Part I: Resetting and Re-correcting the Record on Public Schools vs. Charters PART I As with all tragedies, we as humans flow from different stages to overcome trauma and grief, and move forward to rejoin the community. We reset, reflect, re-engage, and renew. We, at Great School Voices, have spent the past few months in…
School Talk
Turning the Light Back on, Brightly, this New Year
Three months ago today, we all lost our inimitable Dirk Tillotson, the creator of this platform. He has been a resource and light to everyone he encountered in Oakland, here in New York, and abroad. As the co-pilot of our nonprofit Great School Choices, the past three months have been some of the worst days…
These Maps Show How Oakland’s School District Reinforces Segregation
I’d highly recommend checking out the Urban Institute’s latest research on the role school attendance boundaries play in school segregation. I’ve captured the Oakland-specific data here and you can see the screenshots below in an online map here. Here are just a few reminders from the report on the power of attendance boundaries: “By prioritizing…
An Ode to the Patron Saint of Insanity and Visions of Equality
Lionel Dixon, in custody at Santa Rita Jail, read a report about the murder of our own Dirk Tillotson. His advocate shared with us a poem he wrote to honor Dirk. The world lost a patron saint to insanityA man with a vision and dreams of equalityHe fought for unfortunate students of poverty Let us…
Remembering Dirk Tillotson
“Students who need the most and deserve the most, tend to get the least while the privileged magnify their advantages. That’s the system and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.” – Dirk Tillotson Force of Nature. A Movement. Leading Light. Unapologetic, Consistent Warrior for Justice. Brave Truth Teller. Always Laughing. These are a handful…