Education

School attendance clipped by new transit passes

It’s become an increasingly common scenario this fall: a parent loses his job, and his child suddenly stops showing up at school. Oakland United School District officials say this is largely due to a recent policy change at AC Transit.

Teens pushed to limit during 48-hour black belt test

On a recent Friday night, four students from Oakland’s Studio Naga began their black belt test in poekoelan, an Indonesian martial art that borrows its graceful movements from wild animals. The test’s many stages included meditation, a 10-mile run, and fending off fellow students over a sleepless 48-hour period.

McCullum Youth Court turns to community for financial support

McCullum Youth Court, a student-run justice system in Oakland for first-time middle and high school-age offenders, turns 17 this Friday. That makes it older than many of the young people who serve as its lawyers, bailiffs, and clerks. But instead of a birthday party, Youth Court organizers are scrambling to invite as many people as possible to a different type of event—a fundraiser.

Superintendent appoints city’s first director of African- American Male Achievement

In a surprise announcement during Wednesday night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Tony Smith named Chris Chatmon, of the organization 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, as the district ‘s first director of African American Male Achievement. The creation of the new position, which is supposed to focus on identifying and reducing of institutional racism in education, is a part of Smith’s 2010-2015 Strategic Vision for OUSD.

Oakland school board representative Nikita Mitchell gives a voice to students

Mitchell, a senior at Oakland Technical High School, is just getting started in her role as the 2010-2011 All-City Council student representative on the Oakland school board. Unlike her adult counterparts, however, Mitchell has no official voting power on the school board, a fact that she considers a minor detail in her mission to make sure the voice of the district’s students is heard.

Rotary Club’s rooftop feast raises money for books

The gloomy weather and a short-lived drizzle couldn’t deter the eaters and drinkers on Sunday afternoon as they sampled gourmet delicacies, fine wines and desserts on the rooftop of the Kaiser Center in Downtown Oakland for the 28th annual “A Taste of California—Up on the Roof.”

Oakland’s Youth Radio celebrates book release

The program began in order to teach local kids radio skills, went national, started winning major radio journalism awards, and just sponsored an open house in its new downtown Oakland headquarters to promote “Drop That Knowledge”–a book.