As officials in the Oakland school district debate whether or not to close some of the city's small schools in response to budget declines, parents, teachers, students, and community members from PICO affiliate Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) are fighting to ensure that Oakland's successful small schools movement does not suffer.

On October 1, over 400 parents, educators, and students attended an Oakland school board meeting to hear Stanford education professor and researcher, Linda Darling Hammond, once again affirm that "new small schools in Oakland are adding significant value to student achievement in Oakland, accelerating student learning at a higher rate than existing schools at all levels."

Last year the district commissioned an external evaluation of Oakland's small schools and found new small schools have a positive impact on student achievement, and student and family satisfaction.  Stanford University researchers did a second evaluation to explore these findings and to get a better understand on what is working in new small schools. "Our task was to say, "Are these newer schools succeeding?" testified Dr. Darling-Hammond, and the answer is "Yes, they certainly are." 

Students and graduates from Oakland's new small schools also testified about how these schools have impacted them. "Our schools are clean, they're safe, there aren't any fights or violence or drugs going on, the principal knows my name," said16-year old Ashley Heedley from Castlemont Leadership Prep.

Parents are expressing outrage over the impact that school closings will have on the student's and their community.  During the last week of September, 800 OCO small school parent leaders have met in 6 meetings with school district administrators and board members and voiced their opposition to turning back this successful reform. 

Over the last decade, Oakland's education landscape has been transformed by the creation of over 40 new small schools. The small school movement began in the late 1990's, when parents and teachers, frustrated by Oakland's failing school system, began working with OCO to create new small schools that could better meet individual student's needs, and that could involve parents in a more meaningful way.

OCO education leader Lillian Lopez says, "We will not go back to the days of overcrowded, underperforming schools that don't know every single student and family."

For more information on OCO and the new small schools movement, visit www.oaklandcommunity.org

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