If California’s next governor really wants to support public education, then he or she may need to do something that hasn’t been done in 25 years: Get rid of California’s for-profit charter schools. Why? For-profit charter schools haven’t increased learning and tend to be scandal-ridden, as evidenced by yet another scam detailed below. While there…
School Choice
An Open Letter from a Former OUSD Leader Supporting Latitude Charter High School
Here Aaron Townsend, a successful former OUSD school and district leader, shares his support for the Latitude 37.8 Charter High School petition that is up for vote this week before OUSD and has received a staff recommendation for approval. He argues both for the merits of the school and also for local authorization identifying how…
A Tactic without a Strategy in OUSD’s Failed “Charter Moratorium”
Oakland Unified’s tactic of denying every charter petition, no matter how promising, isn’t working, and is actually counterproductive based on the district’s own goals. It won’t constrain charter growth and will undermine collaboration in areas helpful to the District. They need to rethink it. The OUSD board and superintendent have expressed 3 specific policy goals…
“I Was Failed Once by the School System” Now This Oakland Parent Is Finding Her Voice and Power
A guest post from Lisa Babbitt and Oakland parent describing her experiences and why she joined The Oakland REACH Do you know how impossible it can feel to play in a game when you don’t know the rules? You get dismissed, pushed out, left feeling defeated. I know this feeling all too well trying to help…
Parents and Kids Should Not Need to Win a Lottery to Have a Quality School
I am an Oakland parent, and below is the text of my speech at the Oakland REACH kickoff event. Who here wants the best for your child? This a question that every parent here is faced with every single day. Although “the best” for us all means different things, we all want them to find…