SAVE LIFE ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL! – Meeting April 2nd, 2008

FROM TEAMS FELLOW EMILY RIGOTTI:

Dear friends and family,

Life Academy, the Oakland High School where I work, is fighting for
its life right now. As of Monday, we were informed that we would no
longer be allowed to continue to operate at our current facility next
year. If you didn’t know, seven years ago, we transformed a former Red
Cross building, then Adult Education building to become the welcoming
school it is today. We’ve poured in our blood, sweat and tears to make
it one of the most successful inner-city public high schools in
Oakland. We consistently rank at the top of our district in test
scores, attendance, graduation rates, student, staff and parent
satisfaction, and innovative professional practices. Last year, we
graduated over 30% of our senior class to a University of California
school.

Many alumni accredit our small school family atmosphere setting with
their success and now the district wants to move us to an unknown
site, most likely to be shared by another school in an overcrowded
space. When asked what might happen if no appropriate site is found,
our District representative simply answered with, “I don’t know.” This
answer seriously concerns us with the possibility that the district
may even break up our school if no site is found.

Recently one of the Oakland Tribune reporters blogged about this move
and offered copies of the letter we received from the district.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/2008/03/19/life-academy-to-be-uprooted/#more-521

Based on the letter alone, it seems like we have several openings for
a legal argument. On the first line of the third paragraph, it states
that, “the District has determined that the Life Academy facility
probably does not comply with Field Act standards for housing K-12
students and staff.” Not a very strong statement to be making when
they are trying to move an entire school of 250 students.

We are desperately searching for individuals who can help us in this
struggle, Politicians, Media sources, Education Law experts, and just
you as a concerned individual wanting to promote social justice and
keep our under-served youth from being once again mis-placed. Please
disseminate this email widely.

The future existence of Life Academy depends on it. If you’d like to
learn more about our school, please visit our website at
http://www.lifeacademyhighschool.org/

Finally, there will be a mass demonstration of support from the
community and our supporters on Wednesday, April 2nd at the OUSD
Administrative building (1025 2nd Avenue, 4th floor, Hunter Hall,
Oakland, CA). Please invite as many people as you can, especially
those who have been touched by Life Academy.

Thanks for listening.

Emily

RISE Network – Teaching Jobs for Committed Educators in Low-Income Schools

Looking for a teaching job in a school that set its teachers up for success?

RISE is a non-profit organization committed to keeping effective teachers in schools serving low-income communities so all students can achieve at high levels. Teaching positions currently available in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

What does RISE offer?
RISE provides an online network where pre-screened teachers and schools with a shared commitment to low-income education connect to find a good fit. Unlike other teaching job sites, RISE offers a listing of teaching jobs and…

• Insight into Schools – Teachers at RISE Partner Schools complete a Teaching Conditions Survey to provide feedback for school improvement in five key areas – information available to you in each school profile on the RISE Network so you can make an informed decision:
  Leadership, Teacher Empowerment, Use of Time,
  Professional Development, Facilities & Resources

• Efficiency – One RISE application connects you directly to more than 100 leaders at selected schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Chicago that share your commitment. Read more about RISE Partner Schools>>

• Ongoing Commitment – RISE supports teachers beyond the job search by forming lasting partnerships with schools to improve teaching environments year over year through the Teaching Conditions Survey improvement tool.

Read more about the application process and apply >>

Minimum Qualifications
To apply to RISE, teachers must have:

• A belief that all students can achieve at high levels.
• At least one year as a full time classroom teacher in a K-12 school in the U.S. serving a low-income population. (This does not include student or substitute teaching.)
  • NOTE: RISE defines a low-income population as at least 50% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
• A valid credential or current enrollment in a credentialing program.
• Eligibility to work in the U.S. (without visa sponsorship).

Read more about qualifications and the application process >>

Layoff notices set to hit teachers’ mailboxes (SFGATE)

More than 10,100 teachers will see pink slips in their mailboxes over the next few days as districts up and down California meet a Saturday deadline to warn staff of anticipated layoffs due to the state’s budget crisis.

Kristen Vogel is expecting two pink slips at her house.

The third-year San Francisco elementary school teacher knows she’ll get one. A substitute principal at her school broke the news Monday. A union letter confirmed it Wednesday. The district’s official certified letter is likely to arrive over the weekend.

Her husband, a fourth-grade teacher in his first year at a school in Santa Rosa, is waiting for one, too, but because he’s a temporary teacher, the district doesn’t have to tell him until the end of the school year.

With the governor proposing a $4 billion budget cut to state schools next fiscal year, local education officials are scrambling to adjust their spending plans. Given that 80 percent or more of a district’s budget is spent on salaries, the only way to close the gap is to lose staff, many administrators said.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

Mind Power Collective presents 2nd Sundays Salon

Arts Integration: A Vehicle for Social Justice Pedagogy and Educational Equity?
Join a group of educators and artists for an reflective inquiry into the connections between arts integration practice and social justice pedagogy and educational equity.

Sunday, March 9, 2008
2:00pm-4:00pm
Epic Arts Studios
1923 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, CA

Complimentary Refreshments
Featuring Mimosas, Tea and Cream Puffs

SPONSORED BY MIND POWER COLLECTIVE
www.mindpowercollective.org

In partnership with the Alameda County Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership
http://www.artiseducation.org

Critical Teaching in Action Conference – Saturday, April 5 2008

Mount St. Mary’s College Center for Cultural Fluency and the Education Department present:

“Critical Teaching in Action Conference”

Saturday, April 5, 2008

8:30a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Critical Teaching in Action is a one day conference on the Doheny campus bringing together educators at all levels who are engaging in activist education with Los Angeles’ diverse youth. Throughout the city, individual educators and organizations, often in isolation, are enacting innovative curricula for social transformation. Inside and outside the classroom, they engage and inspire multicultural youth in critical educational projects towards a society that is just, equitable, and democratic.

Mount St. Mary’s conference will serve as a focal point to bring practitioners and youth together to share their visions and best practices at the K-12, college, and community level. Participants will leave the CCF conference with not only inspiration and a sense of community, but specific teaching tools and contacts/resources they can use to engage diverse youth.

Conference highlights

Keynote Speaker: Sandra Robbie is the writer/producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary Mendez vs. Westminster: For All the Children / Para Todos los Ninos. Mendez tells the story of the Orange County school desegregation case that ended legal school segregation in California seven years before Brown v. Board of Education.

Workshops/Presentations on: Using Popular Culture in the Curriculum; Teaching Critical Media Literacy; Teaching Arts and Social Justice; Creating Alliances with Parents; Defining Your Own Social Justice Mission and many more!

For more information…