The Education Report: California Distinguished Schools and American Indian charter investigation
Posted: 04/08/2012 12:00:00 AM PDT
This is a sampling of The Education Report, Katy Murphy's Oakland schools blog. Read more atwww.IBAbuzz.com/education. Follow her at Twitter.com/KatyMurphy.
March 30: Congratulations to ACORN Woodland and Henry J. Kaiser Jr. elementary schools. They were among 22 in Alameda County and 387 statewide to be named 2012 California Distinguished Elementary Schools, an award given by Tom Torlakson, California Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Other nearby winners were Malcolm X in Berkeley; Amelia Earhart and Donald D. Lum in Alameda; Chabot, Independent, Jensen Ranch, Palomares and Vannoy in Castro Valley; and Hanna Ranch and Olinda in West Contra Costa.
The awards went to schools that showed academic excellence for all students and which have narrowed the achievement gap. I've posted a link to the full list on the blog.
"The schools we are recognizing today demonstrate the incredible commitment of California's teachers, administrators and school employees to provide a world-class education to every student, in spite of the financial
Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse?
Posted: 04/08/2012 12:00:00 AM PDT
Updated: 04/08/2012 05:10:03 AM PDT
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Oakland School District Superintendent Tony Smith speaks during an Oakland Unified School...
OAKLAND -- Ask students at McClymonds High School about their teachers and you'll likely hear this: They work hard, but they don't stay long.
"Since I've been here, we've never had steady teachers," said Da'Jon Ford, a junior at the West Oakland high school.
Teacher turnover is one of the greatest obstacles facing the city's struggling high schools, particularly those in the poor and working-class flatland neighborhoods of East and West Oakland. Many of the openings are filled with rookies who make a two-year commitment, or with teachers displaced from other positions in the district. Two years ago, all but a handful of the