teach Life Skills & Don’t Be Corny – At school, I want to learn the things that will help me later on in life. I currently feel like some of the things that teachers teach me don’t matter if I am honest. The curriculum doesn’t grab me at all. It doesn’t feel relevant. I also feel like hardly any teachers ask me what I want to do after I graduate. To help the educators that I know will be reading our blog, below are a few things I would love to learn.
California
The State of California School Funding – A Message from L. Karen Monroe, Alameda County Superintendent of Schools – I am encouraged to see an increase to educational funding in the Governor’s most recent budget proposal. This has been a long time in coming and we are truly grateful – our students need every advantage we can provide.
Database on chronic absenteeism in California schools 2016-17 – Search EdSource’s database to find the chronic absenteeism rate (the percentage of students who miss 10 percent or more of instructional days) for all California schools.
Summer Learning – A Smart Investment for California School Districts – Authors: Mary Perry, Nazaneen Khalilnaji-Otto, Katie BrackenridgeYear of publication: January 2018Publication: Policy Analysis for California Education Summer learning loss contributes significantly to the achievement gap between low income students and their more affluent peers.
School Reforms Are Narrowing Achievement Gaps – Year 2018 (CA Dept of Education) – New research shows state school reforms are narrowing achievement gaps, helping parents.
Is California ready for a Proposition 13 overhaul? – A ballot initiative to change how California taxes commercial and industrial properties would raise billions more annually, according to a new analysis.
Governor wants California school districts to give more detail on use of state funds in budgets – The proposals are a response to concerns that it is difficult to track how school districts are spending funds they received for high-needs students.
Contrary to critics, parents tell pollster they find California’s school dashboard useful – Depending how the question is framed, they also favor rating schools on multiple factors, not issuing a single grade.
More teens identify as transgender, new research survey finds – San Francisco Chronicle, 2018-02-05 – Far more U.S. teens than previously thought are transgender or identify themselves using other nontraditional gender terms, with many rejecting the idea that girl and boy are the only options, new research suggests.
Best of the Rest
Trump’s proposed cuts to science education would be ‘devastating,’ educators say – NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and teacher training grants face more than $3 billion in cuts as Congress debates 2018 budget.
Why Schools Fail To Teach Slavery’s ‘Hard History’ – A new report says too many students don’t know the basics of American slavery and too many teachers feel ill-served by bad textbooks and timid state standards.
Will Letter Grades Survive? – A century-old pillar of the school system is under fire as schools look to modernize student assessment.
Teach For America – Lunch is an important ritual at Mott Haven Academy, a school founded by TFA alumna Jessica Nauiokas to serve students in foster care and preventative services. Each day, kids eat family-style at round tables where they serve themselves, de-stress, and build community.
Courageous Conversations About Race in Schools – National Network of State Teachers of the Year – Too often we end up having the same conversations about equity in education. We speak in generalities about gaps and deficits. We assign blame.
‘It’s a big world out there’: Teachers take math outside the classroom – Learning math at the beach, on a city street, at the playground can engage even the most math-averse students, teachers say.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH | Real ways you can support Black communities – Black History Month offers a designated time to acknowledge the Black community’s contributions to society — a time to honor Black accomplishments.
Resources for the Youth
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes Accepting Applications – Each year, up to twenty young leaders each receive $10,000 in recognition of the impact of their work on people, their communities, and the environment.
How you can help
Click here to support Back to South Africa organized by Albert Mitchell – Hi! My name is Albert Mitchell, I am a 12th grader at McClymonds High School located in Oakland,California. I am determined to go back to Africa to have a better experience in my original homeland.