“Our community finally feels like we can celebrate the last few weeks of school and enjoy the space as community once again. Dirk you helped me a lot. I’m very thankful truly. I’m hopeful. Parents voice is so powerful. I’m understanding that.”-Oakland Public School Parent after a “win” If you build it they will come. …
The “Good”, Bad and Really Bad News on the OUSD Budget
The good news is OUSD might have enough money to make it through next year. The Bad news is that it might not, given how unreliable its numbers are, and has huge issues a year or two out. OUSD had a deficit last year, will have one this year and runs deficits of $20 million…
Fight unconscious bias with teachers who reflect culture of their students
(A guest post from Randal Seriguchi Jr. is the executive director of Urban Ed Academy in San Francisco, which helps third through fifth grade students succeed academically and become productive citizens with the support of their parents, families, schools and communities. This originally ran in the SF Examiner.) In the past 60 days, police arrested two…
Her School Cut the Mic on this Courageous Valedictorian when She Talked About Sexual Assault, Please Read and Share the Full Story, and Help End a Culture of Silence
Lulabel Seitz is a model student to most, an example of hard work paying off, and rising from humble beginnings to a valedictorian. Her commencement speech at Petaluma High School touched on the challenges students faced in the North Bay; fires and displacement, a teacher strike, and her own personal struggles to climb the educational…
How the System and Its Tolerance for Institutional Racism Squelches Black Genius- A Sad Day for Mr Bey
One of Oakland’s brightest young teachers got their pink slip today. He shared the video here. Another Black teacher dismissed from a system that says it values them, but doesn’t. And the reason given was that the “Vice principal has a problem with teachers of color.” This one hurt, I had been to his class…