So – yes, the hills students also participate. The Oratorical is good for them as well as students of other schools. And the private school with winners is Redwood Day School – to be confirmed.

I noticed that nearly all the schools with the highest test scores were missing – I didn’t see Joaquin Miller, Montclair, Thornhill, Hillcrest. It’s possible that some of those were present on a different day, but the list was in alphabetical order and those schools weren’t on it.

My issue with the oratorical was that it took several hours and I’m not sure that’s the best use of class time (the hills schools probably concluded that on their own and wanted to focus on teaching).

The vast majority were the most academically inclined students in the school

The vast majority speak a second language by choice (rather than a language other than English, then learning English).

The vast majority voluntarily participate in the district Science Fair.

The vast majority attend summer programs that focus on mathematics and science.

The vast majority devote after school hours helping students learn to read, write and master mathematics.

The vast majority participate in the school Spelling Bee, Matheletes, Book Club, band and orchestra.

The vast majority are student leaders in school government, play competitive sports and volunteer in the churches, mosques, temples and language schools.

But, you may find a way to call these kids wrong, brown, black, slackers, not choosers of worthy pursuits, and so on.

What I know is that the Oratorical provides many students who are not being challenged in their classrooms a chance to research, make choices, rehearse and perform. In my own daughter’s case, it gives her an opportunity to improve over her performance the previous year. It gives them a chance for public speaking venues that are often denied to elementary and middle school students because of their age and life experience.

Thank you for telling it as you see it, not because I agree with you, but because I think that people should be reminded that while many people in Oakland may support liberal causes(whatever that means) or claim to be tolerant this city has its own socio-economic hierarchy in play. That the hierarchy exists is not suprising, but rather the facade that many erect to demonstrate that they are “down with (fill in the blank)”.

Of course the Piedmont teachers don’t have to socialize their kids (as much as OUSD). They do have to set limits, maintain boundaries, impose discipline, all the usual authority things.

I believe you are responding to my post #13. My point was that being taught to use standard English is important, with consequences for not being so taught.

Do you have a problem with OUSD requiring it’s teachers to continuously correct bad English? I doubt there is such requirement at this time.

As far as other socialization lessons, you can learn a lot from required reading. So require reading.

And if and when the students don’t comply with all of this: Flunk them out.

And as for “ethnic” names, I’m dealing with today’s reality and not some utopia where every name is accepted on an equal basis and without bias. Parent will do what they want with names, but they should also know about the impact that their choice will have. Opting for a more neutral, mainstream name will help their child, so doubt about it. Can you be successful with an ethnic, unusual or downright odd name, sure, but that’s not as common. If you don’t believe me, read up on it.

You think middle-class schools (“white and jewish”) schools are telling kids how to act? No.

Kids primary influence is parents, secondary influence is peers. Teachers and popular media are much further down the list.

Many suburban white kids are total brats as teens — but culturally they are prepared to code-switch from teen slang or Britney Spears lingo whenever it suits them — they’ve learned those modes by the time they were 5-6 years old. It is effortless for them to butter up a teacher or act faux-humble for a cop.

Teachers in Piedmont don’t socialize the kids, they come pre-socialized.

In fact, teachers in high-poverty schools do much MORE socializing of kids toward the middle-class “norm” because they themselves come from that norm.

Now, I get that you want them to be more ruthless about that norming, and that’s fine. But please don’t continue to spread the falsehood that teachers in upper and middle-class neighborhoods are the one’s teaching kids how to “fit in.” Their job is primarily to force-feed kids acres of AP Test facts to they have a shot at Harvard and access to the power elite.