Black families support charter schools. Every survey I have ever seen that actually asked families found significantly more African American families supported charter schools than didn’t. I challenge someone to show me a respectable survey to the contrary. So why aren’t some of our civil rights organizations listening? Broad, Consistent Support for Charter Schools Every…
Ending Separate and Unequal Schools in Oakland
Most everyone says they want integrated schools. Maybe not “too integrated” if you know what I mean, but “diverse” schools. There is a significant body of research that says it’s good for kids too. But integration ain’t happening. Schools nationwide are more segregated than they were decades ago and nothing will change until we affirmatively…
Selling our Babies from PA to CA-Private Profits for Public Wards
Worst person alive might go to former judge Mark Ciavarella, the Pennsylvania judge who sent thousands of kids to private juvenile jails for minor offenses and received kickbacks for it, ruining and arguably ending young lives. In California we have our own scandal, where foster kids are over medicated by doctors with conflicts of interest,…
2 Things You Need to Know about the “Charter Movement”
Everything you hear about charter schools is true. And everything you hear about charter schools is false. That’s what 20 plus years working with them has taught me. They send high numbers of low income kids to college, they pick and choose students, they are safer. They disproportionately suspend certain kids, they save taxpayers money,…
OUSD’s Year in Review and the Challenges Ahead
By most accounts Oakland Unified is doing pretty well. Our schools are as fully staffed as they have been in recent memory, public support is at historic highs, academically we are making progress and progress with some of most historically underserved students, and financially we are as strong as ever, with an improving bond rating.…