“An African-American born in West Oakland can expect to die almost 15 years earlier than a White person born in the Hills” –Alameda County Public Health Department Report The disparities in our schools are by design, not accident. When we have schools like Kaiser and Sankofa, geographically not far apart, but in other ways demonstrating…
State of Black Education
Yes, It’s about Race, Race and the Schools Oakland Students Deserve; A Kaiser Parent’s Story
A guest post from Dr. Brian Stanley, Black | Husband | Father | Leader | Policy Nerd | Oakland, we always welcome guest writers The Oakland Unified School District is recommending merging my child’s school, Henry J. Kaiser Elementary and Sankofa Elementary into a single school on the Sankofa campus in North Oakland. Kaiser, nestled in the…
We Need Real Solutions from OUSD on Facilities, Not More Bickering to Nowhere
As the school board comes back into session, and it’s most strategically important decisions loom. You have to ask whether they will actually do something besides bickering into inaction. Early signs are troubling. One example can illuminate the whole situation. A District With Immense Wealth that Can’t Pay the Bills OUSD is one the largest…
Make Oakland Schools Great Again; When 8 Latinx Males Completed the A-G Requirements and 29 Black Males Did
There is a set of folks who view every failure of OUSD as a result of charters. To them, charters drain money from the district and drain kids. The argument seems to go that things were great in Oakland before charters. Kids we thriving, the district was financially stable and families of all stripes were…
Stop Letting Someone Dictate what Will Happen to Your Kids; Parents Need to Take Control
A guest post from Rachel Willis, parent leader and Oakland native on the struggle for better schools and the role parents need to play. “It’s more than waking up and living, you gotta take control of your life, and take control for your kid’s sake. There is a jail cell being built for your kid…