Activism

OUSD Receives $120,000 Grant to Bring Black Educators to Classrooms

The Oakland Teacher Residency (OTR) program received $120,000 from the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) to expand efforts to recruit and develop Black educators for OUSD schools. The grant will allow OTR to provide an additional $10,000 for 10 Oakland Teacher Residents to reduce the financial barriers to entering the pro-fession and becoming credentialed teachers. The grant will also support professional development through mentoring for Black Oakland Teacher Residents and first-year teachers.

Published

4 years ago

July 11, 2022

Oakland Post

Courtney Bean (standing) works as an Oakland Teacher Resident supporting students at CCPA.

Special to The Post

The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) wants many more young adults to come to Oakland to be teachers, and recently, OUSD received a major grant to bolster that effort.

The Oakland Teacher Residency (OTR) program received $120,000 from the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) to expand efforts to recruit and develop Black educators for OUSD schools.

The grant will allow OTR to provide an additional $10,000 for 10 Oakland Teacher Residents to reduce the financial barriers to entering the profession and becoming credentialed teachers. The grant will also support professional development through mentoring for Black Oakland Teacher Residents and first-year teachers.

The award comes through NCTR’s Black Educators Initiative (BEI), a five-year, $20-million effort to prepare 750 Black teachers through its nationwide network of teacher residency programs.

OUSD launched OTR in 2019 as part of a districtwide Grow Our Own strategy to recruit and retain staff who are reflective of Oakland’s rich diversity in the district’s Strategic Initiative #4.

Over the past three years, the program has grown from supporting eight student teachers to supporting a total of 46 teachers pursuing credentials in math, science, and special education. Of the 46 Oakland Teacher Residents, 67% identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Black teachers make up 22% of the total. The BEI funds will bolster ongoing recruitment and retention efforts of Black educators.

“It is critical for the District and for our students that we have more teachers who look like the young people in their classrooms,” said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “So, it’s wonderful to see the early results of the Oakland Teacher Residency program, with a growing list of aspiring teachers with a profound commitment to Oakland and our students. This grant from the National Center for Teacher Residencies will enable us to bring in more young and enthusiastic educators who will add to the diverse fabric of our teaching corps, some of whom will no doubt be from Oakland. That’s exactly what our students deserve.”

Applications for the 2022-23 Oakland Teacher Residency program are now open. Math, science and special education Oakland Teacher Residents receive a $15,000 stipend to earn a credential while student teaching in an expert mentor teacher’s classroom.

There is also an affordable housing opportunity for Oakland Teacher Residents. After the one-year residency, teachers earn a teaching credential, secure a full-time teaching position, and make a four-year commitment to teach in Oakland.

For more information about the residency program, please contact: zaia.vera@ousd.org.

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Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.