Prioritize the needs of Special Education students this school year

This pandemic without a doubt forced us to focus on the basic economic needs of families and students. The need for economic stability and housing stability was front and center for so many and that took precedence over the search for internet and devices. The questions were real – will I pay for $10 internet,…


Oakland Charter-run and District-run schools by the Numbers

Thank you OUSD for throwing some hard numbers into the charter school debates.  While I missed 2/22/16 Board engagement session (I was in NYC), I did look at the materials. Big takeaways; students at charter-run schools tend to perform somewhat better on state tests and be more economically disadvantaged.  While district-run schools had somewhat greater…


Post’s Op-Ed on charter schools and special education doesn’t serve reality or students

It’s disappointing to continually hear the half-truths and what I will call “misconceptions” around charter schools and special education students in Oakland.  A little fact checking would have helped—but let me do some here. Many of these were raised in a recent op-ed in the Oakland Post in the op-ed, Charter Schools in Oakland do…