Comments on: Statham quits on eve of her first anniversary

By: Ron

Ron — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:56:55 +0000

It is a lot of work especially for the first year teachers. Just because someone wrote a letter in May does not mean it got read. No there are no materials, we got binders with the theory and strategies but no real substantial materils.

By: Emma

Emma — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:09:31 +0000

Do we have materials or is there a group working towards developing some? This would be grat to sustain the program year long and throughout the grade levels. 4 years ago I visited Hollie’s school and saw first hand how the strategies work, however I felt that in the lower grade levels, there was not much in terms of materials. IS does have a great vision in this regard. Thanks again for your response.
I don’t think it is more work because it hits at the essence of what that work should actually be instead of random activities when there is no focus and or training.

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 04:07:46 +0000

Actually, Brad Stam has helped bring in a program for Academic English Development (AED). This week nearly 75 teachers were trained in theory and techniques for teaching Mainstream English Language Development (MELD) by Dr. Hollie and his staff. All of this is very much a part of OUSD Instructional Services vision; again, a SOUND practice for professional educators. It is more work, but that is the nature of this career we’ve chosen.

By: Emma

Emma — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:20:31 +0000

Well said Richard. My attention was drawn to your mention of focused ELD because it is a passion for some of us. I know this is not in your discussion above but one never knows where a great idea might come from. What do people generally offer to African American students during the ELD period when EL’s are in focused ELD classes. This is a question for elementary school settings. I have heard people mention Academic English Instruction but never have seen materials around it safe a few techniques offered by Sharroky Hollie and Dr. Lemoine.

By: Richard

Richard — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 18:35:27 +0000

I taught for years in OUSD before there was an adopted curriculum or any oversight. Believe me, the professional decisions being made by many of my colleagues then were not sound. You criticize work load, but you don’t even begin to discuss the content of the curriculum. Have you ever spoken to Brad Stam? Did you read his letter to the teaching staff last May outlining his expectations for OCR to be driven less by the “script” of the teacher’s edition and more by the collaborative dialogue that needs to occur in all of our classrooms? Maybe once you stop criticizing things that are a part of a professional learning community (using current data to make instructional choices, grouping children for focused ELD instruction, working collaboratively with peers to plan lessons) as simply more work, and start to see it as key to the work itself, you’ll understand better. Teachers work very hard; in my opinion and experience, they are now working harder and smarter.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 03:42:49 +0000

OUSD does not use OCR pacing guides? news!!! What sound instructional practices? you recruit twenty year olds that cry when a kid says good morning to them, ask them to take credential classes after school, attend PD after school, serve on committees after school, prepare their lessons for tomorrow, clean their unswept classes, complete this and that paper work, attend training on FOSS, OCR, Calendar Math, Social studies, ELD, Date with Data etc and you call all this mess sound instruction and credit one individual with this mess. He must feel honored. I wonder why SFO let his genius escape.

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:00:35 +0000

Actually, I feel that Brad Stam was exactly what OUSD needed. He knows what he’s talking about. In the 12 years I’ve been with the district, this is the first time I’ve felt like a professional, and yes, I am able to be an instructional leader. He has taken the emphasis off of rote dedication to the Open Court pacing guides, and complete worship of the idiots at SCOE who run the “Reading Lions” program the District is mandated by the Feds to follow, and begun to focus on sound instructional practice. Why would they have adopted the FOSS Science curriculum district-wide if he were just interested in micro-managing our affairs? In my experience, the potential for good instruction is in place in OUSD, and Brad Stam is one of the few people who understands what good instruction is.

By: Rhodes

Rhodes — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 15:53:45 +0000

You know the system is broke because none of the central office administrators send their kids to OUSD, infact they themselves live far from Oakland. It is an interesting situation. Look at their salaries compared to the neighboring districts. They match. Look at the OUSD principals and teachers salaries. Sad. Yet they continue to demolish service departments and dump paperwork on the principals while at the same time asking them to be “instructional leaders”. I I don’t think many of them will stay. If they have a chance they will go to Fremont, San Leandro, Castro Valley etc because working conditions are better and there is no Chief Academic Officer making demands and micro managing them, or managing every department like a Hitler while putting forward this soft amicable face. Watch him OUSD. San Francisco was celebrating when he left.

By: VW-T

VW-T — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 05:15:22 +0000

This district has 2 problems with job retention:

1) They promise the moon and don’t deliver (ask any employee)

2) They shuffle around so much they not only don’t want to help those recruited, but are literally unable to…

Where are all the Oakland natives…. so progressive and in tune with this fine city? Why aren’t they jumping in to save the ship that is constantly sinking?

They aren’t here! They took the A-train to Berkeley, San Jose, San Rafael, (insert name of any city) to escape the “no snitching,” hate the understaffed cops, elect nutcases that write letters of recommendation and grant loans to that most holy of organic bakeries, and blame everyone else for their problems….

What you have now is a core of teachers with an abysmal retention rate that are severely underpaid, under-cared for, and often assaulted on a daily basis….

You don’t need the nation of Islam to come in… You need a good libertarian / fiscal conservative to come in and a) Enforce the law b) Ensure teachers can teach and students can learn c) Make all fiscal matters transparent and d) Recruit through example (don’t leave for some cushy job in San Diego or to “lavish” love on your family in Maryland – what on earth were they thinking when they hired her??)

What you need most of all is for the people who are fed up to rise up -and- NOT be violent, but be supportive and FIRM.

It’s broke… so it’s time to fix it. Burn the boat, build a new one out in the bay. End the progressive facade and stamp out the violence….

Start with police at the schools – Audits of every department in the district (and every school) – and resume checks of everyone hired – everywhere!

End the corruption and you’ll perhaps gain the trust of the city and of those who come (giving them a reason to stay) to help. Cut the xenophobia (omg you so don’t know what it’s like living here!) and clean up your own back yard…

Oh yeah – maybe some of the wonderful progressive cities around Oakland (San Rafael, San Jose, San Francisco, Walnut Creek, etc) can divert some of the aid they are sending to Darfur and MoveOn.com – and find a way to help out the neighbor they so often forget…

Out of site out of mind is regressive….

But what do I know… I only came here, heavily recruited… lied to… and I stayed… You see, the kids don’t know how dysfunctional the city is… They’re the innocent bystanders… I’ll stay a while for them… The rest of you need to get your act together and give them a reason to come back once they graduate… Hopefully they can restore some of the wonderful history, heritage and sanity to what was once a great city…

By: maria

maria — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 01:20:21 +0000

I worked in OUSD until recently when it became obvious that a new egotistical species had arrived. The sweeping changes and random firings left me questioning myself and wondering if anyone was really concerned about the children. Even then I stayed, but the kids started leaving to other types of schools. When I read about how a brilliant visionary by the name of Katrina Scott George was treated in her very ailing condition, I knew I had to leave. OUSD top brass is a cold hearted type of administrator. They don’t care about your personal strory or situation. Infact they will kick you when you are down. Dr. Statham may have been used or may have acted independently in some of the cruel decisions that raised eyebrows, but her departure does not trigger any type of tears in some of us. She did not surround herself with people that knew and understand Oakland. It almost looked like she was to be the only Black person at the very top. Always a delicate place to be. I hope she leaves OUSD with lesson well well taken, but surely she leaves with NO CREDITS to her name. Bon Voyage!!