May 1, 2012

In Latest News

Action Alert: GO Neighborhood Walks

As you know, in order to have great schools for every Oakland child, we need great school board leadership. That's why this November's school board elections are a major focus for GO. We are about to start our first big project in this arena, and we need your help.

This month and next, we'll be walking neighborhoods with a survey to help us understand what Oaklanders are thinking about school board elections and introduce them to Great Oakland Public Schools. Will you join us and your neighbors and commit to spending one shift (a few hours) walking a neighborhood or calling fellow Oaklanders in the next two months? Jessica got the chance to pair up with her friend Mary a few weeks back to go door-to-door with our survey in hand. They had a great time getting to know people in Mary's neighborhood. Here's a blog Jess wrote about her experience.

Sign up here: http://tinyurl.com/GOCommunitySurvey to let us know when you can help out. It's going to take all of us to make this change in Oakland, and we can't wait until we are celebrating success in November. We can do this.

See you out there!

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In Latest News

My reflections on interviewing school board candidates

By: Mirella Rangel
 
On Saturday, April 28th, 2012, I participated in a GO Public Schools event to get to know the candidates in regions 3 (mostly West Oakland and Downtown) and 7 (deep East Oakland). We interviewed all candidates in those two districts. While the role of a School Board member is daunting and difficult, I was impressed by the commitment of the candidates.
 
Each day I discuss the state of public education in Oakland and there seem to be no easy answers, but what struck me in the interviews was the impact of public accountability on the school district and school board members. Many candidates mentioned Oakland Community Organization (OCO) and their impact on school board policies. I myself, being a fan of OCO's work, have seen how their impetus along with a coalition of parents, teachers, non-profit organizations, and community members, launched many of the successful small schools that Oakland Leaf partners with: ASCEND, Urban Promise Academy, Think College Now, International Community School, and EnCompass Academy.
 
I often hear people criticize our educational system and leadership. In fact, critique is one thing that we do VERY well. But if we aren't paying attention to decisions that matter and decisions that are directly in our hands, how can we throw stones while we sit in our glass houses of apathy?  Let me be clear, I myself have been guilty of this. When it came to pointing fingers, I blamed leadership, but when it was my turn to vote, I can honestly say that I didn't do my research. If I paid just 1/10th of the time and attention that I spent thinking about, arguing about, and pondering the school board elections as I have with with the presidential elections, I could claim that I was an informed voter, but I wasn't.  I know that I am not alone, and it isn't too late to turn the tide.
 
This next school board cannot be determined by the very few. Our dwindling resources have left us in a state of fighting over crumbs and mired in the politics of divide and conquer. It is all hands on deck. I hope that the work of GO Public Schools will help re-energize the young visionaries, revolutionaries, and community change makers who work tirelessly to bring about a better Oakland. We have come so far, but have so much more to go.

Want to get involved with Mirella? Sign up for a neighborhood survey walk in May or June.

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