Principals Reach Out to Oakland Students in Unique Way
OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS) - Summer vacation is nearing an end for kids who go to school in Oakland. Many school principals are venturing out into the community to see what kids will need before the first bell rings.
Administrators gathered in the cafeteria of McClymonds High School in West Oakland to see how they could be more culturally informed about the diverse student population the district serves. Statistics, say educators, only reveal so much.
"We'll break it down ethnically, we'll break it down gender-wise, we'll break it down socio-economically but that's not enough," said assistant principal Karen Todd. "We need to look deeper if we're really going to help make an impact."
Principals and other school administrators in West Oakland, East Oakland and the Fruitvale District all held a Leadership Retreat that gave them bus tours of the respective regions. Afterward, they got off the bus to talk to school children and parents about things going on in their lives.
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A spokesman for the Oakland Unified School District explained that the overall idea is to create a full-service community district to meet the diverse needs of students.
