Reviewing all the news on Oakland Education and beyond, this week–several pieces looking at the OUSD budget crisis, a community survey on North Oakland schools, a scary legislative proposal, the Latinx achievement gap, a look a how CA serves homeless children, open enrollment time is now for families choosing a school for next year, opportunities for youth and ways you can help and get involved in Oakland education, please read and share
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Contents-Oakland
Opinion: Strong leadership needed to fix Oakland school finances
How Moving Towards Common Enrollment Hurt My Schools, and Why I Want to Move Even Further
College Bound Brotherhood releases new report on increasing opportunities for young black men
Connecting with Kyla – Detail Page
Oakland schools are millions in the hole — yet again
A look at a community survey on North Oakland schools from Jody London’s newsletter
Quick Budget Adjustment Update
CRPE released their city report on Oakland
Oakland girls shine spotlight on sexual harassment and school board revamps its policy
What the Hell is Wrong with Alameda; BLM Signs Are Banned while Bias Persists
Consulting Firm Will Make Recommendation on School Closings
Oakland students look to local manufacturers for career ideas
Oakland schools face harsh cuts as another budget crisis hits
For Oakland youth and Families
Radio and Podcasting Class for Youth from KALW and EOYDC
Free Flu Vaccine Available For All Participating Oakland Elementary Schools
The GIRL Project Shine Workshop
Now is the time to find and apply to the right school for your child!
African American Female Excellence Girls Student Leadership Council Application
Best of the Rest
California proposal: No kids? Then don’t pay school taxes
Could California’s Next Governor Finally End For-Profit Charter Schools in California?
California Leads the Way Teaching LGBT History to Schoolchildren
Understanding how California serves its homeless children: a quick guide
California’s school war flares up on three fronts
Latino Students in California Face Large Inequities Compared to White Peers
Educator Opportunities
Teachers: Free Field Trips to the Exploratorium this Fall.
9/19 – 11/30 Apply for Paint the Town!
12/9 School Enrollment & Community Resource Fair
12/16 West Oakland School and Resource Fair Public
How you can help
East Bay College Fund’s Mentor Recruitment season is here!
Help an Oakland student and educator whose home was destroyed by fire
Support students with Listening Tools
Bring Coding and Engineering to Life with Lego Robots
Click here to support Literacy for Lazear Students! organized by Kaitlin Friedman
Click here to support Help Heroes Lay Their Mother To Rest organized by Areli Coach Si
Document Camera Gives Access to Reading Strategies | DonorsChoose.org project by Ms. Strayve
Oakland
Opinion: Strong leadership needed to fix Oakland school finances – The state and Alameda County Office of Education have made clear that significant changes must made to avoid state receivership.
How Moving Towards Common Enrollment Hurt My Schools, and Why I Want to Move Even Further – It was a hard board meeting, we are under enrolled, our test scores are mixed and somewhat flat, our special education costs are ballooning, non-essentials—like food at meetings–have been eliminated. And I am hungry. It’s a long meeting. Our staff have been working their butts off, and our test scores
College Bound Brotherhood releases new report on increasing opportunities for young black men – College Bound Brotherhood has issued a new report on the importance of culturally relevant curriculum, scholarships, networking, and mentorship.
Connecting with Kyla – Detail Page
Oakland schools are millions in the hole — yet again – Changing a culture is hard to do. But until the Oakland Unified School District drastically shifts the way it operates internally, the district will be mired in an interminable financial crisis. The most recent penny-pinching emergency is a $15.1million deficit.
A look at a community survey on North Oakland schools from Jody London’s newsletter.
Quick Budget Adjustment Update – Quick Budget Adjustment Update Marc Tafolla | November 14, 2017 There is a lot of information coming out about the OUSD budget. Here is a quick update with (1) Board of Education’s midyear adjustment resolution.
CRPE released their city report on Oakland -“In 2015, on average, 4% of low-income students in Oakland outperformed their more advantaged peers in math, nationally. 2% of low-income students outperformed their more advantaged peers in reading.”
Oakland girls shine spotlight on sexual harassment and school board revamps its policy – “I’m very happy. I feel like all my hard work, and everything we collaborated on together, has paid off.”
Consulting Firm Will Make Recommendation on School Closings – Former Superintendent Antwan Wilson’s administration, paid $2.3 million to a multinational company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, to develop a new facilities master plan, which would include proposals or “options” for closing or moving schools in different parts of Oakland.
Oakland students look to local manufacturers for career ideas – Oakland students get a first-hand look at job possibilities in manufacturing.
Oakland schools face harsh cuts as another budget crisis hits – The budget crisis in the Oakland schools has reached a critical level, with the situation so desperate that top-level administrators are voluntarily giving back.
For Youth and Families
Free Flu Vaccine Available For All Participating Oakland Elementary Schools. Shoo the Flu program will return this fall for teachers and students at elementary schools throughout Oakland.
Radio and Podcasting Class for Youth from KALW and EOYDC – Calling all East Oakland Youth 14-18! Tell a story you care about, in your own voice– take the Radio and Podcasting class from KALW and EOYDC.
The GIRL Project Shine Workshop began on 10/11 free for girls ages 11-14 living in the San Antonio district of Oakland. Come on down after school dismissal for art and dance classes. Food and homework support available throughout the session Workshops will be held every Wednesday from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM through December 13. Doors open at 1:00 PM. Eastside Cultural Center 2277 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94606 Questions? Please contact Shaunnah Ray
Back to the Roots of the Charter School Movement As a longtime believer in the possibility of charter schools, the so-called “charter movement” has been a disappointment.
Will your child be entering TK, K, 6th or 9th grade next school year? Or is your family interested in other OUSD options? Now is the time to find and apply to the right school for your child!
African American Female Excellence Girls Student Leadership Council Application – African American Female Excellence is now accepting applications for their Girls Student Leadership Council. The Girls Student Leadership Council focuses on teaching girls about the significance and importance of being leaders in their community
Best of the Res
California proposal: No kids? Then don’t pay school taxes – A California man has proposed a ballot measure to exempt residents who don’t have kids in state public schools from paying the taxes to fund them.
What the Hell is Wrong with Alameda; BLM Signs Are Banned while Bias Persists – Black Lives Matter signs are barred in Alameda schools but anti-Semitism is no big thing. That was the take away from two stories last week that highlighted.
Could California’s Next Governor Finally End For-Profit Charter Schools in California? – If California’s next governor really wants to support public education, then he or she may need to do something that hasn’t been done in 25 years: Get rid of California’s for-profit charter schools. Why? For-profit charter schools haven’t increased learning and tend to be scandal-ridden, as evidence.
California at bottom in nationwide ranking of accountability systems; state board president disagrees – Fordham Institute gives high fives to what California dislikes: grading schools A to F with heavy weight for test scores.
LAUSD is poised to join a big push to get more per-pupil money from the state. But where is California ranked, really? We’re No. 46! No, we’re 41! Or is it 37? How California ranks on per-pupil spending is a numbers game that most everyone believes the state is losing compared to the rest of the country. LA Unified school board members will decide on Tuesday if they will join the local teachers union in a call.
California Leads the Way Teaching LGBT History to Schoolchildren – California has approved 10 textbooks for use in K-8 classrooms that include covering the contributions of LGBT people to American history. Cue predictable outrage.
Understanding how California serves its homeless children: a quick guide – Federal law guarantees homeless children a right to an education, regardless of where they’re living.
California’s school war flares up on three fronts – California’s school battle shows no signs of abating, and will heat up more in 2018 when a new state superintendent of instruction is elected.
Low academic expectations and poor support for special education students is ‘hurting their future’ – The Hechinger Report – This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, in partnership with the Huffington Post. Read the whole series, “Willing, able and forgotten: How high schools fail special ed students,” here.
Latino Students in California Face Large Inequities Compared to White Peers – Some of the counties with the largest achievement gaps are clustered in the Bay Area and around Los Angeles.
Opportunities/Funding for Educators
Teachers: Free Field Trips to the Exploratorium this Fall. Take BART to the Exploratorium and get free admission for your class, plus free round-trip BART tickets. Register at exploratorium.edu/BART or email [email protected]
9/19 – 11/30 Apply for Paint the Town! Apply for Oakland’s new street mural program from September 19th – November 30th. This pilot program allows community members to paint temporary street murals on Oakland’s roads. Make sure to come to an application clinic hosted at an Oakland Public Library, where community members can learn about the program and receive assistance on applications. Attending a clinic is not required to apply but they encourage you to come! The dates and locations of the clinics are available on the website. If you have more questions, email and visit the website for all application materials.
12/9 10 AM – 2 PM-School Enrollment & Community Resource Fair East Oakland Youth development Center 8200 International Blvd, Oakland, California 94621learn all about your public school options. Meet school principals, teachers and families. Learn how to make the best use of School Finder to explore and compare public schools. Get help with your EOC enrollment application and/or apply online on the spot. And learn more about the services provided by local community organizations.
12/16 – West Oakland School and Resource Fair Public · Hosted by Enroll Oakland Charters
Oakland families are invited to learn more about their public school options. There will be:
* School Booths (Elementary, Middle, High schools) – Visit with school principals, teachers and families
* Enrollment Booths – Explore and compare public schools using Oakland’s school finder. Get help with your online application and/or enroll online.
* Resource Booths – Learn more about support services provided by local community organizations.
How you can help
East Bay College Fund’s Mentor Recruitment season is here! The East Bay College Fund, which is currently supporting 800 Oakland scholars in college, is excited to begin recruiting Mentors for the 2018/19 Scholar year! College is definitely challenging, but it can be made easier with the support and advice of someone who has been there before. Every young person needs supportive relationships in order to grow and develop into thriving, productive, and engaged adults. Mentoring is a powerful way to help the next generation succeed! East Bay College Fund’s next Mentor Information Sessions will be on the following dates: Saturday, November 18th from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Thursday, December 14th from 6 – 8 p.m. For more information about upcoming mentor information sessions please contact Volunteer Manager, Lena Ringstrom, at [email protected]
Help an Oakland student and educator whose home was destroyed by fire. Huber was an Education for Change student, and is now an Education for Change teacher in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland. He and his family represent Oakland at its best, and in the early hours of Friday, September 8th, they awoke to their home on fire. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but you can imagine the pain, stress, frustration, and anger in seeing your family home on fire. We are asking that you donate whatever you can to help Huber and his family respond to this loss quickly so that he can resume the job he loves and support his family. Help spread the word!
Support students with Listening Tools – A strong listening center is much needed in all elementary school classrooms. The stacks of CD’s and cassettes on a day to day for engagement, enrichment in both love for learning and academic standards. My students need a protected space with a CD player and timers to listen, learn and be heard. Be the first to donate | $484 still needed, Ms. Semana Aspire College Academy, Oakland CA
Bring Coding and Engineering to Life with Lego Robots at Oakland Sol. This is the second phase of our great robot adventure, where students experiment with engineering concepts and coding practice, as well as learning about the design phases of a technical project. My students need these EV3 Mindstorms kits to take their skills to the next level! 2 donors | $466 still needed… Give to Mr. Davis
Click here to support Literacy for Lazear Students! organized by Kaitlin Friedman-Lazear is raising money to buy books for students! Our 3rd-8th graders are implementing a new literature curriculum where students learn to read and annotate in their books.
Click here to support Help Heroes Lay Their Mother To Rest organized by Areli Coach Si – Last week two of our heroes ( students ) Deyanira (8th) Ana (6th) lost their mother Fabiola Leal while giving birth to twins.
Document Camera Gives Access to Reading Strategies | DonorsChoose.org project by Ms. Strayve – My students need help implementing reading strategies by me showing my students how I annotate text, and this can be done via this doc cam compatible with my set up. My students are all Newcomers.