An article came out in the Oakland Tribune today, "A third of Oakland students drop out, data shows." GREAT! Just GREAT!
A few weeks ago, I looked up our area's elementary school. I found out that the school has an API score of 1. No, 1 is not the high score. 1 is the lowest score of 10. When compared to schools with similar demographics, it scored a 3. Bleh. You can find your area school's API score by clicking here.
Now don't think I believe that API scores are a fair or comprehensive way of evaluating the success of a school. I mean the scores are strictly based on student testing and we all know how biased these tests can be. But I do feel that these scores are an indicator of SOMETHING. And, having the lowest Statewide API score is not a good thing.
Soluna needs to learn to read... and then, hopefully, go to college.
I don't want to be one of those parents that have to invest hours and hours and hours of work lobbying to get their kids into the right public school (or investing $$ for private school). I mean, in Oakland, folks sign-up for preschool while their baby is still the size of a contact lense. I don't even want to play that game. But a 1 in 3 chance of dropping out?? Can we, in good conscience, stay here in Oakland and send Soluna to public schools?
In speaking with a good friend who is also a staff member for a local politician about our school dilema, she said, "Well if you start organizing NOW and get involved NOW by the time Soluna starts kindergarten she might have something better!" Soluna is nearly 7 months old! Good God!
We got 5 years to figure this shit out, let the countdown begin.
3 comments:
if she goes to high school in sfusd..she might have to take a required ethnic studies class!!! Allysons been consulting with SFUSD the past year to pilot a 9th grade ethnic studies class this fall. some of us pep folks are training their teachers!! exciting!
amianan, that's amazing! i would love to see OUSD pick that up! and i think it's slowly moving that way, since folks in our generation are starting to work in these institutions, able to make decisions on values that speak more to our generation... but in the mean time, what to do?
save money for a house in a good school district (piedmont? albany? minneapolis?) at least it's investing in YOUR OWN future as well... as an optimistic realist, i'd have to say that as much as you prep Soluna for school, and instill love of reading and learning, it doesn't guarantee that she will be a good student, no matter what school she goes to, good or bad... but if she's in a good school district, where the culture there is to do well and everyone goes to college, your chances are higher... HER chances are higher...
it may sound selfish this way, but getting a house in a good district, good area, is as much as for your security as well, which may be just as crucial.
maybe when Soluna grows up, she'll want to move to Oakland so her kids will have the best education possible! (if in fact she was living somewhere else :))
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