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Deliver Equity: Get Oakland public schools to invest in literacy for African American boys

Improve literacy rates, reduce school suspensions and lower the number of referrals to special education by providing a reading tutor for every first grade African American boy in the Oakland Unified School District.

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School photo shoot at Hallett Academy in January 2016.
School photo shoot at Hallett Academy in January 2016.

Issue Area: Education     |     Campaign Type: Local (Oakland, CA)

$248

donated towards $1,000 campaign goal

17

campaign supporters

21

days to go

Your donation will be refunded if the campaign does not achieve $1,000 in donations or get over 100 supporters by Friday, January 31, 2020 7:59 PM PST.

Campaign
As many black males have been killed in the city [of Oakland] in the past decade as young black male teens have graduated from high school ready for a University of California or California State University [in a given year].”

- Robert Gammon, East Bay Express

 

Campaign Goal

Apply an equity lens and commit to providing additional educational support for African American boys to ensure that they’re reading at grade level when they advance from the first grade to the second grade.

 

The Harm Caused by Under Investing in the Education of African American Boys

African American boys face dramatic inequality in Oakland, California. 

An African American child born in East Oakland has a life expectancy 15 years less than a child born in the affluent Oakland hills [1]. On top of this, Alameda County homicide rates are nearly eight times greater in high poverty neighborhoods compared to affluent neighborhoods.

The educational data for African American boys paint a similarly unjust picture. In the 2018-19 academic year, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) released the following data [2]:

  • For every White male that was suspended in OUSD, 14 African American males were suspended.
  • 57.6% of African American male grade school (Transitional Kindergarten through 5th grade) students were evaluated as “Multiple Years Below Grade Level,” while only 17.9% of White male grade school students were evaluated as “Multiple Years Below Grade Level.”
  • When it came to percent of 8th grade students who were ready for high school, 80.9% of African American boys were assessed as not ready, while 47.7% of white males were assessed as not ready.

Research highlights the value of reading interventions at the first grade level, since if you don't close the gap early, the Matthew Effect takes hold. This means that if this problem is left unaddressed the literacy gap only widens over time, which in many cases results in an educational experience for African American boys that causes disproportionate harm.

If Oakland values equity, it is clear that more resources need to be diverted to support African American boys earlier on in their public education.

[1] Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD)  (2013). How Place, Racism and Poverty Matters for Health in Alameda County [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.acphd.org/media/383224/healthequity.pdf

[2] OUSD Public Reports: http://www.ousddata.org/public-dashboards.html

 

The Policy Change that the Campaign Seeks

To provide African American boys in Oakland attending the 1st grade with additional educational support in the form of reading tutors who will work with them individually to ensure that they are reading at grade level before they enter 2nd grade. 

 

Our Process to Win

This campaign is backed by aCoach.org, which means that it has access to advocacy experts and resources that will provide a winning edge. 

Each aCoach.org campaign follows this proven process:

  1. Getting the facts
  2. Building support
  3. Making a plan
  4. Communicating your message

This process helps determine the strategies that the campaign uses to succeed. This may include sophisticated, little-known strategies such as budget riders or administrative petitions. The below video highlights how the aCoach.org approach is different than other online activism options:

 

This campaign we will engage a number of different stakeholders, which could include:

  • Local elected officials, such as the mayor, city council members and school board members.
  • Representatives from regional and education-focused philanthropic entities to fund a longitudinal research study.
  • Representatives from local businesses.
  • Community members who want to see an increase in African American male graduation levels, while also reducing both the rates of suspension and referrals to special education.

 

FAQ
Updates
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Support This Campaign

All donations will be used to run the advocacy campaign, and not for tutoring services. This is because advocacy is a high-leverage activity.1

Support as a Champion

Make a great difference in the success of the campaign. Aas a Champion you will:

📰 Get more regular campaign updates and insights on the strategy discussions.

📱 Premium content to share on social media.

❤️ Get your name listed on the campaign page as a supporter.

🎖 Receive a special awareness badge for your social media accounts.

🎁 Make a one-time donation of $28 or more to support the campaign.*

1 NCRP found that $1 donated towards policy and civic engagement provided a return of $115 in community benefit. So what's the key take away? Invest in advocacy.

* Your donation will be refunded if the campaign does not achieve $1,000 in donations or get over 100 supporters by Friday, January 31, 2020 7:59 PM PST.

100% of donations go to support the campaign by providing critical direct services and infrastructure.

Join us and make a difference.

This campaign was started by a concerned community member and in order to succeed, we rely on the support of others in community, just like you. You simply add your name to the list of supporters, or you can also make a donation to fund the campaign.

Your donation will be refunded if the campaign does not achieve $1,000 in donations or get over 100 supporters by Friday, January 31, 2020 7:59 PM PST.

OUR CAMPAIGN

Improve literacy rates, reduce school suspensions and lower the number of referrals to speical education by providing a reading tutor for every first grade African American boy in the Oakland Unified School District.

Support our campaign.

CONTACT

490 43rd Street
Suite 350
Oakland, CA 94609

[email protected]

(510) 306-7494

MORE INFO

Alameda County Public Health Department, (2013). How Place, Racism and Poverty Matters for Health in Alameda County.

OUSD Public Reports

 

ABOUT aCoach.org

aCoach.org backs campaigns like these because we believe that communities have what it takes to change unjust policies, but often lack the support and resources they need to succeed.

We’re on a mission to change that. Learn more here.