Looking for a school for your child? Here’s what we recommend…
Don’t rely on snapshot test scores.
Do look at the data that actually matters.
Annual test scores tell you more about what experiences kids have outside of school than what happens inside. School climate, culture, and teacher experience are often better predictors of good schools.
Don’t judge a school based on rumors.
Do get firsthand info.
Playground gossip, outdated stories, second-hand information, and advice from people outside of a school community can be misleading. One family’s experience may not be your own. Going on tours (even of schools you think you’d never consider) and having conversations with parents and principals gives you the real deal. We’ll help!
Don’t over-value buzzwords and popularity.
Do remember there is no one best school.
Schools with more resources, better facilities, longer wait-lists, and more PR power tend to dazzle parents. Lower-resourced schools suffer from “perception gaps” that keep parents from seeing their great qualities and make inequity and segregation worse.
Every child and school community is different and every school has wonderful aspects that aren’t always obvious (like a fabulous restorative justice program not talked about on the website). Many low-demand schools are diverse, free from high-pressure environments, resilient, resourceful, and are the ‘best’ for many kids.
Don’t make your choice in a vacuum.
Do consider your community.
When parents with resources write-off all or most public schools, we all feel the impacts. Many high-demand schools have so many White and/or privileged students that they make racial and class segregation worse (75% of Oakland’s White elementary students cluster in 14 of the 75 schools!). Our open enrollment system fuels the idea of good vs. bad schools, and harms students of color.
Meaningfully integrated, public schools are good for our city and its children. Attending a racially diverse school has positive social-emotional and academic impacts. Vote with your feet and “keep it Oakland” by participating in public, integrated schools.