LESSONS LEARNED ON SCHOOL REDESIGN
The following quotes and resources represent voices and perspectives of Oakland leaders who have participated in community-based processes of designing or re-designing schools.
PASSING THE TORCH: Lessons from the Leaders about School Design
March 14, 2015 hosted the first in a series of engagements with Proposal Writing Teams to bring them together with the wealth of school design experience in Oakland. Topics included community and parent engagement, teacher leadership, program planning, Do's and Don'ts, as well as break-out sessions. The event was sponsored by Director Shanthi Gonzalez (District 6) and the Quality School Development Office. Videos - Lessons Learned Story #1: Emma Paulino - A Parent's Perspective Story #2: Minh-Tram Nguyen - A Principal's Perspective Story #3: Nicole Knight - A Teacher's Perspective Discussion: Experienced School Design Leaders share their lessons Part II: May 2, 2015 1pm-4:30pm Holy Names University Contact David Montes de Oca at [email protected] for more information. |
Lessons Learned Event: Photos
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CASE STUDIES
The following Case Studies were generated through a collaboration between OUSD, Stanford University and Professor Linda Darling-Hammond in 2009. |
QUOTES
We were not limited in our design process by old thinking. We discarded all notions of "how it has always been done" and "what they might allow us to do". We designed the school, curriculum, structures, and supports that met the needs of our students. We did not ask for permission. We dreamed and built to that dream. It was not an easy or instantaneously successful process. The school evolved over the years as we built out programs. Each year, we got closer to our original vision. |
The process gave me the opportunity to build relationships with lots of people that I otherwise would not have had the chance to interact with, including, the Mayor, the Superintendent, school board members, City Council members, senators, State Assembly officials, other parents, community leaders, educators from around the Country and many others. These relationships have been invaluable to me and my family. |
It made all the difference to have a strong parent and student voice in our design work. It initiated a sense of accountability that has sustained and pushed CCPA to improve over the years by starting with the questions - -What do YOU expect of this school? What kind of school do YOU want? It made it their school. |
"I came on board in year two of MetWest. At that time, the tiny staff was running the school a million miles an hour, doubling the student body and staff size, and moving between facilities every year. Yet amidst the energetic excitement and anxiety of invention, we had a sense of being watched over and cared for by the mothers from the design team. We had a sense that these believers, rooted in the community, had a deep stake in our success and an unwavering belief that the model could work. This helped me stick with it, through the turbulence."
- Internship Coordinator, Greg Cluster
MetWest High School