by Hakeem Bey Oakland public schools failed me and now, as the father of four, I’ll be damned if they are going to fail my children, too. I don’t care about the name or type of school my children attend—I do care about quality. I never had the opportunity to attend a high quality school.…
School Choice
The Problem with Seeking the Best for Your Kids; The Ethical Crossroads in School Choice
A guest post from Courtney Martin, we always welcome guest submissions Everyone wants the best for their kids. It’s an idea that almost no one — black, brown, or white, rich, poor, or something in between — would take issue with. In fact, most people think this is the bedrock of good parenting: pursuing the best for…
In This War to Educate Black and Brown Kids, Are You in or Are You Out?
A cross post from Charles Cole III, we always welcome guest submissions Recently, Nick Hanauer wrote an article for the Atlantic titled Better Schools Won’t Fix America, where his main argument was that education is not the answer to economic inequality. The article took over my timeline. When I saw that it was going to be…
No One Prepared Me for This; Parenthood in the Age of School Choice
by Dana Wellhausen When I think back on it I realize how naive we were. Before enrollment season even started we jotted down a list of public schools for our rising Kindergartener. When school tours and info nights started it felt like all we had to do was go to confirm the final order for…
The Challenges of Choosing a School in Oakland: A Parent’s Story
By Taraneh Arhamsadr When we had the opportunity to buy and move into our Santa Fe house in 2012 – two years before any kids were in the picture – we were told that the neighborhood school had recently closed. No problem, we thought. We have our home—and years to figure the school thing out!…