By Kimi Kean Let’s get this straight from the start: charter public schools are public schools. That’s state law. Oakland charter school students are Oakland public school students, and their demographics reflect the district’s: more than 7 out of 10 receive free/reduced lunch, more than 1 out of 3 are English Language Learners and 8…
The Geography of Opportunity in Oakland; The Digital Divide Edition
The past is not dead, in fact it is not even past, to misquote Faulkner. The specters of racially exclusive policies still weigh heavily on Oakland’s underserved families. From asthma rates, to environmental stress, to attendance, to school quality, and now even internet access, for the 25,000 students that need support. We can trace our…
The Oakland Education Week in Review: 7/6-7/12
last week, lots on the digital divide, both challenges and solutions, some big departures from OUSD, thoughts on re-opening, a memorial fund for a warrior lost too soon, the return to school and challenges, the CA budget issues, federal funding and much more, please read share and get involved Oakland: Access Denied; Surveying the Digital…
Access Denied Ep. 2: How Chicago Is Conquering the Digital Divide & What We Can Learn (ft. Kids First Chicago)
In Chicago, something’s going on. Something big. Thanks to local efforts to provide free, no-strings-attached internet to low-income families, all Chicago students will be able to stay in school even when they are stuck at home due to the pandemic. On the second episode of “Access Denied,” host Dirk Tillotson speaks with Daniel Anello of…
How Oakland charters kept serving students during distance learning
The unprecedented interruption of the 2020 school year has laid bare inequities in our system, with one in five California students (over 1 million) lacking either connectivity or a device, a staggering need. The pandemic has forced schools and school districts to make on-the-fly decisions about how to continue instruction and care of students. Some…