So you want to get involved in Oakland education?
2022 Update: If you are looking for a job, I’ve created this resource with places to look for jobs that has many Bay Area and Education communities: http://bit.ly/PlacesToLookForJobs. Please comment below if you have suggested additions to the list!
I’ve spent the last fifteen years working in Oakland education in the classroom, in teacher support and development, and for most of the last decade in education policy and political advocacy.
Once or twice a month, a friend or colleague will reach out to ask if I would be willing to connect with them or someone they know about the education landscape in Oakland or the broader Bay Area as they think about how they can best contribute in their own career. They might have grown up here and want to find a way to give back to their community or they might be an educator burnt out on the exhausting job of classroom teaching but committed to finding a way to continue to support students. Or any other number of specific personal circumstances.
I enjoy these conversations! It’s fun to hear about people’s experiences and suggest where they might be able to best serve students and families. And it’s also true that, as I’ve become a mom and my responsibility has increased at work, I have less and less time available to connect with people in this way.
I’m writing this blog today as a way to find a happy medium - to meet my desire to be helpful (I’m a classic Enneagram 2), to further justice for students and families by helping more people find the right fit to serve them, and to help protect my incredibly limited time so that I can focus unapologetically on caring for myself and my people so that we can continue to serve our community.
Below are my thoughts for people considering a career move, wanting to volunteer, considering how to grow their skills, or wanting to build their network.
Gaining Local Context (Oakland-Specific)
GO Public Schools Oakland. I served as the Executive Director of this nonprofit from 2018 - 2021, so I’m not ashamed to be biased that this is one of the best places to gain local context about what’s happening in Oakland education. Sign up for emails: http://bit.ly/GOEmailLists.
Great School Voices. Before his murder in 2021, Dirk wrote frequently about what’s happening in Oakland education with a perspective I deeply respect. He balanced the urgency of the change needed with wit to keep us all sane amidst the madness. https://greatschoolvoices.org/
The Oakland REACH. Follow this incredible parent-led organization whose mission is to make the powerless parent powerful. They’re most active on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoaklandreach/
Energy Convertors. Charles’s organization supports young people to have agency over their lives. The work is inspiring. Their website is here, and you can then follow them (and Charles too) on Twitter, Facebook, and Medium.
Educate78. Blogs about what’s happening in Oakland education, including some great data analysis from Oakland native Carrie Chan. This org closed their doors in 2021 but their historical content is quality.
Oakland Unified School District. Sign up for our local school district’s blog here. They’re also active under the moniker “OUSD News” across various social platforms.
EdSource. This statewide education journalism organization has a special project focusing on the East Bay with two reporters. Read their content here.
East Bay Schools News and Information - here’s a Facebook group where the highly-involved education activists engage on various issues. It can be helpful to stay in the loop there, but be warned that conversation there often dissolves into the exhausting and unproductive fight about district-run vs. charter public schools. Sign up for notifications at your own risk of your eyes rolling out of your head occasionally. ;-)
Growing Your Network and Skills
New Leaders Council. I’m an old school alumna of this organization for young progressive activists. There’s an Oakland chapter amidst other Bay area chapters, too. Highly recommend.
Leadership Oakland. I’m also an alumna of this program - it’s a cohort-based experience where you get to learn about the city - from education to health and human services to city government to art. I very much enjoyed my experience.
GO Public Schools. If you want to meet people who care about Oakland students, join an upcoming GO event. Sign up for our email list: http://bit.ly/GOEmailLists.
Young Education Professionals (YEP) Bay Area. Offers events and social media and email groups to stay connected.
Surge Oakland Fellowship. I couldn’t be a bigger fan of Surge - it’s an incredibly thoughtfully-developed fellowship that identifies and cultivates promising African-American, Latinx and Asian/Pacific Islander talent to enhance their expertise and aptitude while empowering them to transform the education ecosystem. As a white person, I haven’t participated myself but friends have and have raved about it. I also have a professional crush on the Executive Director, Michelle.
Platform Impact. Platform Impact is an engaging one-year fellowship for 12 mid-career high-potential, nonprofit and social change leaders of color. A guided space where you do the hard inner work to articulate the truth of your emerging vision, alongside other leaders who will hold you, inspire you, and listen deeply to you.
Emerge. Political training organization for Democratic women.
BLCI. Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute is a six-month program of training and preparation for serving on local and regional boards and commissions. It provides the tools, skills, and support to help emerging leaders from low-income and underrepresented communities obtain seats on strategic boards and commissions and then pass policies that advance racial and economic equity.
ULF. The Urban Leaders Fellowship is a paid summer fellowship for early- to mid-career professionals who are already leaders in their own right and are looking to accelerate their leadership through a seven-week fellowship with a focus on policy and practice.
Job Search Resources
Edupreneurs. A great email list (old school Yahoo group style!) to be on to post or learn about jobs. Subscribe by sending an email to edupreneur-jobs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Daybook. Policy, political, and nonprofit jobs.
Rogers Family Foundation newsletter. Once-a-month emails about what’s happening in Oakland education that typically includes job postings.
(For Teach For America alumni) TFA Bay Yahoo Group. Subscribe by sending an email to tfabay-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Organizations Doing Good Work
Check out these organizations that are locally-based and large enough to potentially have regular job openings. Have I missed a great org below? Comment below!
College Track
Ed Pioneers
Ed Trust West
GreatSchools.org
National Equity Project
New Schools Venture Fund
Oakland Ed Fund
Oakland Enrolls
Pivot Learning
Teach For America Bay Area
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