All the education news from Oakland and beyond- this week-A parent digs into the OUSD bond money fiasco, lead in the pipes, a youth led forum with the Supe, OUSD enrollment deadline 1/26, the hella Black podcast, updates on AC Transit service, fighting to save librarian jobs, Mack wins again and needs your help, did CA flub its grad rates, all that and so much more below, please read, share, and get involved
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OAKLAND
Oakland’s $11 Million Hole and the $1 Billion Debt Beneath It
Get the lead out: health advocates call on Oakland school leaders to change water policies
Real Talk, Real Issues, Real Action; A Youth-Led Dialogue with the OUSD Superintendent
To Survive Its School Funding Crisis, Oakland Must Learn From Its Students
Opinion: Poisoning Oakland kids with lead not a budget solution
Registration Deadline Friday For 2018-19 School Year
The Hella Black Podcast Holds Unfiltered Discussions on Race, Politics, and Oakland
GO Board Watch: January 23, 2018
What Happened This Week In Oakland Education- 1/22/18
Bus Service to Oakland Hills Schools Wins Reprieve
Arts Integration and Expeditions with Personalized Learning: A Look at ASCEND, NGLC in Oakland
OUSD Thrives: Community News You Can Use!
The Coming ICE Storm and Oakland Schools- What Would Mario Savio Say?
Oakland school district finds funds to save head librarian job
GO Oakland Roundup: January 18, 2018 Digest
When It Comes to Choosing a School in Oakland, Knowledge is Power
CALIFORNIA
Despite promises, Trump administration has had little impact on public education in California
LA’s choice: In charter wars, board members say they will seek bridge builder as next schools chief
Marshall Tuck wins California school administrators’ endorsement for state superintendent
New science standards a boon for the littlest learners
Walters: The yin and yang of California’s school crisis
Too many kids are failing in California, and so is the education establishment
California’s published graduation rates may not be accurate, federal audit alleges
California schools: Painful cuts around the corner, despite windfall
Where does Calif. rank on per student, per prisoner funding?
BEST OF THE REST
New survey of minorities adds dissenting view to public satisfaction with schools
Don’t Claim You Stand With Immigrants If You Self-Segregate
Children’s Health Insurance Gets Six-Year Extension
He’s so much more than a teacher – Energy Convertors Online Magazine – Medium
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Click here to support Help McClymonds’ Football buy their State Champ rings!
Oakland
Oakland’s $11 Million Hole and the $1 Billion Debt Beneath It – A guest post from Oakland parent Joshua Krafchin, that digs into the (mis)use of OUSD facility bond money and what appears to be some real issues, you can follow Joshua on his medium page.
Get the lead out: health advocates call on Oakland school leaders to change water policies – Health advocates petitioned the Oakland school board on Wednesday night to change district water policies after they say lead was found in water at 45 campuses and day care centers since the school year began.
Real Talk, Real Issues, Real Action; A Youth-Led Dialogue with the OUSD Superintendent – “We live in an age when to be young and to be indifferent can be no longer synonymous. We must prepare for the coming hour. The claims of the Future are represented by suffering millions; and the Youth of a Nation are the trustees of Posterity”.–Benjamin Disraeli “How do you succeed in a chaotic school?”
To Survive Its School Funding Crisis, Oakland Must Learn From Its Students – Last month, the Oakland Unified School District made the difficult decision of approving midyear budget cuts. These cuts will impact a host of different things, including, unfortunately, poverty-stricken communities that are already lacking in resources.
Opinion: Poisoning Oakland kids with lead not a budget solution – School district should adopt policy of zero tolerance for lead in drinking water.
Registration Deadline Friday For 2018-19 School Year – If you are selecting a school for your child, the application deadline is quickly approaching. The link to apply online is in the story.
The Hella Black Podcast Holds Unfiltered Discussions on Race, Politics, and Oakland – Delency Parham and Blake Simon turned their casual conversations into a popular podcast.
GO Board Watch: January 23, 2018 – GO Board Watch: January 23, 2018 Marc Tafolla | January 23, 2018 Welcome to GO’s School Board Watch for the meeting taking place Wednesday, January 24, 2018. This week’s agenda includes the following key items: Fiscal Vitality, Call for Full and Fair Funding for K-12 Public Education, Water Quality Update.
Arts Integration and Expeditions with Personalized Learning: A Look at ASCEND, NGLC in Oakland – (A cross post from the Rogers Foundation blog) In the piece below Natalie Buster, our guest blog contributor, had a chance to connect with Morgan Alconcher, Principal of ASCEND, and Julie McMillan, a teacher at ASCEND, to discover how their Next Generation Learning Challenge (NGLC) in Oakland grantallowed the school to evolve into the vision they set forth three years ago. This is part of a series launched in fall 2017 to share updates from our seven NGLC in Oakland launch grantees to hear what they learned from the first year of work and how it has shaped their focus for the second year of the grant.
What Happened This Week In Oakland Education- 1/22/18 – It’s the final week for open enrollment in OUSD schools, and this week we have more school tours, the MLK oratorical fest starts, the community advisorycommittee for special education, ACOE has board and committee meetings, an OUSD board meeting, all that and more with links.
This Friday (Jan. 26) is OUSD’s open enrollment deadline! Applying by this deadline and selecting multiple schools is the best way to get one of your top choic…es for your child. The Oakland charter school application deadline is not until February 16. Is your family transitioning to a new school? Most schools’ open seats are for incoming TK/K, 6th grade and 9th grade students. You can still apply for another grade; there are simply fewer slots available. We’re here to help you choose the best Oakland public school for your child. Visit EnrollOak.org for more information.
Bus Service to Oakland Hills Schools Wins Reprieve – The Oakland Unified School District and AC Transit have announced that bus transportation service to Montera Middle School, Skyline High School and Community Day School will be extended through June 2019.
OUSD Thrives: Community News You Can Use! – Sanctuary District Resources January 18, 2017 Highlighting our core District values one story at a time. Students First, Excellence, Equity, Integrity, Cultural Responsiveness and Joy!
McClymonds High School Football Team Enjoys Parade and Rally to Celebrate Second Consecutive State Championship – On Friday, January 19, the players and coaches of the McClymonds High School Warriors Football Team took a special ride around Oakland to celebrate their historic California State Championship.
The Coming ICE Storm and Oakland Schools- What Would Mario Savio Say? – “ICE agents have been seen near our schools” our staff meeting came to a tense silence, a quiet murmur with folks picking up devices to check with other staff and warn families.
Oakland school district finds funds to save head librarian job – Oakland Unified’s top librarian will keep her job after residents complained when her position was among those targeted in budget cutbacks.
GO Oakland Roundup: January 18, 2018 Digest – Dear GO Supporter, Happy New Year! Welcome to the first GO Oakland Roundup for 2018. We hit the ground running when we got back to work a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to share what we’ve been up to.
When It Comes to Choosing a School in Oakland, Knowledge is Power – From left to right: Anaya Nassor, Ayanfe Durham and Brenda Hudson. By Dirk Tillotson Where you send your child to school is one of the most important decisions you can make.
California
Despite promises, Trump administration has had little impact on public education in California – Fears of rapid expansion of school choice programs have proven unfounded.
LA’s choice: In charter wars, board members say they will seek bridge builder as next schools chief – For the L.A. Unified board, outgoing superintendent may be the model for a successor.
Marshall Tuck wins California school administrators’ endorsement for state superintendent – *Updated Jan. 22 Marshall Tuck’s student-focused campaign for state superintendent of public instruction has earned him the endorsement of the Association of California School Administrators, which hasn’t endorsed in the race for eight years.
New science standards a boon for the littlest learners – Hands-on science projects emphasized in California’s new science standards are a hit with K-2 students, teachers say.
Walters: The yin and yang of California’s school crisis – There are many examples of how certain schools and certain school districts have found ways to overcome poverty and other negative factors.
Too many kids are failing in California, and so is the education establishment – High school graduation rates have traditionally been a barometer of student success, as well as a measure of the quality of school systems.
California’s published graduation rates may not be accurate, federal audit alleges – California Department of Education says California is a “local control state” and it is responsibility of local school districts to ensure that students meet all local and state graduation requirements.”
The latest LCAP weekly looking at state accountability
California schools: Painful cuts around the corner, despite windfall – Despite an unexpected $3 billion infusion in K-12 revenue for the coming school year, schools throughout the state are honing their electronic blue pencils to slash budgets.
Where does Calif. rank on per student, per prisoner funding? – Democratic candidate for governor Delaine Eastin wants to reduce California’s high poverty and incarceration by investing more in students.
Best of the Rest
New survey of minorities adds dissenting view to public satisfaction with schools – How do members of racial minority groups view public education in the U.S.? This question is important, given both the widely recognized achievement gap betweenwhite students and students of color, as well as systematic differences in public schools by neighborhoods—differences which strongly correlate with income and race. Yet, public opinion polls typically do not offer detail on racial differences in opinions of local public schools.
Don’t Claim You Stand With Immigrants If You Self-Segregate – White people *still* leave schools and neighborhoods when they become more diverse.
Children’s Health Insurance Gets Six-Year Extension – A stop-gap funding bill passed by Congress includes long-term money for the popular Childrens Health Insurance Program, but advocates wonder why it took so long.
He’s so much more than a teacher – Energy Convertors Online Magazine – Medium – By: Alondra Gonzales
Skin in the Game: An Open Letter to the Mostly White Parents in my Hometown on how to “Be the Change” in 2018 – It’s “School Choice Week” and as we think about the ways in which choice can deepen segregation, we hope you’ll enjoy this from teacher and guest-author, Hazel Kight Witham.
Integrated Schools – RANT. Reading Cutting School in preparation for our chat with Noliwe Rooks at the end of this month. I knew about the issue of “stealing school” — how parent…s of color are imprisoned/fined for sending their kids to a school outside of their home district — but Rooks has just put the pieces of this puzzle together so well. And it is horrifying.
How you can help
Click here to support Help McClymonds’ Football buy their State Champ rings! – Donate today and receive a gift!!! $25 – 2 A’s tickets ($30 value) $50 – 2 A’s tickets and a t-shirt ($50 value) $100 – 2 A’s tickets and a sweatshirt ($70 value)