Oakland Schools Chief Unveils Plan to Raise Graduation Rates, Retain Teachers, Raise Literacy Levels

By Doug Oakley
doakley@bayareanewsgroup.com
Published Nov. 2014
OAKLAND -- Six months into his job, Oakland schools Superintendent Antwan Wilson rolled out a new plan for his 37,000 students that includes raising the high school graduation rate, retaining good teachers and raising the third-grade reading level. 

Wilson spoke Tuesday about his strategic plan and ambitious goals for 2020. He wants to raise the graduation rate from 67 to 85 percent and raise the percentage of third-graders reading at grade level from 38 to 85 percent -- all within six years. 

Wilson arrived at an opportune time. The district received $12 million more this year due to a new state schools funding program, bringing the total budget to about $607 million. 

"Paying teachers is extremely important," Wilson said. "We have a double-digit (pay raise) offer on the table right now. On salaries, we are behind, but in benefits, we're way ahead. But when you add those together, we're still behind." 

In addition to boosting pay, Wilson said he wants to make sure teachers are appreciated, so they stay and grow their careers in Oakland. 

"If I am a teacher, what's going to attract me to this district is how I was made to feel special," Wilson said. "When we recruit you, did we talk to you and were we excited about you, or did we hire you and just forget about you? We need to think about their best interests, the best fit for them and how we made them feel successful." 

Wilson admitted that a six-year window for raising the high school graduation to 85 percent is a lofty target but within reach if the right tools are used. 

"We're at 67 percent right now, but we don't have all our kids in career pathways, and all our students don't have personalized learning plans," Wilson said. "If we get all our kids in those kinds of experiences, then 85 percent is absolutely attainable." 

A new voter-approved property tax will net the district about $13 million a year for programs linking students to career opportunities. 

Currently, only about 37 percent of high school students are in the linked learning programs and Wilson hopes to grow that to 80 percent by 2020. 

"The students who are in that program now are outperforming the students who are not in every single area," Wilson said. 

In addition to linked learning, Wilson said students will begin making personalized learning plans in sixth grade that are updated every year until they graduate. Those plans, he said, show a student what his or her strengths and weaknesses are and what they are interested in beyond high school. 

In addition to doing more reading and writing in the classrooms starting in kindergarten, the plan calls for getting parents involved outside of school. 

"We'll be advertising in places like churches and libraries and community centers, places that parents are likely to be, that we have reading resources that are easily available," Wilson said. "And you'll be able to read it in your own language." 

He also hopes to expand a reading program that is available in some Oakland schools called balanced literacy. 

"That's a strategy where you actually have students doing a lot of reading and writing in school," Wilson said. "They always know what their reading level is and what their goals are, and they are encouraged to read more." 

Wilson said his goal in the next six years is to focus on change at each school. 

"We don't have enough quality schools in every neighborhood," Wilson said. "This plan is about providing quality schools in every neighborhood." 

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