Oakland Ed Week in Review (8/23 – 8/31)

Between this week and last, our city continues to still adjust to the pandemic, the #InternetforAll movement continues, and a ex high school teacher is finally being served justice after continually assaulting student for over 4 years. There is much to read about and unpack in this week’s review. Please read and share!

1. Luz Cázares Appointed as Trustee to Oakland Unified School District
2. Accused of Sexual Assault, No Big Deal, Just Teach Somewhere Else; The Cautionary Tale of Mr. Bissell and What We Can Do
3. More Families Have Broadband Access But the Internet Isn’t Desegregated Yet
4. Struggling with Access? 29 Million Families Are Eligible for Free Broadband NOW and Haven’t Applied for the Benefits, Short and Long Term Answers to the Digital Divide And More in Our Latest Podcast
5. Meet the first Black author to create phonics workbooks that improve reading skills in 30 days or less.
6. Oakland Unified says about 100 students and teachers have COVID; seven classrooms closed
7. Facing pressure, Oakland Unified agrees to expand COVID testing at schools
8. Prisons Require Screening for Risk of Dyslexia – California Public Schools Don’t.
9. A new mascot for West Oakland’s McClymonds High School

Luz Cázares Appointed as Trustee to Oakland Unified School District

(Press Release from the Alameda County Office of Education) Luz Cázares, National leader in school finance and business, has been selected to serve as the next trustee to the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). She replaces Chris Learned, who served as the trustee to OUSD from 2017. Cázares’ appointment begins September 1st.

Accused of Sexual Assault, No Big Deal, Just Teach Somewhere Else; The Cautionary Tale of Mr. Bissell and What We Can Do

Ex Berkeley high school school teacher Michael Bissell was finally served papers detailing the sexual assault lawsuit against him on August 19th. Berkeleyside has the full story. Great School Voices questions why and how he was able to continue teaching within the Bay Area despite being accused of sexual assault? What would a truly effective no hire list look like that actually protects our kids?

More Families Have Broadband Access But the Internet Isn’t Desegregated Yet

This month, Great School Voice’s Dirk Tillotson in collaboration with Citizen Ed launched Desegregate the Internet – Access Granted to continue the conversation around #InternetForAll and equitable broadband access. Last year, the #InternetForAll movement pushed to build #DigitalInclusion for all students. The next step is to set families and communities up for success in officially obtaining—and learning how to use—these new digital tools that are finally available to them.  Watch episode 1 here.

Struggling with Access? 29 Million Families Are Eligible for Free Broadband NOW and Haven’t Applied for the Benefits, Short and Long Term Answers to the Digital Divide And More in Our Latest Podcast

Continuing with the #InternetForAll movement, in the midst of the pandemic, 16 million children couldn’t adequately access virtual schooling. Access granted episode 1 had featured guests from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition  to talk about the variety of programs and supports for families. An important program is EBB (Emergency Broadband Benefit) which pays $50-75 per month for broadband. To sign up click here.

Meet the first Black author to create phonics workbooks that improve reading skills in 30 days or less.

Rosa Higgs, a teacher from Berkeley, California, has proven why phonics instruction matters.

Her phonics workbook series, Read in 40 Hours or Less, is designed to help Black students learn to read well and beyond grade level in less than 40 hours of direct instruction. The Read in 40 Hours or Less workbook series can take schools from inadequate to extraordinary by improving reading skills for our vulnerable Black and brown students. Black Enterprise has the full story.

Oakland Unified says about 100 students and teachers have COVID; seven classrooms closed

Almost three weeks after Oakland Unified School District’s 35,000 students returned to classrooms since the start of the pandemic, dozens of students and teachers have reported getting COVID-19 off-campus and seven classes have been forced to temporarily close to prevent its spread. Early last week, district officials learned that at least 12 cases — some of which had prompted them to close classrooms — were based on false positive test results. Read full story on East Bay Times.

Facing pressure, Oakland Unified agrees to expand COVID testing at schools

After pressure from community members and parents to improve its COVID testing program, OUSD approved a resolution last Wednesday night to provide onsite testing at each of its campuses, every two weeks. This is a scaled back version put forth by District 5 Director Mike Hutchinson for weekly testing. Read the full story on The Oaklandside.

Prisons Require Screening for Risk of Dyslexia – California Public Schools Don’t.

Despite being a common cause for challenges in schools, Dyslexia remains a largely undetected and unaddressed issue in early education. It is also an obstacle within the prison system.  Early assessments can identify students at risk of dyslexia and sound the alarm, rather than doing nothing and expecting kids to “grow out of it.” Insidesources has the full story.

A new mascot for West Oakland’s McClymonds High School

Native Americans have objected to being stereotyped as mascots. At McClymonds, students led an effort to adopt the African warrior to honor the historically Black institution. Ten months after a group of McClymonds High School students started a petition to change their school’s mascot, a new image is being adopted to replace the Native American icon that was a part of the West Oakland school’s identity for decades.  Read the full story on The Oaklandside.