Everyone wants great neighborhood schools. Thing is, that has never existed in my experience, at least not in Oakland. And saying that our school improvement strategy is centered around something that has never happened is at best a remote hope, and at worst a lie that asks parents to wait for a savior that will…
Accountability
The Slides You Need to See from the Oakland Achieves Report
The latest report is out on achievement in Oakland, and everyone should be worried about the general trends and also the disparities. There are some bright spots though, and it has important implications for district policy and the way we look at the range of public schools here. Too Many Schools Are Showing Declining Performance…
Nickel and Diming the District to Death; A Real Fix to OUSD’s Fiscal Problems
Death by a thousand cuts is what the headstone of OUSD will say if we can’t get our fiscal house in order. We have current deficits and huge deficits looming, 20 and 60 million dollars roughly in each of the next two years. And so far the approach has been to keep trimming the edges…
Getting the Data System we Need in California Education; A Job for the Next Governor
There is some powerful data coming out on school performance and operations in Oakland, often comparing charter public schools and the district schools. The challenge comes in interpreting it. Charter school overall outcomes are stronger than the district’s, particularly at the middle and high schools, but is that because charters are actually doing a better job, or is it…
The Grand Jury Is In on Oakland Unified and the Conclusions are Damning
“While students in OUSD seem to pay a heavy price for this poor governance, experts tell the Grand Jury that those responsible, the board and the district’s decision-makers, seem to pay little or no price for their actions or inactions.”- Alameda Grand Jury Report 2018 The Alameda County Grand Jury’s Annual Report drove another nail into…