The Oakland Education News Roundup- Week of 3/9/18

Great news for Newcomers, the challenging experiences of Black girls and young women in Oakland, a great study abroad opportunity that you can support, addressing diversity in tech, an important donation from a Warrior wife, the increasing segregation in US schools, what schools are doing about gun violence, SpEd funding, studying where LCFF money goes, the discouraging lack of progress for Black families in the last 50 years, all that and much more with info and links below– please read, share and get involved

OAKLAND

Invisible Girls in Oakland

My Advice for Folks Who Want to Fund Education Reform: Break Out of the Echo Chamber

Oakland schools balance improving student performance while making deep budget cuts​

Oakland students embark on study abroad in South Africa

Ousd Secures $1.8M Grant For Newcomer, Immigrant Students

How to address tech’s lack of diversity: Understand it first

Wife of Warriors David West to give out 1,000 free prom dresses to Bay Area students

OUSD Wins Major Grant of $1.8 million to Help Newcomer Students

Beyond Anger—Working Together to End “Colonial Day”, Slap @ss Fridays, and Colonial Mentalities in Oakland

CALIFORNIA

Suspensions and expulsions don’t help California’s workforce. Keep kids in school

California closes in on compromise for complying with federal education law

2016 California guidelines

Some California districts are downplaying the National School Walkout as others embrace it

LCAP Weekly

California’s Funding Formula Tries to Close the Achievement Gap for Disadvantaged Youth. But How is the Money Spent?

Senators want to add extra $1.2 billion to California school funding formula next year

BEST OF THE REST

Magazine – Medium

Report: No progress for African Americans on homeownership, unemployment and incarceration in 50 years

The data proves that school segregation is getting worse

D.C. mayor called her ousted school chancellor’s action ‘indefensible.’ He says she knew about it for months.

Analysis | Teachers are now being asked to punch time clocks. What does that mean for their profession?

Why Students Are Skipping YOUR Class: Improving Teacher Practice from a Student’s Perspective

Transgender star of ‘I Am Jazz’ isn’t the only teen wishing for school choice

EVENTS

Oakland Black History Month Film Series 2018

OAKLAND

Invisible Girls in Oakland – Schools are tough places for most African American girls in Oakland. While much attention and rightful praise has gone to the African American Male Achievement Initiative, a recent report by the Alliance for Girls, Valuing Girls’ Voices, Lived Experiences of Girls of Color in Oakland Unified School District, looked at data and asked young women in Oakland about their experiences.

My Advice for Folks Who Want to Fund Education Reform: Break Out of the Echo Chamber – When I moved back to Oakland a few years ago, a now somewhat infamous charter school network was sucking up a lot of the philanthropic funding. Some of the large funders saw this network of schools and the academic outcomes, and not only did they shower it with cash, but they began asking other schools why they couldn’t be more like the high achieving network.

Oakland schools balance improving student performance while making deep budget cuts​ – Oakland Unified is one of 28 districts that could face state intervention if at least three student subgroups don’t improve in the next two years.

Oakland students embark on study abroad in South Africa – Twenty-eight Oakland students from McClymonds, Castlemont, Skyline, Oakland Tech, Emery High and Ile Omode Schools will soon travel to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ousd Secures $1.8M Grant For Newcomer, Immigrant Students – OAKLAND (BCN) The Oakland Unified School District has secured a $1.8 million grant to support refugee, asylee and newcomer students.

How to address tech’s lack of diversity: Understand it first – Oakland-based Kapor Center offers up a framework to help understand why diversity issues persist in tech, and what stakeholders can do to combat them.

Wife of Warriors David West to give out 1,000 free prom dresses to Bay Area students – Leslie West, wife of Golden State Warriors forward David West, is donating 1,000 prom dresses to Bay Area students in partnership with the Oakland Public Education Fund.

OUSD Wins Major Grant of $1.8 million to Help Newcomer Students – OUSD NEWSROOM PRESS RELEASE Saturday, March 3, 2018 Contact: John Sasaki Communications Director 510-214-2080 [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Beyond Anger—Working Together to End “Colonial Day”, Slap @ss Fridays, and Colonial Mentalities in Oakland – 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.

CALIFORNIA

Suspensions and expulsions don’t help California’s workforce. Keep kids in school – Expelling and suspending for willful defiance hurts the state’s workforce. Businesses prefer programs to keep them in school.

California closes in on compromise for complying with federal education law – State Board of Education to vote next week on significant changes to meet the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Learn about the adoption process and the 2016 California guidelines for History-Social Science, preview the materials, and give your feedback on the four options we’re considering for middle school history!

Some California districts are downplaying the National School Walkout as others embrace it – While many districts favor a hands-off approach focused on safety as they prepare for the nationwide protest on March 14.

LCAP Weekly – Weekly digest of Ed news focused on CA’s LCFF, LCAP, Labor and EdTech by Troy Christmas

California’s Funding Formula Tries to Close the Achievement Gap for Disadvantaged Youth. But How is the Money Spent? – Advocates who support the concept of California’s school funding formula say there’s been a lack of transparency around these funds and their usage.

Senators want to add extra $1.2 billion to California school funding formula next year – Districts strapped with rising expenses could use the money however they want.

BEST OF THE REST

Magazine – Medium – Improving education and community through the authentic voice of those most affected.

Report: No progress for African Americans on homeownership, unemployment and incarceration in 50 years – Fifty years after the historic Kerner Commission identified “white racism” as a cause of black economic inequality, little has changed.

The data proves that school segregation is getting worse – This is ultimately a disagreement over how we talk about school segregation.

D.C. mayor called her ousted school chancellor’s action ‘indefensible.’ He says she knew about it for months. – Antwan Wilson contradicts mayor, saying he informed her of his daughter’s school transfer in October.

Analysis | Teachers are now being asked to punch time clocks. What does that mean for their profession? – Many see it as a further step in the de-professionalization of teaching.

Why Students Are Skipping YOUR Class: Improving Teacher Practice from a Student’s Perspective

Transgender star of ‘I Am Jazz’ isn’t the only teen wishing for school choice – A New York Civil Liberties Union report found 50% of transgender students avoid school regularly and suffer disproportionately high dropout rates. Three out of every four transgender students feel unsafe at school, according to a GLSEN survey; those who are able to attend sometimes struggle with lower GPAs and are less likely to continue their education beyond high school.

EVENTS

Oakland Black History Month Film Series 2018 – Discussion: How America Houses the Unwanted – Are there lessons for Oakland? WEEK 1 – The Pruitt-Igoe Myth. Join Councilmember Desley Brooks, the Black Power Network, Community & local leaders for discussions on self-determination and screenings of some films.

 

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