Another busy week in Oakland education– offers are out for Fall school placements, and the steps families need to take to assure their spot, an inspiring trip to S. Africa for our youth, the lack of money to pay for AP tests and how it may hurt low income students, the Oakland Promise report is out, kids making a difference, a poignant look at the teachers that students want from a student’s voice and a teacher’s response, a look at our Supe and the challenges, a student’s story of gun violence , Black Panther and Black techies, a look at AAFE, Zendaya supports a public school, a look at some of the challenges of school choice, federal policy and racial disparities, all that and much more below with links, please read share and get involved, there are lots of ways you can help from donating a skateboard to supporting our youths on the S. Africa trip to helping to cover AP fees for kids
OAKLAND
Oakland officials want to raise more preschool funding through new parcel tax
Sights & Sounds of East Oakland: A teen activist makes a difference in his neighborhood
Oakland students dig deep into their own roots to prep for South Africa trip
Oakland Promise Launches Initiative to get Students from “Kindergarten to College”
The Hard Choices for Oakland Families; A.P. Fees or Food, and How You Can Help – Great School Voices
Oakland Tech students face financial hardships over AP test fees
Students weed out old books at Oakland Tech, work to turn neglected library around
Gun found on student at Oakland high school
County Tax Measure Would Fund Child Care | East Bay Express
Oakland’s New Superintendent Is a Homegrown Leader for a District in Financial Turmoil
Black Techies Combine Black Panther Screening and Panel to Inspire OUSD Students – Oakland Post
More Than Just a Teacher; A Game Changer – Great School Voices
The UMBC Victory that is Even More Improbable than a 16 Seed Beating a 1 – Great School Voices
Finally, enough beakers for everyone: Oakland teacher wins grant for state-of-the-art science lab
Oakland High School pathway programs prepare students for college
Opinion: How two school districts address student hunger
Life, Death, Trauma, and Rebirth-My “Nook” in Life – Great School Voices
Telling the Human Stories Behind Oakland’s Homicide Counts
‘When did America fall so in love with the sound of gunshots?’ — Oakland Tech student
Oakland Unified initiative for African-American girls follows years of focus on the boys
Oakland initiative shows early success in breaking down barriers to college
Zendaya Supports $650K Google Grant to Oakland’s Roses in Concrete Community School (PHOTOS)
CALIFORNIA
‘Deeper learning’ aimed to expand as Stanford researchers join California charter group
How Trump repeal of Obama-era school discipline guidelines could affect California
Student voices on school safety: Nicole O.
Bay Area Students Add Their Voice To National Debate On Gun Control
BEST OF THE REST
Listen: Parents Are Education Advocates Too – The Education Trust
In Cities With Lots of School Choice, Black Students Have Longer Commutes
Fighting for Mirrors: Supporting Diverse Stories in Classrooms
Teachers of Color Pay an ‘Invisible Tax’ That Leads to Burnout, Ed. Sec. Writes
#MontessoriSoWhite? Why the Diverse Charter School Model Is Being Gentrified – EdSurge News
Kids miss college because their parents won’t apply for financial aid
Deeper Learning in Trump’s Cross-Hairs: How Rescinding Obama’s Policies Could Make Schools Less Safe
Students With Emotional Disabilities: Facts About This Vulnerable Population
Collective Bargaining Does Not Improve Teacher Pay, Study Finds
Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Click here to support Back to South Africa organized by AlmightyAl Mitchell
OAKLAND
I Got My School Offer(s) for Next year—Now What?- The Upcoming March 29th Deadline – Great School Voices – Congratulations to all those families who applied early for charter or district public schools during the open enrollment period, you should have received your offer by last week, but applying isn’t enough. Families will need to accept or decline OUSD or charter school offers by March 29th.
Oakland officials want to raise more preschool funding through new parcel tax – East Bay leaders said Wednesday they want to improve Oakland’s preschools and make them more affordable through a new parcel tax on the November ballot.
Sights & Sounds of East Oakland: A teen activist makes a difference in his neighborhood – Ivan Garcia is only 15 years old, but he’s already working with Oakland city officials, and was appointed by Mayor Libby Schaaf to the city’s Youth Advisory Commission.
Oakland students dig deep into their own roots to prep for South Africa trip – Next Tuesday, more than thirty students from Oakland will get on a plane for South Africa. Some have never even been on a plane; most are Oakland teens.
Oakland Promise Launches Initiative to get Students from “Kindergarten to College” – On Thursday morning, about 20 kindergarteners gathered together in front of the stage at the auditorium in Bridges Academy at Melrose and cried, “I’m going to college!”
The Hard Choices for Oakland Families; A.P. Fees or Food, and How You Can Help – Great School Voices – Imagine working hard all year in an advanced placement class, and then not having the $94 to be able to pay to take the test to get credit. You don’t need to imagine it.
Oakland Tech students face financial hardships over AP test fees – The administrators at Oakland Tech High School say hundreds of students taking AP or advanced placement classes are facing a financial hardship.
Students weed out old books at Oakland Tech, work to turn neglected library around – A group of dedicated book lovers at Oakland Tech plans to spend another weekend weeding out dated and dusty books and sprucing up a room that serves more as a study hall than a library.
Gun found on student at Oakland high school – A loaded gun was recovered Wednesday morning from a student at Oakland’s Fremont High School.
County Tax Measure Would Fund Child Care | East Bay Express – A measure on the June ballot would raise the sales tax by one-half percent and make Alameda County the first in the state to fund child care for low-income families.
Oakland Tech students face financial hardships over AP test fees – The administrators at Oakland Tech High School say hundreds of students taking AP or advanced placement classes are facing a financial hardship.
Oakland’s New Superintendent Is a Homegrown Leader for a District in Financial Turmoil – The rage was palpable. Oakland community members packed the district room waving signs. They shouted over school board members, screaming, “No cuts!”
Black Techies Combine Black Panther Screening and Panel to Inspire OUSD Students – Oakland Post – High school students at OUSD headquarters participate in “Changing the Narrative: A Dialogue With Oakland Youth and Black Techies” prior to attending a Black Panther screening.
Oakland’s Geniuses; A Teacher Reflects on the Boundless Potential in His Students – Great School Voices – (A guest Post from F’Tahn Bey an Oakland public school teacher responding to a post from one of his students, He’s More Than Just a Teacher, Mr. Bey Is a Game Changer, that showed how important it is for teachers to emotionally connect with students and the impact he was having on his students).
More Than Just a Teacher; A Game Changer – Great School Voices – This is my teacher Mr. Bey, in the 6 months our class has known him he has earned not only our respect, but our love. I met him my first day of freshman year.
The UMBC Victory that is Even More Improbable than a 16 Seed Beating a 1 – Great School Voices – Many of us first heard the name University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) for their historic upset of a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, however, there is an even more historic lesson there, with a far greater impact, and one I hope we learn from.
Finally, enough beakers for everyone: Oakland teacher wins grant for state-of-the-art science lab – $20,000 award from National Science Teachers Association will provide much-needed supplies to East Oakland middle school.
Oakland High School pathway programs prepare students for college – Oakland High School is the first school within the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to have all their students enrolled in what they call “wall to wall” college preparation programs.
Opinion: How two school districts address student hunger – Oakland and San Francisco have created breakfast programs serving students of all incomes.
Enrollment News – Detail Page – A robocall message was sent to families on Thursday evening, March 15 stating that tentative school assignments will be available starting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, March 16. Visit ousd.org/confirm for details.
Life, Death, Trauma, and Rebirth-My “Nook” in Life – Great School Voices – By Mya Medley My relationship with death started with Nook Nook, my family’s beloved goldfish, when I was five years old, but that was only the start. Since 2016 I have been experiencing trauma. My overprotective brother Kionta Murphy was killed in August of 2016. My world had been taken away from me and I wanted to know why. A birth brought it back.
Telling the Human Stories Behind Oakland’s Homicide Counts – There were 77 homicides last year in The Town. Devonte Thomas was one of them — and his friends are making sure he’s not forgotten.
‘When did America fall so in love with the sound of gunshots?’ — Oakland Tech student – Oakland Tech sophomore class president Samuel Getachew, 15, wrote a poem about guns and racism.
Oakland Unified initiative for African-American girls follows years of focus on the boys – Like the boys’ initiative, the goal is to boost cultural pride and academic performance, lower suspension and dropout rates and create greater understanding of the students’ singular experiences and needs.
Oakland initiative shows early success in breaking down barriers to college – Abby Friedman was thrilled when she got a text this week from one of the students she counsels at the college resource center at Coliseum College Preparatory Academy in Oakland.
Zendaya Supports $650K Google Grant to Oakland’s Roses in Concrete Community School (PHOTOS) – Oakland’s Roses in Concrete Community School opened in East Oakland, California in 2015, aiming to “developed youth committed to lives characterized by self-discipline, integrity, love and hope in the pursuit of justice and equity for all communities,” according to their mission statement.
Oakland Teen Has A 5.0 GPA & Scores 2100 On SAT & Accepted Into Every Ivy League School! | National Black Buzz – Oakland Teen Has A 5.0 GPA & Scores 2100 On SAT & Accepted Into Every Ivy League School! The New Richest Black Man In America! He’s Not an Athlete Or Entertainer Either. Find Out What He Does 7 Year Old Girl Owns and Runs Her Own Business. WOW!!
CALIFORNIA
‘Deeper learning’ aimed to expand as Stanford researchers join California charter group – The joining of forces will give Envision Learning Partners greater research heft behind its consulting work, which already includes nearly 500 charter.
How Trump repeal of Obama-era school discipline guidelines could affect California – Civil rights advocates worry that if the Trump administration decides to rescind federal school discipline guidance established in 2014, the action could hamper discipline reform efforts in districts throughout California, especially in those where the pace of reform has been slow, say civil rights and youth advocates.
Candidates for California’s top school chief post call for more transparency in spending of state funds – During the debate, they also called for substantially increasing education funding.
Student voices on school safety: Nicole O. – “Site supervisors at my school don’t walk around campus. I don’t feel safe with site supervisors all in one place, because campus is really big, and there are many fights. I hear some kids brought guns inside campus.”
Bay Area Students Add Their Voice To National Debate On Gun Control – Thousands of Bay Area students walked out of their classrooms Wednesday as part of a national protest for stronger gun control laws in the wake of a high school shooting in Florida that claimed 17 lives.
BEST OF THE REST
Listen: Parents Are Education Advocates Too – The Education Trust – Black students are usually disciplined more harshly in school. Parents of color have become education advocates for their children. Here’s one mom’s story.
In Cities With Lots of School Choice, Black Students Have Longer Commutes – That was one among a myriad of findings from an analysis by the Urban Institute of student travel patterns across cities that offer a lot of school choice.
Fighting for Mirrors: Supporting Diverse Stories in Classrooms – I still remember the first time I read a piece of writing that felt like it truly understood me. I was a junior in high school.
Man confronts childhood bully – This man says his childhood bully is now the superintendent of the local school district—and he finally confronted him.
Teachers of Color Pay an ‘Invisible Tax’ That Leads to Burnout, Ed. Sec. Writes – Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. wrote for the Washington Post that teachers of color are more prone to burnout because of the “invisible tax” imposed on them.
#MontessoriSoWhite? Why the Diverse Charter School Model Is Being Gentrified – EdSurge News – As we approach the school, my Uber driver, assuming that I am looking to buy property, cautions me saying the neighborhood is dilapidated.
Kids miss college because their parents won’t apply for financial aid – Whether it’s due to fear of deportation or family estrangement, the refusal to fill out the FAFSA keeps some high school seniors from attending college.
Deeper Learning in Trump’s Cross-Hairs: How Rescinding Obama’s Policies Could Make Schools Less Safe – The Trump Administration’s plan to rescind a 2014 policy on school discipline threaten a promising approach to foster deeper learning and keep schools safe.
An integration dilemma: School choice is pushing wealthy families to gentrify neighborhoods but avoid local schools – The ability to opt out of the neighborhood school increased the likelihood that a mostly black or Hispanic neighborhood would see influx in wealthier residents.
Students With Emotional Disabilities: Facts About This Vulnerable Population – Advocates worry students with special education needs such as “emotional disturbance” may be stigmatized in light of the intense spotlight on accused Florida mass shooter.
Collective Bargaining Does Not Improve Teacher Pay, Study Finds – A new study finds that mandatory collective bargaining laws did not improve teacher pay or public education spending.
Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys – A study of 20 million children shows the fragility of the American Dream.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Click here to support Back to South Africa organized by AlmightyAl 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.
Donate your skate!! Dreams come true!!! I’m teaching a skate class with our students at Oakland International High School in May and need boards! Do you have an extra board that’s been lonely in your garage or closet too long? Could you lend it to some teenagers for 3 weeks? Or donate it to our fledgling skate community? Please private message me for a pick up and share our flier far and wide!