Well, my senior year has begun… and I couldn’t be more excited.

Like Isabel said, there are ups and downs to this school year. We get to look forward to graduation and senior prom, enjoy the status of “seniors,” reward ourselves by not taking as many APs as possible (well, some of us), and feel a sense of completion to a long journey. On the downside however, we will have to say goodbye to friends, valued teachers and faculty, and family (for those of us heading off to college). Plus it also means one more year of logistical and bureaucratic goings-on at Skyline.

Like Isabel, I do look forward to waking up for school in the morning, but I too have had problems with the administration from the very start. I love Skyline, and have a lot of pride as a student, but I do not deny the school has some kinks that need fixing. Read the rest of this entry »

If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs AB 2064 into law, lessons on the Vietnam War will be required to include the refugee experience of Southeast Asians — and the role the Hmong played to fight Communism.

If you have a chance, you should read this personal and thought-provoking piece by Connie Vang, a young Hmong woman who is a freshman at CSU Fresno. It was published today in New America Media.

Vang writes:

Many young Hmong do not know about the Secret War. They do not know how their parents and elders ran through treacherous jungles and escaped Laos by crossing the Mekong River. They do not know that in Laos today, some Hmong are still hunted and tortured by the government. Read the rest of this entry »

I would like to briefly respond to Katy’s post, “Summer’s Over,” by saying that overall it has been an OK first three days of school. I might even say it’s been good.

There are negative and positive aspects to the beginning of this year. Something positive: The scheduling crisis isn’t nearly as bad as it was last year. Something negative: It’s still bad. I’ve experienced some problems concerning my schedule, as well as a lot of other students, but I have hope that things will clear up soon.

I know I should be more upset with the current situation or depressed at the fact that summer is over, but I find that I can’t wait to go to school every morning. Read the rest of this entry »

In honor of the First Day of School 2008, I offer you the following facts, courtesy of the district’s back to school report:

Estimated enrollment (as of Aug. 22): 39,227 36,731.

Amount of moola spent on summer modernization projects: $51.4 million

New teacher hires: 300

Teacher transfers: 145

Vacancies: 4

How was opening day at your school? Does it feel good to be back? Tell us your stories.

photo by Ray Chavez/STAFF

When school opens Monday at Castlemont’s Leadership Preparatory High School in East Oakland, Raven Tarrance won’t be there. But she has a pretty good excuse.

Raven, 16, leaves Monday for Washington, D.C., where she plans to spend the next five months as a page for the House of Representatives, sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee. She’ll go to a special school for pages in the Library of Congress — and, most likely, will bump elbows with some of our nation’s biggest movers and shakers.

When I met with Raven at her house yesterday, she said she might drop us a line or two on her experience in the months to come. You can find the Tribune story here.

If the musical Sears commercials haven’t propelled you to the mall yet, you might want to hold off on shopping for back-to-school supplies until Sunday — which, of course, is the last day of summer vacation.

The Oakland Natives Give Back Fund organized a Back to School Expo at City Hall from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The event is co-sponsored by the City of Oakland and the Oakland school district.

Organizers will give out backpacks with school supplies to the first 600 families who show up. While you’re there, you might also catch a youth fashion show, a talent search for the city’s best young poets, and … yet unnamed celebrities.

Laura Moran, the school district’s chief services officer, says it’s an effort to encourage families to send their kids to school on Day 1 — and for the whole community to take responsibility for lowering the truancy rate. About 16 percent of middle and high school students Read the rest of this entry »

My last test score post was about the big picture in Oakland Unified. But the story wouldn’t be complete without looking at how individual schools are doing. Some are making dramatic improvements in their scores — for the most part, at the elementary school level.

These 21 schools made double-digit percentage point gains this year in the number of kids who tested at “proficient” or better in reading and/or math:

ACORN Woodland Elementary - 19 in math, 23 in reading
Allendale Elementary - 14 in math, 11 in reading
ASCEND Elementary - Read the rest of this entry »

Update: Here is another district spreadsheet that shows the average racial/ethnic results across all grade levels.

OUSD’s test scores improved this year, after flattening out in 2007. But there is still plenty of room for improvement. Only about one-third of the kids tested scored at proficient levels or better in math, reading and science. (You can find the results here.)

Also, despite modest gains in the average scores of most ethnic groups, a striking racial achievement gap remains. It shows up in an area that the school district has zeroed in on during the last four or five years: Third-grade reading.

The disparity in the English language arts scores of white third-graders and their non-white peers has actually grown during the last five years, despite the district’s efforts to narrow the gap.

If you look at the percentages of those who scored at “proficient” or “advanced” levels in reading — one of the measures used to determine progress in the No Child Left Behind Act — the data is stark: Read the rest of this entry »

School starts just two weeks from today, but not for new students without immunization cards.

Sherri Willis, the public information officer for the Alameda County Public Health Department, said that when she worked in OUSD, hundreds of kids would miss the first few days of school — in some cases, more — as a result. 

Some families wait until mid-summer to make an appointment with their pediatrician and can’t get one in time, or they misplace their records, she said.

But don’t panic! You can take advantage of the public health department’s free and low-cost immunization program. It’s designed for uninsured families, but everyone can use the service — no questions asked, Willis said.

Check out the clinic locations Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know about the history of the fast-talking extracurricular in Oakland — or, for that matter, how anyone can utter 2,000 words in just 30 seconds. All I know is that debate is back.

Next week, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oakland teens will be learning the art of debate at Castlemont’s Leadership High School. Anyone is welcome to come. I guess a new league is forming in the school district.

Sounds like a feel-good story, if I’ve ever heard one.

Here’s some more detail, written up by Dmitri Seals, the organizer of the Bay Area Urban Debate League’s first summer institute: Read the rest of this entry »