Our weekly recap of all the education news from Oakland and beyond, lots of OUSD budget coverage, the beginning of open enrollment for Oakland public schools, a look at Oakland’s newest school, student narratives, getting foster youth to schools, the Latino achievement gap, and the OUSD report out on Latino/a achievement, when students bully, the lack of evidence on vouchers, these and much much more please take a look and share
Oakland students, parents, teachers rally against proposed budget cuts
Choosing the Best Oakland Public School for Your Child; a Q & A with EnrollOak.org
Angry crowd protests proposed $15M Oakland school budget cuts
With Lead in the Water in Oakland Schools, There Are Two New Laws Parents Should Know About
Parents and Teachers Angry Over OUSD Budget Cuts
Tinkering Towards a Takeover in Oakland Unified
Layoffs likely, no guarantee classrooms will be spared in wake of $15M-Oakland school crisis
Oakland School Board Members Apologize for Mid-Year Budget Cuts at Packed Board Meeting
America Allows Their Islamophobia To Control Their Perception Of Muslims
New D.C. schools chancellor under scrutiny for overspending in California district he led–
CALIFORNIA
Latino/a Student Achievement; Bringing Equity to My community
Judge issues ruling on Albany High online posting lawsuits
Getting foster youth to schools — LA County contracts with HopSkipDrive to meet ESSA requirements–
Leading Democratic candidates for California governor back universal preschool
California’s pension reform has been left unfinished
San Jose: Muslim teacher wearing head scarf repeatedly bullied by students
California Schools Tackle Achievement Gaps of Largest Demographic in State: Latino Students
Will 2018 Be the Year of the Education War Inside the California Democratic Party?
Declaring a truce in the charter versus district school wars
Fizz! Pop! Bang! Teachers find new science standards fun, but costly
The best of the rest
Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving at Home
Black Boys and Academic Excellence: An Unlikely Match In The Minds of Too Many Teachers
TRANSPORTATION REMAINS A BARRIER TO CHOICE, CHARTER SCHOOL ACCESS
‘Precious Little Evidence’ That Vouchers Improve Achievement, Recent Research Finds
Encouraging students to make mistakes to improve math outcomes
Benefits of early childhood education persist into high school, study says
Oakland
Oakland students, parents, teachers rally against proposed budget cuts– As the date approaches for the Oakland Unified school board to decide where to cut $15.1 million from the budget, parents, teachers, students and school staffers continue to urge board members to keep the bleeding as far away from children as possible.
Choosing the Best Oakland Public School for Your Child; a Q & A with EnrollOak.org– It’s school choice season in Oakland and it is easier than ever to access both district and charter public school applications. Especially with the prospect of school closings, families need to be more active than ever in making sure they find the best possible school for their child.
Angry crowd protests proposed $15M Oakland school budget cuts– An angry crowd of Oakland parents, teachers and students rallied outside the Oakland Unified District school voard budget meeting Monday before entering the room with signs and loud chants saying “Cut from the top.”
With Lead in the Water in Oakland Schools, There Are Two New Laws Parents Should Know About– Lead contamination levels exceeding four times the federal health standards in water were discovered at Glenview Elementary School in Oakland recently. This was one of the seven public school sites in the Oakland Unified School District, where contamination levels of toxic metal in water were discovered.
Parents and Teachers Angry Over OUSD Budget Cuts-T he Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is preparing to approve $15 million in budget cuts this school year at a special school board meeting on Monday, hoping that these immediate reductions will give the district the financial cushion it needs to stay afloat.
Tinkering Towards a Takeover in Oakland Unified– It was another appropriately emotional school board meeting in Oakland as the youth, community, and staff dressed down the OUSD board. Budget cuts are hitting schools and it hurts, with a second round of mid-year cuts to come.
Oakland SOL- the Movie– a great look at Oakland’s newest school
Layoffs likely, no guarantee classrooms will be spared in wake of $15M-Oakland school crisis– The Oakland Unified School District superintendent said Wednesday that layoffs are likely one of the many solutions to reducing costs following a sudden announcement earlier this month that the district must cut $15-million from its budget to remain fiscally solvent.
Oakland School Board Members Apologize for Mid-Year Budget Cuts at Packed Board Meeting Many blame the school board for not holding former Superintendent Antwan Wilson accountable for overspending on administrative salaries and outside consultants.
My Success is Personal– a student narrative- My name is Gadeer, and I’m passionate about my education. My primary goal in life is to be successful. I try to only surround myself with successful people that believe in achieving goals.
America Allows Their Islamophobia To Control Their Perception Of Muslims– Every time Islam or Muslims are brought up in school or the media, the story isn’t good. It gets worse for me. Being the only Muslim in all of my classes forces me to feel distant from both my classmates and my teachers.
New D.C. schools chancellor under scrutiny for overspending in California district he led– But just a few months after Wilson left Oakland, the perennially troubled district is in such severe financial straits that the Board of Education on Nov. 8 ordered $15.1 million in immediate budget cuts — on top of millions of dollars in reductions made earlier in the year.
California
Latino/a Student Achievement; Bringing Equity to My community-Latina Oakland graduate came back to hear the Office Of Equity’s report out on Latino/a achievement and she reflects on her experiences, what she learned, and the ongoing work to be done, please take a look and share
Judge issues ruling on Albany High online posting lawsuits– A United States District Court judge in San Francisco issued a divided ruling this week on a portion of a case involving an Instagram account created by a former Albany High student that had several racist memes posted on it.
Getting foster youth to schools — LA County contracts with HopSkipDrive to meet ESSA requirements– HopSkipDrive, a child-focused ride-sharing company, announced Tuesday a partnership with Los Angeles County’s Office of Education (LACOE) to transport foster youth to school.
Leading Democratic candidates for California governor back universal preschool–In what would be a significant shift from Gov. Jerry Brown’s position on early education, the four leading Democratic candidates running to replace him next year say they are committed to offering universal preschool in California.
California’s pension reform has been left unfinished– CalPERS and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System have only about two-thirds of the assets they would need to pay the benefits they owe to state workers. The two pension systems are now asking schools and local governments to contribute more from their budgets to cover pension costs, and that means there will be less money available to pay for education and basic services
San Jose: Muslim teacher wearing head scarf repeatedly bullied by students– The latest attack came after Fischer recorded multiple instances of harassment, with students making derogatory comments and threatening gestures during the spring semester at Berta, a classroom aide and an after-school supervisor, all women who wear a hijab, the Muslim head scarf. Berta — who has counted 15 incidents beginning in January — has filed a grievance and a formal complaint with the Alum Rock Union School District.
California Schools Tackle Achievement Gaps of Largest Demographic in State: Latino Students– The challenges begin early. As the report explained, Latino three- and four-year-olds are less likely than Whites, Asians or African-Americans to attend preschool because of a lack of affordable preschool options and a dearth of early childhood workers who can speak other languages than English.
Will 2018 Be the Year of the Education War Inside the California Democratic Party?– One would think that in the midst of the Trump era, with so many threats not just to essential government policies and programs but to democracy itself, Democrats would have a pretty clear idea of who their enemy is.
Declaring a truce in the charter versus district school wars–We live in a time of inflamed rhetoric where it somehow seems permissible to denigrate people who may not share our views without ever actually listening to them. Particularly when it comes to public schools, I’m hoping we might listen a little more and shout a little less.
Fizz! Pop! Bang! Teachers find new science standards fun, but costly– That’s been popular with students and teachers who say it’s a more effective way to learn science than studying textbooks and memorizing facts, but the cost of all those underwater robots and exploding chemicals has left some teachers wondering how they can successfully implement the standards with ever-restricting budgets.
The best of the rest
Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving at Home– Part of my holiday ritual used to be a prison visit, thankfully that’s done for me, but continues for millions of others, and is an unnecessarily painful experience.
Black Boys and Academic Excellence: An Unlikely Match In The Minds of Too Many Teachers– He didn’t want to participate in the spelling bee to begin with. The shock everyone blatantly displayed about the fact that he was a runner-up in his class spelling bee had rubbed him the wrong way and added to an already unfortunate situation
TRANSPORTATION REMAINS A BARRIER TO CHOICE, CHARTER SCHOOL ACCESS– CPRE also found that limited public transportation systems in Camden and Oakland, California make it very difficult for high school students to take a city bus to get to class. Meanwhile, families in Atlanta and New Orleans reported safety concerns.
‘Precious Little Evidence’ That Vouchers Improve Achievement, Recent Research Finds– But newer research on large-scale voucher programs has complicated the debate over private-school choice—policies which allow families to use public money or aid to attend private schools, including religious ones. What does the research say? In a nutshell: The most recent findings are mixed, but they lean more toward negative.
Encouraging students to make mistakes to improve math outcomes– No one has all the answers, but in the San Francisco Unified School District, our math curriculum emphasizes teaching students to persist using a mindset that allows them to make and learn from mistakes. Often, that involves creating a classroom atmosphere that allows students to take risks with their thinking without fear of being laughed at or corrected.
Benefits of early childhood education persist into high school, study says– Participation in high-quality early childhood education has persistent effects on academic performance and might save a lot of money for school districts, according to a new study out Thursday