The Oakland Ed Week in Review: 5/24-5/30

last week, thinking differently about restarting school, a look at the results from the OT, a powerful conversation with a brother walking the walk on college readiness, a 57 year OUSD employee retires, why Black parents are school hesitant, Castlemont’s coach who is so much more, teachers of the year, a celebration of schools that are preparing Black and Brown students for college, and the “dump the D” campaign to make sure every child is qualified, please sign our petition, share, and get involved

Oakland:

Resources:

Oakland:

  • A ‘restorative restart’: How Oakland students want to see school reimagined next year
    • With millions in extra funding, schools have an opportunity to fundamentally change learning environments and support youth mental health. From peer support groups to mindfulness exercises, here’s what students have to say.
  • The Opportunity Ticket, Opportunity Hoarding, and What We Learned from the latest Enrollment Data
    • For my own mental health I skipped the last board meeting, but by the next day a half dozen, mostly fuming, folks had reached out to me on enrollment data the district presented.  And the presumed twisting of a policy that I helped write and pass, The Opportunity Ticket(OT).   While the idea behind the policy was to allow underserved families to have better access to the schools of their choice, the presumed outcome from the data was that the most privileged families were the most active in using it, and that underserved families failed to. 
  • How Matin Abdel-Qawi champions A-G: A Conversation with a legendary Oakland educator
    • Matin Abdel-Qawi knows a thing or two about how to get a high percentage of African American and Latino/a students to complete their A-G requirements and graduate high school eligible for college. Abdel-Qawi now oversees high schools for the Oakland Unified School District. Previously, he was Oakland High’s principal, and before that he was principal for East Oakland School for the Arts (EOSA), a small school located on Castlemont’s campus. At each stop, Abdel-Qawi’s school succeeded in making students’ completion of A-G requirements a priority: EOSA had the highest A-G completion rate in the city when he was there a dozen years ago; at Oakland High, he oversaw a move to block scheduling and the instituting of a “No D” policy.
  • Farewell to the ‘kid whisperer’: Longest-serving educator at Oakland Unified retiring after 57 years
    • The longest-serving educator at Oakland Unified is retiring next week after 57 years of teaching kids in TK and kindergarten. Arvella Hayden is often called the “kid whisperer” for her ability to reach students.
  • In Oakland, Black And Brown Parents More Reluctant To Send Kids Back To In-Person School
    • California ranks among the lowest state in the U.S. for students in physical classrooms. Earlier surveys done in the Oakland Unified School District find that Black and Brown parents are more reluctant to send their kids back to school than white parents.
  • “Incredibly resilient, strong young people” Rudsdale Newcomer High School, An RFF Shout Out
    • Rudsdale Newcomer High School (Rudsdale Newcomer) opened its doors in August of 2017 as an alternative school geared specifically toward Oakland’s newcomer population. Newcomer students in Oakland are bright, strong, resilient youth who have overcome significant challenges to make it to Oakland, so when OUSD realized they were dropping out at rates higher than other student groups, they partnered with a social worker to interview 50 students to learn what would better support them to obtain their high school diplomas. The results were clear — students asked for flexibility with their schedules to allow them to work and take care of responsibilities outside of school; thus came Rudsdale Newcomer, a full-service community alternative school with reduced and flexible hours, a focus on English language development, holistic individualized support, career exploration, cultivating lifelong learners.
  • Ed Washington’s return to deep East Oakland is about much more than football
    • If you ask Ed Washington why he spent last fall at Verdese Carter Park watching teenagers trip over potholes, amid a raging pandemic, the high school football coach has a simple answer: “God kept telling me, ‘Look, these kids at Castlemont need you. I want you to go back.’”
  • Addressing California’s Digital Divide: PG&E Supports Oakland and Statewide Initiatives to Boost Technology Access for Young Students
    • At a time when access to technology and tech support has never been more critical, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is continuing its ongoing commitment to digital access in education. Today, PG&E announced two charitable contributions totaling $1 million: funding for #OaklandUndivided to purchase computers and internet hot spots and provide tech support for students; and funding for Closing the Digital Divide, a California Department of Education initiative including an innovation challenge and technology literacy programs.
  • Conversation with OUSD teachers of the year
    • Mike Mibach catches up with OUSD’s teachers of the year and what it was like teaching during the pandemic and what their hopes are for the future.
  • Oakland Post Hosts Assembly District 18 Candidate Forum on Education Issues
    • The Holy Names University School of Education and the Oakland PostCommunity Assembly are hosting a virtual Candidate Forum on educational issues with candidates for CA Assembly District #18, the position recently vacated by Rob Bonta.
  • Every Child Deserves a Shot at College, it’s Time to “Dump the D” and Make that a Reality in Oakland, You Can Help
    • Graduations are a celebratory time, the passing from one stage to the next, with family and friends by your side.  For thousands of Black and Brown children in Oakland, this will be a bittersweet progression.  While they graduated from OUSD or a charter, their grades make them ineligible to even apply to the UC or CSU system or other first tier schools.  The most shameful thing about this, is many students don’t know until it is too late. 
  • Congratulations on Reaching the End of the 2020-21 School Year!
    • As the school year comes to a close here in OUSD, I want to express my deepest appreciation to our staff and everyone in our community for their dedication to our students, leadership in uncertain times, and unwavering support in helping us navigate this challenging year.

Resources:

  • IMLS American Rescue Plan Grants
    • The IMLS American Rescue Plan grants program supports museum and library services in addressing community needs created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and in assisting with recovery. Projects may continue, enhance, or expand existing programs and services, or they may launch new ones to address emergent needs and unexpected hardships.

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