The Oakland Ed Week in Review: 3/1-3/7

Last week, an encouraging look at the Sankofa merger, Director Harris’s brush with redlining and the effect, the mayor on back to school, a dialogue on Black male teachers, the County weighs in on reopening, youth lead the way on addressing gun violence, family literacy resources, a new program to recruit 21,000 new Black teachers, all that and more, please read share and get involved

Oakland:

Other Stories:

Resources:

Oakland:

  • Families worried about merging Sankofa and Kaiser. How did the school community make it work?
    • When Oakland Unified School District announced it would be closing Kaiser Elementary School and merging it with Sankofa Elementary, the opposition was fierce. Kaiser and Sankofa families, and others who didn’t want to see any schools closed, packed school board meetings, shouted chants, and heckled board directors as they spoke. During some of those fall 2019 meetings, the protests were so disruptive that the OUSD board moved to a different meeting space and excluded the public. At one meeting, police officers pulled out batons on protesters.
  • For Whites Only: How an East Oakland housing project shaped my election to the school board
    • When we had saved up enough money to buy our first house, it was 2010 and the stock markets had crashed just three years earlier.  Oakland had about 15,000 fewer people and real estate was a lot cheaper than it is now in 2021.  My wife and I scraped together our savings and managed to buy a house in Sheffield Village in East Oakland.  Little did I know of this Village’s history and the profound and historic influence it would have on my election to the school board in 2012. 
  • Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf hopeful that students will be back in classrooms in just weeks
    • Will Oakland schools reopen classrooms for in-person instruction in a matter of weeks?
    • “I certainly hope so,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf. “I have been unequivocal about getting our kids back to school. Families should have a choice and teachers’ health concerns should be accommodated, but that won’t happen until our schools are reopened.”
  • The Challenges of Being a Black Male Teacher and Starting a Dialogue on Answers
    • Black male teachers make up only 2% of the overall teaching population in America. According to the Sentencing Project Black males make up nearly 40% of the prison population in our country. This is disgraceful and appalling to see these horrid numbers. Even more dismal are the numbers here in California. For the 2017-18 school year the California Department of Education reports there are nearly 3,300 teachers in Alameda County, but only 310 are Black males, that’s less than 10%.  We need to do better!
  • All Black Children Matter: How We Can Fix the OUSD Reparations Policy to Include Every Black Child
    • Momma taught me early on, Black folks need to stick together.  We owe something to the race.  We don’t really air our business in public for a smirking crowd.  And as one of the founders of the State of Black Education in Oakland, I had somewhat stayed out of the reparations controversy, short of a conversation with someone from J4OS, where I let my disapproval be known.
  • Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. K. Monroe released this statement today in her role as president of the California County
    • Statement from Alameda County Superintendent of Schools L. K. Monroe on Governor and Legislature’s School Reopening Plan Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA), which represents the state’s 58 county superintendents of schools.Today, the Legislature amended Senate Bill 86 and Assembly Bill 86 to reflect an agreement with Governor Gavin Newsom to safely reopen schools.
  • Bay Area educators call for strides toward anti-racist classrooms
    • Centering curriculum around Black, Indigenous people of color, and recognizing accessibility are necessary steps in combating anti-racism and addressing inequities throughout the education system, according to the Commonwealth Club.
  • Your Vote Matters- HBO Documentary About OUSD’s Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Fest is Nominated for NAACP Image Award; Public Voting is Open Through Friday
    • The Emmy-award winning HBO documentary, We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest, is up for another major award, and the driving force behind it is calling for public support across Oakland and the Bay Area to push the film over the top. We Are The Dream won the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program in September. But now, it’s a nominee for a NAACP Image Award. Unlike the Emmy Awards, the public can vote for the NAACP Image Awards, which are described as the country’s premier event celebrating outstanding performances in the arts by people of color.
  • Oakland parents at ‘Schools Not Screens’ rally press to get classrooms reopened
    • “Schools Not Screens” was the rallying cry as this grassroots organization stood on the grass to insert parents’ voices into the negotiation between the Oakland Unified School District board and the teachers union, as to how and when 86 public schools will bring 36,000 students back into the K-12 classrooms.
  • Breaking the cycle of literacy issues leading to behavioral issues
    • A superintendent shares why struggling readers may act out in the classroom and how educators can help identify and support these students.
  • Addressing Gun Violence: Creating Visionaries, Storytellers and Community Activists
    • Gun violence is an epidemic in the United States but for our students at Lighthouse Community Charter School in East Oakland, it’s an issue affecting youth at a very personal level. In 2019, 35% of seventh graders at Lighthouse knew at least one person who was hurt or killed by gun violence. 

Other Stories:

  • Georgia Teacher Tells Students [Breonna Taylor] Caused Her Own Death
    • Susan McCoy, who teaches forensic science at Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, GA, told her students in a Zoom class, “I’m sorry she was killed, but you know, when you hang out with people with guns and shooting, you’re likely to get caught in the crossfire.”
  • Biden Shows Racial Tone-Deafness With Deputy Education Pick
    • Just when I thought the 400-plus years in abusive relationships with racist American systems were up, President Joseph R. Biden is dimming the light of hope that poet Amanda Gorman had so profoundly beckoned with “The Hill We Climb.” The new president chose Cindy Marten to serve as the United States Deputy Secretary of Education. 
  • Sharif El-Mekki has $3 Million to Bring 21,000 Black Students into the Teaching Pipeline, And He’s Looking for Partners
    • It’s great to see the investment in Black teachers finally following the results.  We know the huge statistical impact that Black teachers have on outcomes. It’s even better to see the money going to the folks living the work like Sharif.  If you want to learn more about his program and the Black Male Teacher Pipeline in particular please join us 3/8 for a conversation with Sharif, researchers, teachers and practitioners; Black Male Teachers Matter, research, realities and practical answers.  Please join us and share.

Resources:

  • Family Literacy Workshop: The Practice Session
    • Helping our children improve their reading and writing at home can be challenging – even in the best of circumstances.  As parents, we all know how it can be even more difficult during distance learning. So if you’re feeling frustrated: that’s okay! We’re hosting a family practice session to learn tips on how to notice and support your child when they are frustrated, so that they can enjoy reading even when it is hard.
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