While state and federal officials say teacher vaccinations shouldn’t be required to reopen schools, some educators feel it is one part of larger mitigation efforts against coronavirus.
Author Archives: Ashley McBride
Ashley McBride writes about education equity for The Oaklandside. Her work covers Oakland’s public district and charter schools. Before joining The Oaklandside in 2020, Ashley was a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News and the San Francisco Chronicle as a Hearst Journalism Fellow, and has held positions at the Poynter Institute and the Palm Beach Post. Ashley earned her master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
Posted inEducation Equity
Will OUSD schools reopen this spring? Here’s what we know.
The district hasn’t set a date for reopening. But with COVID-19 cases tapering off in Alameda County and vaccines for teachers on the horizon, it could happen soon.
Posted inArts & Community
Mural honoring women in the Black Panther Party to be unveiled this month
The artwork, which will be installed on the side of a house in West Oakland, will join other memorials to Huey Newton, a founder of the party.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland Unified’s three Black school board members propose reparations for Black students
The number of Black OUSD students has dropped significantly over the last 20 years, with many pointing to harmful policies as the reason.
Posted inEducation Equity
Camping, self-care class, walking the dog: How Oakland students are coping during the pandemic
One group of students is surveying its peers on how their mental health has been affected by the pandemic and distance learning.
Posted inEducation Equity
OUSD could remove mention of charters from enrollment materials
The proposal is part of a wider effort by the school board to stabilize the number of students attending district schools.
Posted inArts & Community
Oakland is searching for its next youth poet laureate
The chosen teen will promote literacy and represent the city and its youth at public events. Here’s how to apply.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland students advocating to change school mascot confront an entrenched opposition
McClymonds High School has used a Native American mascot for most of its century-long history, and students say it needs to change.
Posted inEducation Equity
How to watch and participate in Oakland school board meetings
The OUSD school board has four new members and a host of challenges to resolve in 2021, including how to reopen schools and implement a new district-wide safety plan.
Posted inHealth & Environment
To help offset their schools’ paper use, these Oakland students will plant a tree in your yard
The high school seniors calculated how many new trees would help address the carbon impacts of the million sheets of paper their schools use each year.
Posted inOaklandside
Un paso para “restaurar a la comunidad”: trabajadores de la salud de primera lÃnea explican por qué están diciendo que sà a la vacuna contra el COVID
Le preguntamos a los proveedores de salud y personal de emergencia cómo se siente ser el primero en la fila y cómo los residentes de Oakland pueden pensar sobre la seguridad de la vacuna.
Posted inHealth & Environment
A step to ‘restore community’: frontline health workers on why they’re saying yes to the COVID vaccine
We asked local health providers and emergency responders how it feels to be first in line, and how Oaklanders can think about the vaccine’s safety.
Posted inEducation Equity
Parents are decidedly mixed over whether OUSD schools should reopen
Safety concerns, drawbacks of distance learning, and social isolation color families’ concerns as they weigh whether to return to school.
Posted inEducation Equity
New safety plan maps the future of Oakland schools without a police department
OUSD is redefining when it’s necessary to call police to school campuses, and creating a new department of culture and climate.
Posted inEducation Equity
An OUSD program pays substitute teachers to offer extra support in the pandemic—but not all schools know about it
Some substitute teachers have started their own campaign to help spread the word about this special program, and make sure teachers and principals take advantage of it.
Posted inEducation Equity
Las escuelas del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Oakland tienen un plan de reapertura. Esto es lo que significa
Las aulas escolares podrÃan abrir tan pronto como en enero. Pero el distrito aún tiene que negociar con el sindicato de maestros y las tasas de casos de COVID deben mejorar, lo que significa que muchas cosas aún pueden cambiar.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland Unified schools have a reopening plan. Here’s what it means
OUSD schools could open as early as January. But the district still has to negotiate with the teachers’ union and COVID case rates have to improve, which means a lot can still change.
Posted inEducation Equity
What Alameda County’s COVID surge might mean for OUSD’s reopening plans
Some parents say they want the teachers’ union and the district to come back to the bargaining table—and they want to be able to watch.
Posted inEducation Equity
New affordable housing program aims to help student teachers stay in Oakland
The Teacher Residency Program supports new educators for their first five years of teaching in Oakland Unified School District schools.
Posted inEducation Equity
Oakland voters approved both local school measures. Here’s what happens next
Thanks to voters, older students can now vote for school board members, and OUSD will get $735 million to improve schools. But there’s a few more hurdles first.
