Great Oakland Public Schools

Get out and vote -- for Alameda County Board of Education

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 16:17:43 -0800

-- April 14, 2016

On the June 7th Presidential Primary, Oaklanders will finally get to decide if they're feeling the Bern or if they're ready for Hillary. But for many Oakland students, including our most disadvantaged, the election down the ballot is more important.

Every Oakland voter will get a say in one of the Alameda County Board of Education races. We have been vocal about the importance of the OUSD Board of Education, but county boards matter as well.

The Alameda County Board of Education works with Alameda County Superintendent Karen Monroe to manage the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) and its $40 million budget. Much of that budget goes to serving students who would not otherwise receive adequate service from school districts.

In Oakland, the ACOE runs three community schools: one for students undergoing treatment for substance abuse, one for pregnant or parenting teens, and a third for students exiting juvenile detention.

Additionally, the Alameda County Board of Education hears charter school appeals if a petition is denied at the local level. Through this process, the county currently authorizes seven charter schools located in Oakland.

As authorizers, the board is directly responsible for the education of the more than 2,200 students who attend these schools, nearly 5% of all Oakland public school students.

In addition to the county office's direct education work, the Alameda County Board of Education reviews and signs off on every districts' budget and Local Control and Accountability Plan (or LCAP). At its best, this can be an important oversight measure to ensure that districts spend targeted Local Control Funding Formula money on the students for whom the money was intended.

The county office also handles Williams complaints, which can be filed against schools where students are without textbooks, facility conditions are dangerous, or where teachers are inappropriately assigned to their subjects. These measures enacted by the county all help ensure that school districts are working in the best interest of kids.

This June, make the presidential primary vote the last one you fill out on your ballot. Start with the Alameda County Board of Education: it's a critical race for Oakland kids.

Building on March's Momentum

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 14:58:58 -0800

-- March 10, 2016

March is a pivotal month in every school year; and this March we're excited to spotlight just a few of the many ways our collective GO community is coming together and doing great work in service of students and families in Oakland.

In particular, we're excited to share more about our:

"An Evening With The Mayors" event
The recent success of our parent leaders at New Highland
The inspiring work of our teacher policy fellows in search of solutions for Oakland's teacher recruitment and retention challenges.

"An Evening With The Mayors"

Tuesday night, March 8 I had the privilege for the first time of being a part of a GO Public Schools Advocates event, An Evening with the Mayors and was blown away by the turnout and what it represented.

Over 250 dedicated Oakland students, families, educators, and community leaders came together to talk about the future of public education in our city and the critical role our school board elections play in creating and shaping that future.

I don't think there's another community in the country rallying in early March around the importance of school board elections in November.

The room embodied the diversity and fierce resolve that makes Oakland so special, and the conversation with the mayors and among the guests focused on how we can and need to come together as a community to build that future together.

The night kicked off our efforts to fuel all the work that goes into bringing our community together to endorse and elect great school board members in November.

Families Affecting Positive Change at New Highland

Family leaders at New Highland have been coming together to create solutions for challenges -- big and small -- faced by their students. This year, they have been working hard to ensure that fifth graders are getting the appropriate amount of support necessary to meet their achievement goals in the midst of a long-term teacher vacancy. They've met with school leaders, district leaders, and their school board member regularly to address the issue and recently secured the resources to support eight-weeks of after-school math tutoring. Learn more about their great work here.

Teacher Policy Fellows Exploring Solutions for Oakland's Teacher Recruitment & Retention Challenges

I always say that I hope teaching is the hardest job I'll ever have had. My years in the classroom were by far and away the most demanding and rewarding years of my professional life. I offer that reflection because in that context that I have such deep admiration and gratitude for our Teacher Policy Fellows. Our fellows do whatever it takes every day in service of their students. In addition, they convene every two weeks in the evening to expand their impact beyond their classrooms and in service of teachers and students across Oakland. Following their efforts as they engage thought-leaders locally and nationally with a solution's orientation has been nothing short of awesome. Check out their work here.

Final Thoughts

There's a lot to be done over the next few months to finish this school year strong and to fuel the work leading up to November's big elections.

Thanks for all that you do and looking forward to the work ahead together!

Much appreciated,

Ash

Recapping An Evening With The Mayors

Wed, 09 Mar 2016 15:31:23 -0800

-- March 9, 2016

What happens when a current, former, and future mayor discuss public education in Oakland?

What happens when 250+ students, parents, educators, and community leaders come together around public education in Oakland?

We leave inspired and fired up for the upcoming November school board elections.

There was plenty of energy at our March 8th event "An Evening With The Mayors" and that energy was key to its success.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Oakland High School junior and aspiring Oakland mayor Darius Aikens set the tone for our future work of electing great Oakland school board candidates.

The work to elect those great candidates starts now. And we need your leadership; please stay engaged and let's work together to get others involved.

As Darius said "Activism is important. Showing you care is important, and we must come together and work together."

Darius is an inspiration to us all. He is a young Oakland student not afraid to speak truths or ask the tough questions about what it takes to prepare more of our students for college and beyond.

Meet Ms. Bowen, DonorsChoose.org recipient

Wed, 13 Jan 2016 15:24:29 -0800

-- January 13, 2016

Meet Ms. Bowen, 5th Grade teacher at Encompass Academy and a DonorsChoose.org recipient

How did you become a teacher?

"My parents always said they knew I would be a teacher. But, I had no idea. I coached gymnastics growing up and liked being around kids, but I majored in Economics and History in College. I joined the Peace Corps after college and got hooked on teaching after helping kids in Mali paint giant map murals."

Ms. Bowen's 5th Grade class at Encompass Academy

Why atlases for your DonorsChoose.org project?

"As a kid, I remember going through my dad's atlases and getting excited by all the different countries and cultures. I also remember watching Indiana Jones and getting excited by Petra and wanting to find Jordan on a map.

I have 31 students and 30 of them have parents that were born in a different country. I have kids from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Yemen, Samoa, and Azerbaijan. My kids are from such different cultures and that is not always shared in our class as much. So, I wanted to find a way to start with the basics. Every morning we are going to do a warm up (with the atlases) starting with the basics like what color are rivers on maps or what does border mean, and move to things like what countries border Turkey."

This was Ms. Bowen's first project on DonorsChoose.org and with the help of the Oakland community, it was funded in less than an hour. To read more about Ms. Bowen's atlas project, please click here.

The collective support of the Oakland community helped us reach our $25,000 match offer in less than two weeks.

Close to 100 projects from 60 teachers representing 36 schools. The generosity shown will impact over 8,400 public school students in Oakland.

Wish you and your family a Happy Holiday!

Fri, 18 Dec 2015 08:04:18 -0800

-- December 18, 2015

As a supporter of GO, you are part of a special community of champions for students and believers in a future where all families have access to quality schools in their neighborhood.

We would be grateful if you would consider GO as you make your end-of year charitable contributions.

Thanks to you, today in Oakland, our children have access to some of the world's most innovative learning experiences and environments. Educators and families are working to transform our lowest-performing schools and to build college prep, career pathways in our secondary schools.

Oakland teachers have a progressive new contract and received one of the largest raises of any district in the region in 2015. Together, Oakland educators -- across both district-run and charter public schools -- are trailblazing new programs and practices to prepare our children to thrive in this new century.

Right now, as families consider school options for next year, GO's school enrollment map is the most comprehensive resource in the city, bringing together program and performance data, school tour dates, and application deadlines across district-run and charter schools.

This holiday season, GO raised funding to partner with DonorsChoose.org and match contributions to Oakland teachers' projects -- bringing thousands of dollars directly to students and classrooms.

None of this work would be possible without your generosity and support.

As we prepare to set aside our work for the holidays and recharge for the year ahead, we are so grateful for the opportunities we have to work in partnership with committed and brilliant allies and supporters -- like you.

We are so excited for 2016! We will have the opportunity to deepen our work in Oakland AND we're moving forward in partnership with local leaders to launch GO Public Schools West Contra Costa. GO is growing and we are so grateful for your support every step of the way!

Thank you for your investment in our team and network of equity-focused, future-oriented leaders.

Wishing you and yours a peaceful and joyful season.

Oakland Public School Enrollment Map

Sat, 14 Nov 2015 08:08:26 -0800

-- November 14, 2015

ENROLLMENT SEASON

Oakland's public school enrollment season for the 2016-2017 school year has begun with several schools having already hosted school tours and open houses for perspective families. To assists families through the process, we have developed a public school enrollment map that includes the dates and times of tours.

We have included the schools tours and open houses that we know about and will continue to add to the map. The map also includes:

School addresses
Principals
Websites
School data on math, reading, suspension and absence rates, and other programs (Linked Learning, Special Education, and Early Childhood Education).
Elementary schools are green, Middle Schools are light green, high schools are orange, K-8 are blue, K-12 are yellow, 6-12 are light blue, alternative schools are dark blue.

We have also created a timeline of the enrollment process that can be found below. Note: Dates apply to district run schools, so call each charter operator to find out dates and deadline for its application process.

Uncovering Geniuses

Thu, 22 Oct 2015 16:35:06 -0800

-- October 22, 2015

For the past three years, Brandon Nicholson and his crew have been helping young black males throughout Oakland uncover their Hidden Genius. On Wednesday, thanks to public support, the Hidden Genius Project was one of six nonprofits awarded a $500,000 grant from Google after finishing in the top four of the Google Impact Challenge.

Founded in 2012, the Hidden Genius Project connects underserved young black males with the education, mentors, and skills to become the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and technologists.

The Hidden Genius Project was selected from a pool of 800 applicants to serve as one of the 15 Bay Area finalists and after a three-week voting period received enough public votes to secure one of the $500,000 grants, which it will use to launch a multi-year program to train an additional 100 men.

Quick facts about the Hidden Genius Project:

Has served 350, including 18,000-plus hours of direct service to black youth
Offers two different programs

Immersion, free 15-month tech boot camp
Catalyst Workshop, free single and multiday tech-based sessions

Serves students ages 11-17 or grades 9th-12th
Founding executive director, Brandon Nicholson is a board member for GO Public Schools

Available Now: Oakland Achieves Third Annual Public Education Progress Report

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 12:25:49 -0800

September 22, 2015

"It is going to take all of us going deeper into our work and being more uncomfortable. To meet our goals, it is going to take all the people in this room working together and being willing to go beyond comfortable.

"We must sprint when it comes to urban education and we must go fast and far. And if you remember one thing from today, remember this 'Every student (in Oakland) thrives.'"

- Antwan Wilson, Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District,
at the Oakland Achieves Third Annual Public Education Progress Report release.

In a packed room with some of Oakland's top educational leaders, the Oakland Achieves Partnership released its Third Annual Public Education Progress Report on Tuesday, September, 22, 2015 at the Waterfront Hotel.

Click here to download the report

The report reviews a full range of data on Oakland student outcomes from cradle to career. Wherever possible, it includes data from district-operated schools and charter schools. The data includes several indicators, including kindergarten readiness and Financial Aid Form completion.

Now educators, parents, and others can see at a glance how Oakland students and schools are doing. Our goal is that leaders and advocates will use this data to come together and focus energy and investments where they're needed to make opportunity a reality for every public school student.

This year's report showed declines in chronic absences and suspensions and gains in kindergarten readiness for low-income preschoolers in district-run schools. The progress report also showed challenges in the area of reading and math proficiency, particular for African American and Latino students and dips in graduation rates and college readiness rates.

GO Public Schools board member Brian Stanley honored

Wed, 20 May 2015 16:50:46 -0800

- May 20, 2015

Brian Stanley, a GO board member and the executive director of the Oakland Public Education Foundation, was recognized May 12th as a 50 Fund Playmaker and received a $10,000 grant from the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee.

Stanley and the Oakland Public Education Fund were honored for their work with Oakland public schools and their students.

In the 2012-13 school year, the Oakland Public Education Fund's Elementary Literacy Collaborative saw 97 percent of participants reach reading proficiency after entering the program significantly below grade level.

Stanley was the 11th playmaker selected from throughout the Bay Area non profit community and is one of 50 selected over the 38 weeks. To read more information on Stanley and the Oakland Public Education Foundation and to view the video on Stanley click here.

The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee is charged with providing a unique experience surrounding the game on Feb. 7, 2016. The 50 Fund Playmaker is charged with making Super Bowl 50 "the most philanthropic and giving Super Bowl ever."

Looking Back on 2014

Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:58:38 -0800

December 2014

This year has been very memorable for Oakland students, families and educators.

We hired a new Superintendent.

The district piloted new student tests based on the Common Core.

We elected new school board leaders and passed Measure N.

And much, much more.

Over this past year, Great Oakland Public Schools and our affiliated GO Public Schools Leadership Center have also achieved numerous successes in our core campaigns, working with partners to leverage systems changes to move our public schools forward.

We're taking a look back here. On this page you will find:

Stories of Impact: GO Community Leaders in Action
A timeline of key Oakland public education events and news from the year
Photos of the year

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Stories of Impact

People in the GO Network are impacting students' lives daily. Click here to read stories about teachers, parents and students making an impact working with GO in 2014.

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2014: The Year in Oakland Education

Scroll through the timeline to look back on key events from 2014. Click on a date to view in greater detail, read a description and click on a link to read more. View the 2014 Year in Oakland Education in Dipity for a full-screen view.

2014 Year in Oakland Education on Dipity.

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Photos of the Year

A look back at the people and moments from GO events in 2014. Click play to view an automatic slideshow with music, or use left and right arrows to view photos manually.

Stay Teaching: Attracting and Keeping Great Teachers in Oakland Classrooms

Fri, 05 Dec 2014 14:13:12 -0800

October 9, 2014

The GO Teacher Policy Fellows are excited to announce the launch of our new website, Stay Teaching.

The GO Teacher Policy Fellows believe that students deserve a high-quality education, and in order to provide it, schools need to attract and retain excellent teachers. And those excellent teachers should absolutely have a say in education policy that affects both working conditions and student outcomes.

This website is produced by Oakland teachers. We plan to write posts that combine research and the first-hand knowledge of teachers, curate news that impacts the classroom, highlight important research and shine a spotlight on best practices of teachers making a difference in the lives of students. Our goal is to increase teacher leadership opportunities and ensure Oakland teachers have a voice in crafting policy.

Check out the first couple posts, "Thinking Beyond Bad Teachers" and "Ten Reasons to Stay Teaching in Oakland" and let us know what you think!

Enrollment Options Process Tools and Resources

Fri, 05 Dec 2014 14:10:32 -0800

November 2014

It's time for families to act if they are planning to send their children to a new school next year. Oakland Unified district and charter schools start accepting applications for next year in the first week in December. This is known as the open enrollment "options" process.

View this page in Spanish here (vea esta página en Español aquí).

We have compiled resources for families to better understand this process for all Oakland public schools:

An infographic that details the process and timeline step-by step
A map of every public school in Oakland with information on how to attend a school tour or open house for each school
Links to information provided by OUSD, including the paperwork you'll need to register your child.

Options Infographic

Follow the step-by-step process of the open enrollment options process:

School Tours Map

This map provides information about tours, open houses, application processes, and contact information for all Oakland public schools.

Schools are color coded by grade levels -- for example, district and charter elementary schools are RED.

OPEN THE MAP IN A NEW WINDOW to see a list of all Oakland schools by grade level. Click on the map where the green arrow indicates in he figure to the left.

Click on an icon or a school name for information on how to visit that school and any upcoming tours or open houses.

Have information or updates not on this map? Please email Ryan Phillips at ryan@gopublicschools.org.

Looking for preschool information?

Visit the Early Oakland site for a map of affordable early care and education services.
Transitional Kindergarten: A bridge between preschool and kindergarten, Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is part of the public school system and free to students to help them prepare for success in school. For the 2015-16 school year, parents of students who turn 5 between September 2 and December 2 have priority to register for TK. Children with earlier birthdays may attend TK once all children with November, October, and September fifth birthdays are served.

Enrollment Resources

Oakland Schools API Map - How are students performing in different schools? Searchable by student groups.
Navigating the System: Oakland, from GreatSchools
OUSD Enrollment web page
OUSD Directory of schools
Student Assignment Center
OUSD Map Center (Attendance areas, environmental factors)
OUSD Office of Charter Schools
Oakland North article: Oakland's options process lets families choose schools, but raises questions

The New Plan for Oakland Public Schools

Fri, 21 Nov 2014 10:05:56 -0800

November 19, 2014

This is an excerpt from a post by GO Public Schools Leadership Center (our sister organization). Read the complete entry here.

In his first four months, Oakland's new Superintendent of Schools Antwan Wilson has listened to educators and families, brought in new leadership, and developed a strategy for long-term improvement.

Now, this week he has published an updated plan, "Pathway to Excellence 2015-20," and will share it with community Wednesday evening at the regular school board meeting. This is a big moment.

Our network of parents, educators, and community organizations is excited to engage and ready to support a plan that aims to provide a quality school for every child in the city sooner rather than later. As the Superintendent writes in his introduction to the plan:

"Our collective and unified voice will always be more powerful than our individual efforts. We can no longer pit one faction against another or elevate adult concerns above student needs."

We agree and will be at the meeting with parent leaders who want to know how the plan will affect their schools and their children's opportunities, and how they can support positive change. We'll be live tweeting the event so you can follow along, and we'll report on what happened in our newsletter next week, including responses to the plan by parents, educators, and other leaders.

The Superintendent's plan focuses on three priority areas:

Effective Talent Programs
Accountable School District
Quality Community Schools

New Oakland Mayor Schaaf's Plans for Education

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:19:46 -0800

November 12, 2014

GO Public Schools congratulates Oakland's newly-elected mayor, Libby Schaaf. We look forward to working with our new mayor to ensure all students have access to a quality education that prepares them to fully participate in the 21st century community and economy.

Education Policy Paper

In her campaign, Mayor-elect Schaaf showed a commitment to taking on difficult and complex education issues that greatly affect Oakland youth. She holds an ambitious and inspiring vision of Oakland as a center of innovation and excellence in public schools.

Mayor-elect Schaaf published a nine-page education policy paper on her website, and here are some of the highlights:

Improve access to early childhood education programs:

"Within my first year, we will convene leaders of relevant city, county, and school district agencies, and community-based organizations for a first annual "Early Oakland" summit to align actions to ensure that all subsidized slots are filled in the city, that quality in those classrooms continues to improve, and that we add more access to high quality care as new funding opportunities emerge."

Focus on quality, collaboration, equity and growing what works:

"Oakland has tremendous potential to and must become a student-outcomes oriented center for excellence, equity and innovation in education. As Mayor, I will be more concerned about whether a school or program is high quality and accessible to our highest need children, than about who governs it or manages it -- school district or public charter school, city or school district early childhood program, nonprofit organization or government agency. My focus will be on quality and collaboration, growing what works and equity across our schools."

Within her first 100 days of office:

"I will appoint a cabinet-level leader ... who will publish an annual work plan for 1) coordinating the work of city agencies to implement my education priorities, and 2) partnering with other agencies ... to support students and public schools."

Schaaf's Five Priorities to ensure quality education for all Oakland students are:

Expand access to high-quality early education for all children and combat early truancy.
Expand student access to personalized learning and technology.
Strengthen and expand pathways to college and career.
Develop restorative practices for youth across city agencies.
Make Oakland Teacher Town, USA.

You can read the entire plan here.

Video

In October, Schaaf was one of the six leading mayoral candidates who attended the GO forum on education issues in the 2014 election. Candidates answered questions about early childhood education, supporting teachers, Linked Learning, and technology. Click on a topic below for Schaaf's answers. You can watch videos of all of the candidates' answers here.

Big Victories for Oakland Students

Wed, 05 Nov 2014 18:11:48 -0800

November 5, 2014

Yesterday's elections brought great news for Oakland students with the passage of Measure N and the likely election of two school board candidates endorsed by the GO Public Schools network: Aimee Eng, elected in District 2, and Nina Senn, leading in District 4 as absentee ballots are being counted.

Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard on these campaigns! These victories will have a tremendous positive impact on students. And the many conversations between volunteers and voters have made our city more informed about and focused on our schools.

Over the last few months, GO hosted over 200 volunteers, including dozens of Oakland high school and college students, to contact tens of thousands of Oakland voters about Measure N and school board candidates. Measure N passed resoundingly with over 75 percent Yes votes. This will provide over $12 million a year for college readiness programs, a clear victory for investing in high quality education in our city.

I was especially inspired by the over 100 people who volunteered to help get out the vote, walking all over the city last weekend and on election day handing out literature and talking to voters. The voting is over but the work goes on to build an informed, engaged community of advocates for quality education. Many new leaders have emerged through this effort.

In District Six, GO's endorsed candidate Renato Almanzor was defeated by Shanthi Gonzalez. We deeply appreciate the many volunteers who contributed their time to campaign for Renato. We congratulate Shanthi on her win and look forward to working with her and the rest of the school board to to ensure that every child in our city has access to a quality school.

In the coming weeks, we will provide more information about the opportunities ahead for our newly composed school board.

Look Who's Supporting Measure N

Fri, 31 Oct 2014 11:20:23 -0800

Measure N will provide more funding for every high school student in Oakland. Simply put, we all know our schools desperately need this money. California ranks at the bottom nationally in per pupil funding.

That's why Measure N is endorsed by a long list of educators, community leaders, and elected officials. Measure N is also supported by:

The Oakland Tribune and East Bay Express.
The League of Women Voters - Oakland.
The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
Local labor unions that represent school workers.
The Alameda County Democratic Party.
Each of the top seven Mayoral candidates.
Every School Board candidate.

Click here to read the complete list. It's long, so prepare to scroll!

Want an example of how students' lives are changed by the College and Career Readiness programs that Measure N funding will support? Oakland North recently ran a great story. Angel Yañez and Kemish Rosales were students at Fremont High's media academy:

"And now, three years later, both of them are college students who landed their first real jobs as computer technician assistants thanks to that experience." Read the story here.

Measure N will increase access to these kinds of programs for every high school student in Oakland. It will increase the graduation rates and allow more students the fair opportunity they deserve to be successful in college and career.

Please join us in voting YES on N!

2014 Mayoral Forum on Education Issues

Mon, 20 Oct 2014 14:05:14 -0800

October 20, 2014

Great Oakland Public Schools hosted a forum on key Oakland education issues in the 2014 general election on October 16, 2014. Each of the leading seven candidates for mayor were invited to the forum and six attended.

Here you'll find video of each candidate's answer to each of the four questions they were asked as well as video of their introduction. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order after the Mayor Elect.

The questions were:

Early Childhood: What are the top ways that your administration will help ensure that families have access to quality child care, summer learning opportunities, and other enrichment opportunities?
Technology: What will you specifically do to make sure all of Oakland's residents, including students, are connected to the Internet and have the tools and education to be full participants, including being ready for the jobs that are coming?
Supporting Teachers: In what ways can you, as mayor, help support the recruitment, training, and retention of Oakland's teachers?
Linked Learning: How will your administration help support the Career Pathways initiatives that Measure N helps funds - either through direct city action or building public/private partnerships?

Libby Schaaf (Mayor Elect)

Bryan Parker

Jean Quan

Courtney Ruby

Dan Siegel

Joe Tuman

What Inspires You?

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 10:35:41 -0800

GO volunteers are pretty amazing. Every weeknight, our office is filled with the voices of committed educators, parents and community members talking to voters about the need to elect great school board leaders for students. On weekends, we're all out knocking on doors in Oakland neighborhoods. I am inspired.

We're building momentum, and now's the time to join us. Election Day is less than three weeks away. School board members represent specific districts but they make decisions that affect every school in the city. This moment is a rare opportunity to change the future of Oakland.

Click here to knock on doors or phone bank for great school board leaders.

I want to share a video I recorded of volunteers talking about why they are inspired to give a few hours to make a big difference in our schools.

What inspires you to work for positive change in our schools? We'd love to hear, and we hope you'll join us!

What Oakland Students have to say about Measure N

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 08:09:57 -0800

Measure N, which will bring approximately $1,000 per secondary student to support College & Career Pathways, is endorsed by GO Public Schools, the League of Women Voters, the Democratic Party, and a long list of educators, community organizations and leaders.

What matters most, though, is the impact on Oakland youth.

Here is the perspective of two OUSD Linked Learning program graduates, Hezekiah J. Burton and Davy Lillian Loch.

Hezekiah J. Burton

A graduate of Skyline High's Computer Academy, Hezekiah Burton is currently at UC Berkeley and considering either a pre-med or business track. He said no matter what kind of degree he pursues, he's going to be successful.

"I'm going to use those skills with computers and technology to my advantage. I feel like I'll be able to thrive and feel comfortable in any work environment. I'll be able to perform my tasks and be competitive after I graduate and go on to the job market and land a solid career."

"I highly hope people vote for Measure N. As a product of OUSD in UC Berkeley now, I can say that it works."

Davy Lillian Loch

After graduating from LIFE Academy's Health and Bioscience Academy, Davy Lillian Loch is now a student at Merritt College. While at LIFE, she participated in the medical assisting program. She interned at both Children's Hospital and Highland Hospital, and--as a high school student--witnessed brain surgery, pediatric surgery, and a live birth.

"I'm doing medical assisting now and after that I'll be doing my hours for nursing," she said. "From there you can go anywhere you want to, which is amazing."

"Some students don't have the same opportunities, some can't afford to go to college ... With Measure N, they can have more opportunities to go to whatever college they choose."

Measure N is good for students and good for Oakland. Vote YES on N!

Learn More
Check out these videos from the school district about Linked Learning career pathway academies, produced by the Media Enterprise Alliance academy at MetWest High School.

Do you know Renato?

Thu, 09 Oct 2014 09:22:06 -0800

October 9, 2014

To the GO Public Schools Network:

We have known Renato Almanzor for over ten years as teachers and principals who worked with him to improve Oakland schools. He is exceptionally skilled at helping people understand what our students need to achieve academic success.

Renato is unique. He is not only a passionate community leader with deep experience in education. He has also experienced the challenges of being a parent - a single father - and advocating for his son and his peers as a volunteer school leader. Renato will be a tremendous asset to the Oakland School Board. Please do what you can to support his campaign.

Sincerely,

David Silver - Founding Principal, Think College Now Elementary; Former Asst. Principal, Lockwood Elementary; CEO, College Track*

Angela Aquino Silver - Former Principal, Cleveland Elementary School; Former Asst. Principal, Lincoln Elementary; Instructor in Graduate Education at Mills College*

*titles for identification purposes only

What a powerful endorsement.

We don't need "leaders like Renato" on the school board. We need Renato on the school board. He is a unique leader we cannot afford to pass up for our students.

When voters hear about Renato's experience, they want to support him. The challenge is getting the word out. Most people just don't know about school board elections. But so much is at stake for our schools, our students and families, and our city.

Click here to sign up to phone bank or walk for Renato.

Click here to donate to support our campaign for Renato.

Help us get the word out about Renato. It will be the one of the best things you can do for Oakland this year.