You are totally right about recycling. In the sixties the different houses even had student-led behavior “courts” — youth courts, which is now a trendy (and in Alameda County’s Mccallum Youth Court, successful) idea.

Probably it was phased out because of it’s boarding school connotations of elitism.
I have an original copy of the Skyline High student handbook from 1962, when the school was only 2-3 years old, which proudly notes:

“Since there are neither traditions nor precedents of any kind at Skyline, the trial of a new type of [student] government,the House System, seemed appropriate.”

There then follows a 5-page, 14-article constitution describing a student government as elaborate as that of the United States!

I am a teacher and I am very disturbed by the fact that Gates and other foundations are having such huge impacts on school policy, through their donations, and I am not the only one who has said so, as I’m sure most people who are active in the education ‘reform’ debate are aware. As far as who will benefit, I read in #1 that the money will go to the African American Male Achievement and Wellness programs, which I don’t think are directed only at non-poor, non-minority students–to the contrary.

Other peoples cash describes politics and public sector, howeverit also decribes our economy and stock markets.

Spending and waste is an American phenomenon and a sign that America has grown become weak and spoiled- Political correctness is also a a disease related of this.

Kaiser must be expecting a payback or something?! That money will be tossed and lost.

Knowing that I am going to get bludegeoned by the union hawks who dominate this blog… there is certainly a double standrd and class system for poor mnority studen in this town.

By the way…..another money pit idea!

Last year, we shift the freshmen into “houses” and this year all sophomores entered “academies.”

I do believe that if you want to transform a big, lumbering institution like this one, it will cost money to do so.

Also, I think that while Oakland is dinged for having too many administrators (largely because of the small schools shift), these large campuses like Skyline are under-administered — and under-counseled, under-nursed, under-psyched, etc. Skyline, before this grant, had four administrators for close to 2000 students and maybe 150 staff and faculty.

So if the $6.2 mill from the feds is going to bump up SLC administration at the Big Three, and the $7.5 from Kaiser will bump up health and psych interventions district-wide, both are all to the good, in my mind.

http://www.skylineoracle.com/news/2010/11/22/skyline-selected-to-share-6-2-million-in-federal-money/

I just read more about how the Kaiser money will be used, and much of it is to be used for Wellness Centers and the African American Male Achievement program.

May I suggest to Kaiser, the board and Tony Smith, that they also use this money to help out Brothers on the Rise, an incredible program that works with middle school boys. I have heard that Edna Brewer won’t renew its contract with Brothers next year, not because it’s ineffective but because the principal wants to cut costs.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if an effective program like Brothers on the Rise could be saved — perhaps even expanded — with a sliver of the $7.5 million from Kaiser?

I am tired of reading headlines about OUSD boys getting killed and killing. I get even more depressed to hear that programs already working to help these boys are endangered.