A number of new education laws in California tackle a particularly alarming issue: the state’s schools now issue more suspensions to students than diplomas, especially to African-American students. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the Oakland Unified School District. But now, district officials are pinning their hopes on a new approach to student discipline, called “Restorative Justice.”
December 21, 2012
By Barbara Grady
Oakland Unified School District this week became a beneficiary of a major federal grant that will bring science, technology, engineering and math – STEM – educational experiences to as many as two thousand OUSD students.
It is one of many efforts underway to close a “digital divide” in Oakland in which low-income students have less access to the Internet and connected computers.
The U.S. Department of Education this week awarded a $3 million “Investing in Innovation” grant to Citizens Schools, a non-profit that plans to use it in 23 school districts across the country including Oakland Unified. Citizen Schools winning proposal, Closing Inspiration and Achievement Gaps in STEM with Volunteer-Led Apprenticeships, will set up and expand after-school programs in Oakland to be apprenticeships with tech professionals who would involve them in hands-on engineering and computer science projects. Citizen Schools will be recruiting tech volunteers in Oakland.
“These hands-on STEM apprenticeships not only help students build skills but also spark their interest in STEM subjects,” said Stacey Gilbert Lee of Citizen Schools when asked about the program that has not yet been formally announced. In Oakland, Citizen Schools will expand a program it already started in three middle schools.
Much is being done in Oakland to try to close the digital divide, with a host of non-profit organizations collaborating with the school district to bring computers into classrooms and train students in digital tools. Yet other organizations work over the summer through summer camps and programs at recreation centers.
This happens as the stakes for being left behind in digital literacy and Internet access become increasingly high in a world that revolves around the Internet.
“As more information becomes electronic, the inability to get online can leave entire communities at an extremely dangerous disadvantage,” notes Kimberly Bryant, founder of Black Girls Who Code, which ran a summer camp in Oakland last June.
Yet, according to estimates of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s administration and the Pew Research Center, about 50 percent of OUSD children whose families earn less than $30,000 a year do not have Internet access at home. That income is the benchmark for qualifying for the federal free and reduced lunch program and 69 percent of OUSD students qualify.
In a loose survey of West Oakland residents done this year by Oakland Technology Exchange West (OTX), another non-profit working hard to close the digital divide, only 22 percent had both Internet access and a currently working computer. Some had Internet access but not a currently working computer. Others had no computer at home. OTX as the non-profit is called, gives away free computers to OUSD high school and middle school students who take its one afternoon course.
OTX is yet another of the plethora of organizations trying to bridge the divide.
At OTX’s vast West Oakland warehouse, retired IBM executive and OTX founder Bruce Buckelew, along with his small staff of local hires, arrange for thousands of refurbished computers to be delivered to public schools across Oakland. Collecting computers from corporations when they replace their stock and then refurbishing them to new condition, OTX through the years has provided 35,000 computers to Oakland school children and low-income adults. It has delivered 18,000 computers to OUSD schools alone, charging the school district about $240 per computer. Then it has handed out another 17,000 to Oakland kids who come with a parent to take a one-afternoon computer course in computer basics at OTX’s plant. OTX has also supplied free computers to adults who volunteer time refurbishing donated computers.
December 22, 2012
By Daniel Zapien, Fernando Perez of Silicon Valley De-Bug
On November 15th at 2:30pm, De-Bug started making its way to the Schools of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza for an event called “Designing the 21st Century School.” This event was created for the students from all over the Santa Clara County to come out and talk about how school could be better suited for them and their futures. The event also represented a coming together of various organizations who united in the interest of improving our school system – groups such as San Jose 2020, Santa Clara County Office of Education, Californians for Justice, American Leadership Forum, San Jose Youth Commission, School of Arts and Culture, De-Bug, and more.
As we got to the event, Malcolm Halcrombre was setting up the DJ booth, which was designed to entertain, and keep background music for the youth during the dialogues of the event. We began setting up the “21st Century School Graduation Photo Booth” where kids stood in front of a graphic Adrian Avila made of the school of the future. Students, who got to wear a cap and gown, chose which “diploma” they wanted to be pictured with, which were themes based on what schools could be. So the diplomas to choose from read that the youth graduated from a school of the future where students:Have Full Use of Technology, Have Teachers That Students Connect With, Never Have to Worry About Being Hungry in Class, Get Support for Issues They Face Off of Campus, Won’t Feel Judged Based on How You Look.
As the school buses started coming in, the youth started to come out and sign in, some would sit down and listen to the music, while others would walk over to the photo booth and take pictures with their friends. After the music was getting really funky, and the kids took as many pics as they could, before the event started. There were over 200 students, who sat in small groups, ready to create new possibilities for education.
As the room got silent, Dr Xavier De La Torre (Santa Clara County Schools Superintendent of Schools), and Christian Sanchez (San Jose High student and Youth Commissioner) grabbed the microphones and started making announcements for the evening full of events. They then introduced the first act — De-Bug who showed the ‘Schoolin the Schools’ media contest entrees. Fern and myself (Ookie), went up to let the youth see what other youth were doing for the contest. Claps and cheers were heard as the students watched and listened to the videos and slideshows.
After getting the crowd live we gave the mic back to Christian and Dr. De La Torre who introduced the next part of the evening. This was the research portion that was done through surveys all across East San Jose schools by Californians for Justice. It was amazing to see to see the amount of concern students have regarding the level and quality of their education. Then we came to the part of the evening where the youth sat in circles and began giving their opinions on certain questions that was asked by community leaders and educators in a fashion that let everyone speak. The discussion was lead by youth facilitators. Students were asked to reflect on the media and research they all just saw, then proceeded to answer the question, “ If you invented school, what would it look like?” The students had plenty to say – giving direction and ideas that could transform our schools into education hubs that really prepare and inspire youth.
And they connected their dreams to the current realities facing their schools. In my small group, as students were speaking about how important one on one time with a teacher is, one student said, “The teacher at my school would only tutor three kids out of every class. She has six classes. It’s sad because now there is no one to help the rest of us students, because the school won’t get more teachers to help.”
Even the youngest of attendees got a lot out of the discussion, and what it represented. Samaj Kenney, age 12, was there to perform through his dance crew Monster Motion, but also participated in the small group discussion. He said, “It was amazing how they got all the kids out there to attend the event and actually listen and participate.”
After all the small groups were done, it was the last portion of the evening where the performances started. Danae James Johnican performed his submission to Schoolin the Schools, a song called “Hard Lessons.” After he performed, two members of Monster Motion got a chance to dance and make the crowd go wild.