Education

District Seeks to Explain Redesign Process for Five Schools

Published

10 years ago

January 15, 2015

Parents, students, teachers and community members are struggling to understand exactly what the district has in mind for their schools after it announced the start of a “high quality” school redesign process at five Oakland public schools.

At issue are the futures of three of the district’s main high schools – Fremont, Castlemont and McClymonds – as well as Brookfield Elementary School and Frick Middle School in East Oakland.

District meetings to explain the process at several of the schools were attended by hundreds of teachers, parents and students. About 500 people reportedly attended the meeting last Thursday night at Fremont High, where students took over the meeting and denounced the district’s approach.

Outspoken community members and students are saying they do not care what test scores say – their schools are not terrible and not “failing,” but they need resources and support to help them build on their strengths. They say it is the school system that has failed them.

They especially do not want changes foisted on them they do not approve.

Already the subject of successive waves of failed changes over the past decade, they do not want the district again to rip up everything they have achieved by turning the schools over to charters or other outside organizations.

Many people in the community are also saying that they want to see dramatic improvements in the schools, which continue – despite the decades of school reorganization projects – to fail to meet the needs of many students, particularly Black and Latino students and English language learners.

A number of people have great hopes in the district’s new Supt. Antwan Wilson and the team of administrators he brought with him from Denver. But at the same time, they want to be sure the administration listens to and involves the community in whatever decisions are made about the future of the schools.

Responding to the angry criticisms, the district administration has admitted that it has not communicated well with the community and is seeking to clarify its intent.

“This is definitely not about more charters,” said Supt. Wilson in an open letter to the Oakland community dated Jan. 14.

“Our focus is on quality schools for every child –not on adding charters,” he wrote.

He wrote, however, that charters are welcome to apply to run the five schools. “Charters can and probably will participate, and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure this is a fair process for all,” he wrote.

“(But) the idea that an unsolicited, unsupported school proposal will come in and somehow take over your school is simply false,” he wrote. “I can’t express this more firmly.”

“We are also working closely with school and community-based site teams to ensure this process is not only fair, but also transparent by providing meaningful and authentic opportunities for these teams to collaborate with, provide feedback on, and offer ideas (on proposals),” he wrote.

Supt. Wilson wrote that whatever changes he recommends will have to go to the elected Board of Education for approval. “Our Board is committed to placing the needs of students as their top priority, and they care deeply about the voice of the community, including students, families, and educators most deeply impacted.”

Speaking at a McClymonds High School community meeting Tuesday night, district Chief of Schools Allen Smith said, “McClymonds will not close, and it will not become a charter,” repeating the statement three times for emphasis.

In a Post interview with the district spokesman Troy Flint, he said that guidelines for the school reform process will come out in February. “This is a general call for people who are invested in the outcomes of these schools” to produce proposals, he said.

In essence, this will be a competition between proposals. This is not an issue of charter vs. non-charter, he said. “We are agnostic on who should submit. We will look at the quality of the proposals and how they stand to benefit (each school).

The superintendent will decide on what he believes is the best proposal for each school, and will make a recommendation to the school board, which will make the final decision, Flint said.

Supt. Wilson has said the district will put up funds to help school sites develop and write proposals.

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Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

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California Black Media

New California Law Will Protect Students During Extreme Weather

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health. Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Robinson

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health.

Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Sen. Hurtado stated last Spring. “I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson, the twelve-year student who lost his life due to heat related illness during on-campus physical education, for lending their emotional strength and compassion for others in order to help ensure that no other student loses their life this way.”

Supporters of the legislation say the lack of uniform guidelines and protocols across schools and school districts in California intensifies the issue, creating an urgent need for safeguards to ensure student safety during extreme weather conditions.

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California Black Media

More Than 1.2 Million Youth Pre-Registered to Vote, Secretary of State Weber Announced

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on Sept. 26 that more than 1.2 million young people between the ages of 16 and 17-years-old have pre-registered to vote since the state launched the initiative in September 2016. The state program automatically activates voter registration for pre-registered youth when they turn 18 years of age.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber. Photo Courtesy of ShirleyWeber.com.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Weber, who has visited dozens of high schools across the state to promote voting initiatives, said that students are eager to vote and look forward to casting their first ballot, and “the numbers back them up.”

“Young Californians want to be engaged, active participants in our democracy and they can position themselves to do so by preregistering to vote,” said Weber.

Weber said that she is committed to encouraging young people to pre-register to vote, adding that she looks forward to partnering with the California Department of Education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, school officials, and leaders of community-based organizations to expand this effort.

According to Weber’s office, approximately 42% of young voters are registered Democrats, while over 13% are registered Republicans. Another 35% of young voters registered as having “no party preference.”

For more information, Californians can visit the online pre-registration website at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Registration is open to residents who are 16 or 17 and meet all the following criteria:

A United States citizen and a resident of California.
18 years old or older on Election Day.
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

More information about pre-registration for California youth can be found at sos.ca.gov/elections/pre-register-16-vote-18.

Upcoming key deadlines and dates for the November 5, 2024, General Election can be found at here.

Plus, visit http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2024-primary/section-08-general-election-calendar.pdf to view a complete California General Election Calendar with more voting details and updates.