Monthly Archives: November 2012

National

2012 Teacher Innovator Awards

Brought to you by PBS LearningMedia and The Henry Ford

 We want to recognize YOU — America’s innovative PreK-12 classroom educators, media specialists, technology coordinators and homeschool educators who use digital media to enhance student learning.

Thirty winners across grades and subject areas will be recognized and receive a plethora of prizes from PBS LearningMedia, The Henry Ford, PBS TeacherLine, and Promethean! Find inspiration using resources from PBS LearningMedia and The Henry Ford’s On Innovation.

Hurry … the contest closes December 12, 2012. Enter now!

Thank you!
The PBS LearningMedia and The Henry Ford teams

For more information please visit:http://www.pbs.org/teachers/innovators/

Local

Oakland North: American Indian Model Schools file response to allegations of financial, organizational misconduct

AIMS board chairperson Jean Martinez looks on as attorney Paul Minney addresses the OUSD board at the Sept. 27 board meeting. Photo by Lauren Kawana.

November 29, 2012
By Nausheen Husain

Administrators at the American Indian Model Schools—a set of three Oakland charter schools, two middle schools and one high school—responded late Monday night to a 1,080-page notice of violations given to them by the Oakland Unified School District, OUSD spokesperson Troy Flint said Wednesday.

School officials had been given until November 28 to respond to the district’s allegations regarding improper business contracts, inappropriate credit card usage and lack of school board meeting documentation, but filed their response two days early. If the response does not appropriately answer the questions posed by OUSD school board members about the schools’ finances and organization, the district could decide to revoke the schools’ charters.

The response will be summarized and released to the public after the Oakland school board members read it and remove confidential information, such as student or employee names, Flint said. “It was a long response. It filled up many binders,” Flint said. “The board will have some guidance from our legal team, but they will ultimately decide the fate of AIMS, whether the schools will remain open and in what capacity.”

AIMS operates three charter schools in Oakland: American Indian Public Charter School, American Indian Public High School and American Indian Public Charter School II. The schools reported a total enrollment of almost 500 students during the 2010-2011 school year; in that year, reports to the California Department of Education indicated that almost 70 percent of the students were Asian, 18 percent were Hispanic and 1 percent were American Indian. For the past few years, the schools have had consistently high Academic Performance Index scores, which measure a school’s yearly progress and determine federal funding. During the 2009-2010 school year, American Indian Public Charter School had an API of 988, the highest of all the schools in the state.

The district’s review of the school’s operations began in 2011, when it was given information from a confidential source regarding “improper financial dealings” at the AIMS schools, Flint said. Early this year, the Alameda County Office of Education requested that the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) audit the AIMS schools. The audit was released this June. According to the audit, the study team found evidence of problems, including conflicts of interest in awarding school contracts, inappropriate credit card charges made by school officials, and a lack of documentation for decisions made by the schools’ board members in their meetings. 

This September, the district issued a “notice of violations” to the schools based on that audit, as well as public records and previous correspondence between OUSD and AIMS board members. The AIMS administration was given 60 days to provide documentation that the FCMAT auditors said had been missing when they compiled their June report. AIMS administration members were also required to provide a written response to the OUSD, including an explanation or defense against the notice’s accusations, and a plan for remedial measures.  This is the written response the district has just received.

At a heavily-attended September 27 school board meeting, when OUSD formally gave AIMS the notice of violations, board members emphasized that the notice did not mean they would close the schools, something that concerned AIMS schools parents in attendance.    But if this new AIMS response proves unsatisfactory, officials made clear, OUSD could begin the process of revoking the schools’ charters.

Some of the central allegations in the district’s notice focus on financial transactions involving Ben Chavis, the founder of two of the AIMS schools and the former director of all three.  The notice asserts that Chavis and his wife, Marsha Amador, collected almost $4 million from contracts made between the AIMS schools and Chavis’ businesses, including lease agreements, storage agreements and construction contracts—upgrading restroom facilities in 2006 and 2007—for the schools.

According to the notice, though the AIMS school board approved the contracts, there is no indication that they were aware of the money Chavis and his spouse would make from their businesses, including Lumbee Holdings and American Delivery Systems. Since state laws prohibit public officials, officers and employees from engaging in a contract in which they have a financial interest, Chavis’ membership on the AIMS board and the AIMS contracts that financially benefited him appear to be conflicts of interest, according to the FCMAT audit report.

To read more.

Events, Local

The Education Report: Oakland’s new youth theater company opens its season Dec. 6

Gritty City Rep rehearsal

November 28, 2012
By Katy Murphy

Gritty City Rep opened in January, and its executive artistic director, Lindsay Krumbein, says it’s the first stand-alone youth theater company in Oakland.

The group rehearses six hours a week in downtown Oakland. Its first show of the season opens at the Berkeley City Club Theatre on Dec. 6 and runs for two weeks. The actors will be performing “Anon(ymous)” by Naomi Iizuka, which Krumbein describes as “very physical, minimalist, dealing with issues of war and immigration, exploitation of refugees – relevant stuff. Not your typical `high school theatre’ by any stretch of the imagination.”

To read more.

Local

Meet Downtown College Prep's Slam Poets

November 28, 2012
By Lisa Hewitt

“Slam poetry, for me is a just another means of expression. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves and this is how we choose to.”- Carlos Nolasco

Beginning just over a year ago, the slam poetry group at Downtown College Preparatory (DCP) in San Jose, California, has a unique weekly gathering. In a classroom surrounded by posters breaking down Spanish verbs and maps of Spain, they write and perform poetry for each other. I met with a few regulars in Michael Bower’s classroom: Gabriel Orozco, Naila Cazares, Jose Luna, Angel Barragan, Amanda Pea, and Carlos Nolasco. They all agreed the group is a positive influence in their lives and provides a platform to speak their minds. Naila, a sophomore, explains, “Poetry’s not just about rhyming; it’s about expressing yourself and what you see around you.” Amanda, a sophomore, adds, “I come to poetry and I can…just say it. And [the group members] tell me how they feel about it. And they’ll tell me the truth and that’s basically what spoken word is, the truth. It’s different truths…coming together and unifying us.”

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Bower grew up surrounded by Hip Hop, but it wasn’t until college and with the encouragement of his roommate he started performing poetry. Coming to San Jose in Fall 2011 with Teach for America, Mr. Bower decided to perform a piece of poetry for the DCP administration, teachers, staff and the students. “In the beginning I got up in front of assembly, and I said ‘I’m going to start a poetry group. I’m from Brooklyn, I love Hip Hop; just come if you want to express yourself.’ And I got some kids who were really talented and really passionate about it and then it just grew.” Angel, a senior, explains, “He’s our Spanish teacher and I’ve never thought about Bower as a slam poet/rapper of anything. And one day he presents us one of his pieces and it was really awesome, I liked it. So then…I decided to join slam poetry.”

The poetry group is a unique setting amongst the normal high school experience; they don’t have to edit what they say or how they communicate. For Gabriel it’s about giving voice to the underrepresented, “What I mainly write about is how I’ve gone through this really hard struggle in my life. I might not look it on the outside because I’m skinny and tall but on the inside I’m Hercules when it comes to problems. I want to be a voice for everyone who has struggles in their life, who’s grown up in the ghetto, the projects whatever you want to call it, because those people are what really drive me to become great.”

The first time the DCP group performed together was at San Jose State University on October 24, 2012, an event sponsored by the Cesar Chaves Community Action Center and KQED. Though some students have performed their poetry in the past, for others this was the first time they’ve shared it in a public venue. After the performance, Mr. Bower explains, “[The group members] got in the van and they started talking about how we’re all a family. That was cool and a very touching moment for sure. Many of them don’t have a place for expression and many don’t have a place where people listen to them. So when they have both at the same time and they can talk about their deepest feelings, I think they really value that.”

If you’re interested in learning more, please visit Downtown College Prep’s website: www.dcp.org.

View Selected Poems

Local

Oakland North: Oakland Raiders, students sort food at Alameda County food banks

Long snapper Jon Condo sorts carrots.

November 21, 2012
By Sam Rolens

When Brad Lubeck, 11, and his mother Stacey showed up at the Alameda County Community Food Bank for an afternoon of volunteering with his Boy Scout troop, he didn’t expect much in the way of thrills. Food bank staff showed Brad and the others what to do with the broccoli and carrots they’d be unloading, and said it would be the Scouts’ job to teach the process to another group of volunteers arriving shortly.

Then the surprise was sprung. Six giants in black and silver strolled up to the boys and asked for instructions. The Oakland Raiders had arrived.

Brad, who is something of a football fan, would be beaming for the rest of the day as he packed up carrots. “We have a cat named Raider,” said his mother. “He got to name it.”

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor, long snapper Jon Condo, wide receiver Derek Hagan, linebacker Aaron Curry, defensive end Matt Shaugnessy and running back Taiwan Jones sorted donated food alongside local high school students, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts at the Food Bank’s warehouse across the highway from the Coliseum.

“I wear the black and silver on TV every Sunday,” said Condo. “Kids look up to us. Adults look up to us. This shows people watching that we’re in this together for the cause of our community.” Condo said that every Tuesday, which is the only day off from workouts for the Raiders, members of the team are volunteering somewhere in the city. Condo, originally from Pennsylvania, said the community spirit he’s seen in Oakland has impressed him. “They’re very dedicated people,” he said. “It’s a close-knit community committed to helping each other.”

The Oakland Raiders are also hosting a virtual food drive over the holiday season in partnership with the Food Bank that collects money for food and supplies.

The cavernous warehouse is kept cold inside. Volunteering kids wore warm beanies and coats on Tuesday, while the Raiders wore their jerseys without pads or helmets. Conversation was lively, as kids clustered around one or two towering players at each of the cardboard boxes holding donated vegetables.

Big hands and small hands worked quickly through the veggies, while conversation covered primarily school and football. “They’re tough,” said Condo, who was paired with Brad’s Scout troop. “They’re hard little workers—packing carrots just as fast as I was.”

Food Bank communications manager Mike Altfest said the facility needs all the help it can get from volunteers in the weeks leading up to the holiday season. “The operation is ticking this time of year the way we’d want it to be ticking all year,” said Altfest. The Food Bank provides food for 49,000 people (enough food for roughly 300,000 meals) each week through its 275 partner food pantries, soup kitchens and other facilities.

But the amount of donations peaks at this time of year, said Altfest, and so does the Food Bank’s need for volunteers. People tend to sign up for shifts during the holiday season, he said, but interest starts flagging by January. He encourages anyone who wants to volunteer to sign up for shifts after the holidays by using the Food Bank’s volunteer webpage.

“The Raiders have been helping us out a lot this year,” said Altfest. “It’s a great morale booster, and it helps bring awareness to hunger in Oakland.”

Not far from the Food Bank’s warehouse, at the Columbian Gardens Food Pantry, pro-bowl defensive tackle Richard Seymour was handing out frozen chickens, canned corn and collard greens, and boxed stuffing mix with the help of his family. Altfest said Seymour had specifically asked to pass out food, and that the appearance was “just something Richard wanted to do.” Seymour was helped by his wife Tanya, his kids Richard, Kayla, Kennedy and London, and other friends and family.

To read more.

Local

The Education Report: Another Oakland student news blog: Castle Crier!

Pre-Distribution

November 13, 2012
By Katy Murphy

 

Student journalism in Oakland has popped up at yet another high school. At Castlemont High, students have launched an online site with a wonderfully old-school newspaper name, the Castle Crier.

AP English language students are the publication’s first reporters.  Guided by teacher Marguerite Sheffer, they post updates three or four times a week. This winter, the Crier will have its first print edition.

Today, we can read all about John Lynch, the new principal of the newly consolidated school, an ethnic studies partnership with San Francisco State, and what it’s like to be an Asian-American at Castlemont. Not to mention an exclusive interview with Castlemont’s Freshman Princess, photographed in a Raiders hat and Holy Names University sweatshirt.

As a journalist who wrote for her own high school newspaper (The Torch looks so 21st Century now!), I find it heartening to see teenagers learning how to tell newspaper stories and report what’s going on around them.

Across town at McClymonds High, the Mack Smack blog is still going strong, and Fremont High’s Green and Gold newspaper is award-winning. Oakland Tech’s paper, The Scribe, came back to life four years ago, and Skyline’s Oracle keeps students up to date on the latest administrative changes and policies.

To read more.

Local

Oakland North: OUSD enrollment drops, academic performance still below state average

Jody London and Jumoke Hinton-Hodge present a framed resolution thanking Mynette Theard, who recently passed away, to her colleagues from the Service Employees International Union.

November 15, 2012
By Nausheen Husain

School board members found out Wednesday that Oakland district school enrollment is almost 1,000 students fewer than school officials estimated last year, and that achievement data remains below state levels in several key subjects.

At their evening school board meeting, board members looked at academic and enrollment data that showed both gains in enrollment for Oakland charter schools and losses for district schools. The district is also still below state levels for English, mathematics and science proficiency. While OUSD students have hit the 45% proficient or advanced mark for English and mathematics, the California average is 60%.

District 5 school board member Noel Gallo said he was worried about the quality of learning at the schools in his district. “My schools aren’t proficient, and they’re definitely not advanced,” Gallo said. “Our kids need to be able to compete.”

These issues are also deeply connected to OUSD’s 2013-14 budget priorities.  The board has goals of reducing OUSD’s structural deficit and increasing employee pay by 2013. But that will be harder to manage if more resources are needed to improve school curricula so as to attract more students. “We need a way to discuss charter schools, school conversions, school closures and contractors together, because all of this stuff is related,” said District 4 board member Gary Yee.

The board discussed the issues briefly during the meeting, but members said they intend to discuss the data in detail at the next school board meeting Dec. 12.

Maria Santos, deputy superintendent of instruction, leadership and equity-in-action for OUSD, said the district has in fact seen certain improvements in both attendance and student retention. She cited data showing that in 2007, the district lost 700 students after ninth grade; in 2010, the district lost only 50. Santos said OUSD has registered fewer absences this year, too.

“We’ve reduced chronic absence from one chronically absent student out of every nine students, to one chronically absent student out of every 10 students,” Santos said. “That is huge for our district.”

To read more.

Local, Youth Media

KQED edspace: Youth Rise Up at the BAYMN Media Festival

November 8, 2012
By Matthew Williams

On a beautiful fall Saturday in Oakland, students, educators and families filled the Kaiser Center’s 400-seat theater to watch 20 compelling youth-produced films that focused on social change and the high school dropout crisis.

The Rise to the Occasion Youth Media Festival was organized by KQED, along with other members of the Bay Area Youth Media Network (BAYMN), a consortium of more than 20 non-profits that believe in the power of media production to engage youth voice, self-expression and empowerment as well as to inspire social change.

Films not only expressed the complexity of issues that cause students to dropout of high school, they also explored the topics of health, race, sexual identity and discrimination.

To see videos.

 

Local

Mercury News: Oakland schools bond, Measure J, is winning

November 7, 2012
By Katy Murphy

A $475 million Oakland school facilities bond measure received overwhelming voter support on Tuesday. Returns posted early Wednesday morning showed Measure J far above the 55 percent threshold.

For homeowners, this will mean a property tax increase of up to $60 per $100,000 in assessed property value. The rate in the initial years is estimated to be lower, roughly $40 per $100,000.

Oakland Unified has said it will spend the money on improving the seismic safety of its buildings, new and upgraded kitchens, science labs, technology, energy efficiency and other infrastructure. The district has also identified about 10 schools to receive major improvements, including Fremont High School in East Oakland, which would replace its portable classrooms with a new structure.

Some of the other schools on the list include Glenview, Greenleaf, Sankofa and Sobrante Park elementary schools, Roosevelt and Madison middle schools and McClymonds High School.

Those who have pushed for more healthful school food have rallied around the measure, which would fund the construction of a central commissary and allow more schools to serve food made from scratch. In addition to those families, more than 40 students have spent a recent Saturday — or, in some cases, five — going door to door, trying to convince likely voters to say ‘yes’ to Measure J.

To read more.

Local

KQED: In the Studio with Rashidi Omari

November 7, 2012
Kristen Farr

Rashidi Omari is a performance artist, writer and educator at Destiny Arts Center, a violence prevention and arts education organization in Oakland. Growing up, hip-hop was an outlet that helped Rashidi deal with life’s challenges, and he works to provide today’s Bay Area youth with the same creative opportunities. We stopped by his dance studio to learn more about this dynamic Oakland artist, and find what hip-hop means to him and his students.

Watch Videos.