Events, National, Research, Youth Media

Guest Youth Blogger: Build Your Own School (BYOS) Project Presentation

Written By Sydnee Logan

Currently, a few of my classmates and I from Step are preparing to attend and present at the American Educational Research Association Conference also known as AERA. This year the conference is being held in Vancouver, Canada on April 13th through the 17th. In our previous two years, my classmates presented at the AERA conference in New Orleans and Denver. AERA is a convention for teachers, researchers, and other people that are interested in learning about effective schooling, teaching and pedagogy.
The reason we are attending this conference is to present on our Build Your Own School (BYOS) project. The unit is about us literally trying to tell people about the resources we need as a community to improve Oakland Public Schools, and schools like it in America. For this project we conducted our own research and will share what we found. The reason we feel this is so important is because we attend an Oakland Public School and know how ineffective they can be, but also know effective schooling with our Step program. We believe that we should have the best opportunity to learn and experience school, like everybody else.
To prepare for this trip we have been working hard every day (weekends and on our spring break!!!) on our power-point to practice our presentation and put finishing touches on the short films we created. We look forward to sharing our research with people in Canada and around the world.
My classmates and I have a mixture of excitement and worry going into this trip. The School Structure research team consists of Rebecca Pina, Darrell Tingle, Charlie Va, D’Shari Frison, and Daryl McDaniel; and the Leadership research team consists of Nixon Callejas, Mohammed Taleb, Naja Herron, Javote Long, and Nick Ross.

Here are some of their initial reactions:

“I am stoked out about leaving the country, I am going to meet as many people as possible and I am buying so many souvenirs.”-Nick

“I am excited about leaving. I am excited about getting on the plane and happy about doing a presentation in another country. My main worry is that we have to come back to Oakland so soon.”-Nixon

“I am excited and can’t wait to meet new people and explore Canada. Well my biggest worries/fears is to get on a plane and to be away from my mother.”-D’Shari

“I am very excited about leaving to Canada and being in a new place because I am very nervous. Well I don’t have any worries because I have been on a plane before so I know what to expect.”-Rebecca

Local, National, Research, Youth Media

Guest Youth Blogger: Sydnee Logan

East Oakland Step to College Graduates

Written By Yo Ann Martinez

KQED is excited to partner with the Step to College Program at Fremont High School in Oakland, California as they prepare to present Build Your Own School (BYOS) project at the American Educational Research Association Conference (AERA) in Vancouver, Canada.

Sydnee will be blogging about their presentation, his classmates and thoughts on traveling to Canada. He will also share a video highlight reel of the trip. We look forward to it!

Here is Sydnee in his own words:

“Hello everybody, my name is Sydnee Logan. I’m a 17-year-old native of Oakland, California. I am currently a junior at the John C. Fremont High School in Oakland, attending a smaller school named Mandela Law and Public Service Academy. In my free time I play sports, hang out with my friends, and have participated with the Step to College Program since my 9th Grade year.”

Stay tuned for his first submission.

 

Events, Local, Research

KQED News: California Report Special Coverage Baby Steps California's Early Learning Challenge

KQED California Report Special Coverage
Written by Ana Tintocalis
Research shows that a quality early childhood education can improve a child’s readiness for school and help prepare them to succeed as adults. How will this prepare them for the rest of their school years? Follow this California Report Special Coverage of Early Learning Challenges in California

 

Local, Research

KQED News: Budget Cuts Threaten Transitional Kindergarten

A project by transitional kindergarten students at Kingsley Elementary School in Los Angeles. (Image credit: Ana Tintocalis/KQED)

KQED News
Posted on April 11, 2012
Written By: Ana Tintocalis

About a dozen kids buzz around a colorful classroom at Walteria Elementary in Torrance, just north of Long Beach. Some kids are stacking Legos and playing with dolls. Others are at tables with jumbo crayons.
At the center of the action is teacher Lisa Rodeski.
“In my classroom, when they first come in in the morning, this is what I call table time, so everything out on the tables is focused on small motor development or it’s math skills,” Rodeski says.
But this is not your typical kindergarten class. It’s called “Preppy K,” a transitional kindergarten program for kids just shy of their fifth birthdays. Rodeski says these kids are not quite ready for the structure of regular kindergarten.
“They stand out in a number of ways,” she says. “It might be academic, it might be physical, it might be social, it might be emotional or it might be a combination of all of those things. So this program has been developed to meet all of their needs.”
The program here has been around for about 20 years. The district makes a commitment to fund it because they see the benefits. Learn more about this important topic.

Events, Local, Research, Youth Media

Video: How Does Tutorpedia Fight The Drop Out Crisis?


Written By Emma Bundy
Tutorpedia fights the dropout crisis by providing critical academic support to students. Through personalized, one-on-one tutoring, students receive the individualized attention that is often difficult for over-extended teachers to provide in the classroom.

By collaborating with teachers and academic advisors at students’ schools, Tutorpedia tutors reinforce school curriculum and support lessons in dynamic ways outside of the classroom.  As Ms. Moyenda, a veteran SFUSD teacher explains, “It’s not just me saying to the tutor, ‘here give the kid this.’ It’s me getting the information back from the tutor that says, ‘here’s where your focus needs to be.’ I think every kid needs their own one-on-one tutor because now we can no longer give that one-on-one instruction.” Tutorpedia tutors develop relationships with their students to focus on specific academic needs while also addressing issues that impact learning within the classroom environment.

Tutorpedia tutors are experts in education who are passionate about student learning. Experienced tutors develop creative ways to help students understand in order to make education real, relevant, and rigorous. By connecting academic success to real-life, tutoring helps students engage with school and graduate. Since 2007, Tutorpedia has provided more than 6,000 hours of tutoring to low-income families through the Supplemental Educational Services program and through the generosity of private donors and grant-making institutions. Learn more about Tutorpedia and the Tutorpedia Foundation.

Local, Research

Fixing The Schools: California Schools Need More Money and Fundamental Reform

Union Tribune San Diego
Posted on 03/29/12
Written by Antonio Villaraigosa and Arun Ramanathan
The month of March has always symbolized spring – a time for rebirth and the start of something new. For early-career teachers across California, this month has come to symbolize changes far less sunny. This is the month thousands and thousands of pink slips go out to teachers, principals and instructional support staff informing them that, come the end of the school year, they might be packing up their books and lesson plans for good.

These layoffs are a direct result of the continuing cuts in state education funding. And this year the outlook is especially bleak. No one can be certain that voters will support any of the ballot initiatives to restore education funding, so districts are left preparing for the worst-case scenario and making their deepest cuts yet.

To continue reading, click here.

Local, Research

Fate of American Indian Charter School II Debated

San Francisco Chronicle
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Written By Jill Tucker
A high-achieving Oakland charter school under investigation for fraud and mismanagement will remain open but be required to clean up lapses in financial and administrative oversight, the city school board decided Wednesday in a 4-3 vote.

The decision allows the American Indian Public Charter School II to continue operating for another five years, but board members said they would move to revoke the charter if problems are not fixed within two years. Read more.

National, Research, Youth Media

Pinterest: Why I Go to School

Pinterest is an online pin board. Why I Go To School is the topic of this pin board. Students share why they go to school as part of the American Graduate project focusing on the high school dropout crisis. If you would like to submit your motivation for why you stay in school, email us at newshourextra@gmail.com. Please include your first name, age, grade in school and brief blurb in addition to your Pin. For teachers, here is a lesson plan to get your classroom involved. Check out our recent reporting.