Oakland School Reform

I do not really think that "reforms" are more than a divide and conquer strategy of the right. Why is OCO not fighting layoffs and to maintain classroom sizes that if faught for alongside the Oakland Education Association just 8 years ago during a bitter strike? You don't see rich suburban moms fighting for "school choice" because their public schools are doing fine. "School choice" is false liberalism and neglects to deal with the deeper issues of inequality in our schools. In my eyes, leaves most children behind, for a few stellar schools that students who have more wealthy or politically involved parents can attend. From my perspective it allows liberals to be happy without really working for deeper justice.

That the meetings with Jerry et al have already happened to start to privatize the schools. It was mentioned at the rally last weekend.

Substantiate your claims. Sure the parents who have fought for small schools are more politically active. However, do they have more money? From someone who works closely with these parents, I see no evidence of this. These are working poor people who take time out of their arduous lives to advocate for their children. I thought this was the kind of thing teachers for social justice would want. Of course we want to see progress across the board. If anything we should be taking lessons from these community members, many of whom are decisively disenfranchised from the political system, they've created alternatives in this very rigidly programmed, racist society. I really admire the work you do, but from my perspective I found your comments divisive.

The larger schools are a manifestation of industrial capitalism. There are really no false pretenses, the teachers may have the best intentions, but the model by which it's carried out does not seek to educate, and liberation isn't even part of its vocabulary. From someone who taught at a middle school with almost 1400 students, small schools are revolutionary. They embrace the acts of parents, the initiative of students and teachers, and have provided a stage for students to exercise their own wisdom around such dominant ideologies as capitalism, war, racism. They are an implement in the reviolutionary toolbox.

The ultimate goal of small schools is equity. If I had it my or the way of these "overly politically active parents " all the schools in lower income communities across the country would be broken down into smaller manageable entities, so that everyone (teachers, students, parents) may benefit.

This message has become longer than originally intended so I won't even go into how small schools have higher attendance, and appear to be keeping more students in our district. I hope we have an opportunity to find out. From your comments it seems we are a very misunderstood movement.

Jonah's claims are wholey and fully un-substantiated.
As a teacher at a small public school in Oakland, working with an entire team of revolutionary minds that liberate daily, I wish I could attest to the gains that small schools make for families and their children. These are the schools that politically charge and empower the parents and students.

Also, Jonah's claim that OCO does nothing for students across the board, I attended an OCO rally with Sheila Quintana, Union President, were the sole subject was the opposition to teacher layoffs district-wide.

Though things look dark at the moment, with solidarity, Oakland will one day be full of schools that are right for all their learners. Places busy making minds brilliant, not oppressing them to desperation.