It was a hard board meeting, we are under enrolled, our test scores are mixed and somewhat flat, our special education costs are ballooning, non-essentials—like food at meetings–have been eliminated. And I am hungry. It’s a long meeting. Our staff have been working their butts off, and our test scores are relatively good for the…
School Choice
Could California’s Next Governor Finally End For-Profit Charter Schools in California? I Hope So.
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…
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…