The Oakland Ed Week in Review 12/17-12/23

All the Oakland news fit to link, this week–hundreds of Oakland parents come out for access to better schools, its school choice season and I looked at middle schools showing progress on tests, Mack three peats, analysis of student progress, more on the budget crisis and school closures, the impact of Black teachers, all that and much more below please read share and get involved

Oakland:

California:

Best of the Rest:

Upcoming School Visits:

 

Oakland:

  • As Potential Closures Loom, Oakland Parents Want ‘Opportunity Ticket’ to Access Better Schools
    • A group of Oakland parents plan to go before the school board on Wednesday to lobby for what they are calling an opportunity ticket. The move comes in response to the Oakland Unified School District’s looming plans to close or merge schools to help stabilize its budget problems, long-term.
  • Oakland Public Middle Schools that Parents Should Consider Based on Growth-Looking at 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.  Every child is different, and I will break it down into subgroups (schools showing progress with Black, Brown and low income students) in the next few weeks and you can also take a look at the schoolfinder tool to find local schools.
  • A Tech Company Known for Backing Public Education Zeroes in on Leadership in Schools
    • Salesforce.org, the philanthropic arm of the software company, recently announced a $2 million gift to New Leaders, a nonprofit dedicated to preparing and nurturing leaders in schools. The company has a long track record of supporting public schools in cities where it has offices, especially San Francisco, but this grant represents Salesforce’s biggest gift to an education nonprofit to date.
  • The McClymonds High School Warriors are California Division 4A Champions
    • It’s official! The McClymonds High School Warriors are California Division 4A Champions after beating Garfield High of Los Angeles by a score of 32-6.
  • McClymonds High School – Intensive Support School Initiative Projects
    • Oakland Unified School District is committed to continual investment in McClymonds High School’s rich history and bright future. To improve the classroom experience at McClymonds High School, OUSD’s Facilities and Planning Division has devoted $4,000,000 to key infrastructure upgrades since 2016. These improvements to the learning environment at McClymonds include critical safety features, expanded facilities to learn and collaborate, energy efficiency projects, and major enhancements to McClymonds’ commitment to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education.
  • Are Oakland students making progress meeting state standards?
    • The budget is on everyone’s mind. So are the teacher contract negotiations. At times lost in the mix of all these serious issues is a central question for all Oakland public schools: Are our students making progress meeting state standards in math and language, the building blocks of learning?
  • ‘Write to Read’ Program Helps Students Make Strides in Literacy
    • “Write to Read uses reading and writing as tools to examine social, economic, and political situations in life,” said Cyrus Armajani, literacy specialist and teacher for the Write to Read program. “Students in the program explore issues of personal identity, tolerance, the juvenile justice system, and social justice.”
  • Holiday cheers at the Alameda County Opportunity Academy!
    • Holiday cheers at the Alameda County Opportunity Academy! Last year ACOE (with board approval) opened an independent study school (partnering with YEP) focused primarily on Opportunity Youth (ages 16-24 years) without a diploma/GED and either no employment or underemployment. In 1 year 240+ students have received their diplomas and job training.
  • Defend and Transform Oakland’s Public Schools
    • The Post Salon co-sponsored a community dialogue on schools Sunday, Dec. 9. along with Oakland Public Education Network (OPEN), Educators for Democratic Schools, the New McClymonds Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee of Parents and Education. Speaking at the meeting were Oakland teachers, parents and community leaders concerned about low teacher salaries, upcoming budget cuts and the threat of closing schools and selling or leasing the campuses to charter schools.

California:

  • California’s new school rating tool is better, but still flawed
    • After years of work and some ludicrous missteps, California’s annual report card on schools is finally up and measuring educational performance. It’s improved from its early iterations, and there’s a fair amount to like about it. But the new system is still lacking in many areas; the state shouldn’t consider its work done here. The reports can be hard to parse, and they make schools look like they’re doing a lot better than they are.

Best of the Rest:

  • To help them across the college finish line, alums of KIPP charters in four new cities will be eligible for emergency cash
    • “KIPP has been open about the challenges their alumni are having with basic needs insecurity (food and housing challenges) and emergency aid is one of the best known approaches to addressing those issues,” Sara Goldrick-Rab, an expert on college affordability and a Temple University professor, wrote in an email. “It’s about delivering money right when a student needs it, just in time to really help.”
  • For Black Students, Having a Black Teacher Can Be a Benefit, Study Finds
    • Matching students with teachers of the same race can yield positive effects for some groups of students in math and reading, according to a new study of Tennessee schoolchildren…According to the more recent Tennessee study, while students of color represent 51 percent of the public school population, only 18 percent of teachers in that state identify as belonging to a minority group.

 

Upcoming School Visits:

 

December 28th:

  • Interested in Aurum Prep?
    • December 28th
    • Come join a guided tour of the facility!
    • Location: 1034 66th Ave., Oakland, CA 94621-353
    • Time: 8:30am – 9:30am
    • RSVP by Phone: 510.746.7860 or Email:  [email protected]
    • They will be hosting tours on the last Friday of every month from 8:30am-9:30am  until the end of open enrollment.
    • They will also be having tours on many Wednesdays from 8:15am-9:15am but to schedule those, parents should contact us at [email protected] or by calling 510.746.7860.
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