Education
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.”
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.
A new report on Latino boys and men in Oakland finds low test scores, a high dropout rate and poor preparation for the workforce. Says the lead researcher: “The gang issue is a symptom of this, not the cause.”
On Wednesday, Don Perata, former senator and mayoral candidate, hosted a breakfast with more than 50 of Oakland’s most influential religious leaders to solicit their help in addressing school truancy, one of the city’s most pressing challenges.
As Alyssia Alexandria entered the newly renovated History Gallery at the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) Friday night, a museum volunteer handed her a few scraps of drawing paper, a small yellow pencil, and a black and white pamphlet, an official invitation to play “Choose Your Own California Adventure.”
Oakland amusement park Children’s Fairyland celebrated its 60th anniversary this weekend with two days of special events and activities. The park, which is geared towards young children, opened on September 2, 1950, and is credited as the first storybook-themed park in the nation.
Delton Edwards, or “Coach D,” as he has affectionately been known over his 15-year career as the head football coach at Oakland Technical High School, has a tough act to follow. It’s his own.
With whooping cough cases pushing record levels, county school and public health officials are promoting vaccination both for children and adults–especially any adults who have contact with babies. Eight infants have died of whooping cough this year in California.
Tech’s improving reputation has made the North Oakland high school many students’ first choice for public school placement this fall–and administrators are now scrambling to find classrooms and teachers for everybody.