The Oakland Education Week in Review: 9/30-10/6

Last week–An Oakland school won the Blue Ribbon, Black families react to the school board “meeting,” a Black teacher’s perspective on colleagues, a critique of the A-G rate disparities, a look at Urban Promise and its approach to improvement, resources for White parents interested in equity, district finances under the microscope, looking at school funding and more, please read share and get involved

Oakland:

California:

Other Stories:

Resources:

How You Can Help:

Oakland:

  • 3 Bay Area Schools Honored As 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools
    • Three Bay Area schools were among 30 schools statewide chosen as 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday.
  • “What Happens After the Show?” Black Families React to the School Board Shutdown
    • Oakland parents from the Oakland REACH, who came to the 9/26 school board meeting, after long days of work and school, only to have it stopped by protesters. Please take a look.
  • Whose Team Are You On? A Black Teacher’s Take on the Game
    • In order for me to be my best self for our students, staff, and community I hope for my thoughts and opinions to be trusted, and the freedom for me to rock: meaning being able to fully express my true individual authentic teaching abilities within the classroom. I possess the knowledge of what is needed to happen in schools that serve Black scholars for the overall goal/mission of the school to be achieved.
  • The Sham of Oakland’s Graduation Rates for Black and Brown Kids
    • Dr. Charles Cole breaks down the hypocrisy of lauding the increasing graduation rates, while NOT looking at the huge gaps in the ability to even apply to the State system– the A-G requirements.
  • Event Summary: College Data Study Session #2
    • Thanks to everyone who was able to make to attend the second College Data Study Session! We started the session by looking at college-going data recently released by the California Department of Education (CDE). While not perfect (see information from CDE about here), this data is an important step toward better tracking student progress beyond high school.
  • Join Us for a Screening of Intelligent Lives
    • Intelligent Lives stars three pioneering young American adults with intellectual disabilities–Micah, Naieer, and Naomie–who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce. 
  • Community Town Hall on Oakland A’s New Stadium Proposal
    • The A’s claim they are “rooted in Oakland” ⁠— but if we don’t act now their new stadium could UPROOT our communities! Join us on Oct. 5th to demand that any new stadium benefits our community, not just the billionaires!
  • Transformation Series: Urban Promise Prioritizes Equity
    • Educate78 recently met with Tierre Mesa, Principal at Urban Promise Academy, to learn more about her school’s experiences going through the school redesign process. As a teacher and school leader at UPA for nearly 15 years, Mesa has spent a great deal of time thinking about how to transform UPA into a quality school space that meets the needs of a very diverse group of learners and their families, about engaging students, teachers and families in this process, and about continually naming inequities in their learning spaces and taking steps to interrupt them.
  • Oakland Early Learning Symposium
    • An exciting day of learning and professional development for Oakland early learning professionals.
  • Families and Teachers Shut Down School Board Meeting to Oppose School Closures
    • Chanting “No school closures, Oakland is not for sale,” teachers, parents, students took over the dais and shut down a Sept. 25 school board meeting at La Escuelita Elementary School in Oakland.
  • Is OUSD Saving Too Much $$ or Too Little?
    • Recently, OUSD closed their financial books for the 2018-2019 school year. One important piece of good news on the budget is that the district has built up their unrestricted reserve to a level that is 3.5% of the overall OUSD budget. So what exactly is an “unrestricted reserve,” and how much is the right amount for OUSD to keep in its reserves? Watch the video below to get an explanation.
  • Blavity, Inc. Moves Nation’s Largest Black Tech Conference, Afrotech, to Oakland, CA
    • Celebrating its fourth anniversary, Blavity, Inc. –  home to the largest network of platforms and lifestyle brands serving the multifaceted lives of Black millennials, today announced the relocation of AfroTech – the nation’s largest technology conference for African American techies and entrepreneurs – to Oakland, California. AfroTech 2019 will take place November 7 – 10, 2019 at the Oakland Convention Center and surrounding venues located in the heart of Oakland.

California:

  • The way California funds public education needs to change
    • The way California funds public education leaves much to be desired. The state has created a system that perpetuates class divides by favoring the rich and neglecting the poor. In the wake of massive teacher strikes and shocking drop out rates we still see an inequitable system standing, unmoved by the human desperation before it. This system must be changed to make California a more equitable and efficient place to educate and to be educated.
  • California schools can no longer suspend K-8 students for using phones. Will this help or hurt learning?
    • A law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom prohibits suspensions for “willful defiance” in grades four and five and bans it in grades six to eight for five years. Actions such as chewing gum, playing with a phone, tapping feet, napping, mouthing off or being out of uniform may still bring consequences — but it won’t be suspension.
  • On Growth Models, Time for California to Show Some Improvement
    • California is one of just two states (with Kansas) that does not use a student-level growth model to measure school performance. This brief lays out a number of common beliefs about growth models and provides evidence that these beliefs are inaccurate or unsupported. In so doing, the brief makes a positive case that the state should adopt such a model and replace the current “change” metric in the California School Dashboard. Two specific models—student-growth percentiles and residual-gain growth models—would be a dramatic improvement over what the state currently uses and would much more validly identify schools succeeding and in need of support.
  • With new CA charter school rules official, here’s the latest on incoming K-12 laws
    • Tough new charter school regulations have been signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, as expected, but other big K-12 proposals are TBD, including a statewide bond measure, maternity leave for teachers and a later morning bell.
  • San Quentin’s prison school powered by state effort, Bay Area resources
    • The 1,180 students at San Quentin’s school have committed serious crimes, and some can barely read when they arrive, but the school is helping many through innovative programs.
  • Charter school reform in California: what state leaders had to say
    • At the signing ceremony on Oct. 3 of Assembly Bill 1505, which makes major revisions to California’s charter school law, key players on the charter reform front — including those on opposing sides of the issue — provided their insights into the reforms, and their potential impact going forward. As a public service, EdSource is publishing a partial transcript of their remarks, which have been edited for clarity.

Other Stories:

  • They Won’t Just Fix the Schools for Us, We Have to Make Them Do It
    • Guess what? If you hate your child’s school or aren’t satisfied with the quality of education they’re receiving, you shouldn’t expect anyone to fix that problem for you. The solution lies in your hands.
  • “If not me, then who?” Black educators open up about the pressure to help black students succeed
    • The student population in America has never been more diverse — but, in many schools, the diversity ends there. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an estimated 80 percent of public school teachers in America today are white, far eclipsing Hispanic teachers (nine percent) and black teachers (seven percent).
  • Public Expresses Favorable Views of a Number of Federal Agencies
    • Despite historically low levels of public trust in the federal government, Americans across the political spectrum continue to overwhelmingly express favorable opinions of a number of individual federal agencies, including the Postal Service, the National Park Service, NASA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And majorities of both Republicans and Democrats now express favorable views of the FBI, reflecting a rebound in GOP perceptions after a decline in recent years.
  • Assistant Principal Gets On Ground To Comfort Special Needs Student Who Had Rough Day.
    • This school administrator clearly understands that kids need time and comfort to process their feelings. John was not afraid to get a little dirty or look foolish if it meant getting through to LJ, and we can all take a page from his book!
  • The Great Land Robbery
    • A war waged by deed of title has dispossessed 98 percent of black agricultural landowners in America.

Resources:

How You Can Help:

  • Funeral funds and Hospital Bills
    • Some of you may have heard on October 1, 2019  a woman was fatally killed in a hit and run accident that left her niece wounded and in the hospital. That woman’s name was Huong Thi Truong. She was a stay at home mom to two kids. We are asking for help to bring her home and lay her body to rest in Vietnam. The expenses are going to be used to give her a proper burial and to help with the hospital bills that are accumulating for her niece.
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