May 2022 Newsletter: Our North Star, always
Right now, fewer than 2 in 10 Black and Brown kids in Oakland are reading at or above grade level; fewer than 1 in 10 Black and Brown kids are doing math at or above grade level. That reality is why we can never take our eye off the ball: making sure our children have good reading skills and good math skills so they can have good jobs and good lives. In the heart of all the constant politics and disruption, we don’t get distracted — we’ve got our north star, always.
The tumultuous spring in Oakland served as a reminder of the power of our north star. When we learned that two schools — Parker and La Escuelita — were closing, we knew exactly what we needed to do: ensure our families have power and agency in what comes next.
And we were ready to deliver: We’ve always known closures were coming, so back in 2019, we worked with parents to create and pass the Opportunity Ticket policy, which gives priority enrollment to students from schools that are closing or physically moving to be merged. When school closures started, we had the tool — now it was just a matter of ensuring families knew they qualified to use that tool.
Our team pulled out their bright yellow shirts and got out in front of both schools to meet parents — every morning by 8 a.m. We were not going to let any family miss out on knowing we had their backs.
Special interest groups started staging protests and spreading misinformation about the Opportunity Ticket, but they were no match for our team in their yellow shirts. Our family liaisons made sure parents had the full picture — and the power — to decide for themselves. When families learned how the Opportunity Ticket worked, they jumped at the chance to have a choice. And it worked:
92% of applicants from Parker and La Escuelita received their first choice school
97% received their first or second choice school
School closures are always hard, but the Opportunity Ticket puts the power back in the hands of families.
Our north star got put to the test again with OEA’s strike at the end of April. Schools shut down, but learning didn’t — thanks to REACH. Rather than focus on the politics, we focused on making sure kids kept learning that day. Our literacy liberators were hard at work tutoring children in the district’s distance learning school. Politics should never trump doing right by our children.
There’s no rest for the weary, but staying focused on our north star is how we get our children on the path to college, career, and a bright future. It’s what gets us up in the morning and guides our work each and every day.
Lakisha Young,
Founder & CEO
To read May's complete newsletter, please click here.