District Committees

APISA works across OUSD departments and initiatives to create system-wide change and policy to implement equity for Asian Pacific Islander students.

These inter-departmental teams and collaborations include:

Sanctuary Schools Task Force

OUSD's Sanctuary Schools Task Force is a collaboration of staff across English Language Learner and Multilingual Achievement, Office of Equity, Community Schools, and Legal Departments to build our schools as safe spaces of sanctuary for immigrant and vulnerable students most targeted by state and interpersonal violence. The Task Force provides legal trainings on OUSD's Sanctuary School Protocol and Know Your Rights, and organizers community events to train OUSD staff and teachers to better support students and families during a time of racial and other attacks on our most marginalized communities. APISA is leading work to support Cambodian and Vietnamese families targeted by deportations, and to elevate ethnic studies curriculum relevant to our Asian Pacific Islander students including supporting the rollout of curriculum on the Chinese Exclusion Act and intergenerational healing from wars in Southeast Asia.

This committee aims to increase graduation rates and strengthen student access to A-G completion of courses to access higher education and be prepared for life after high school. The committee sets standards for credit recovery prevention and intervention support, as well as equitable credit recovery options that serve the needs of the students who need the most support, namely, foster youth, English language learners, students with special needs, and ethnic and racial groups with the largest opportunity gaps.

Racial Justice & Healing - Culturally Responsive Practices Task Force

OUSD's Racial Justice, Equity and Healing Taskforce was founded in the summer of 2019 with leaders in the Principal Professional Learning Bias Cohort, Office of Equity, Behavioral Health, Restorative Justice, Health and Wellness, Special Education, Expanded Learning, English Language Learner & Multilingual Achievement, and Teacher Support to build a district-wide initiative to lift up a racial justice, equity and healing mindset for all educators in Oakland. This task force combined two task forces focused on Culturally Responsive Practices and Implicit Bias as mandated by the Voluntary Resolution Plan created to address disproportionate suspensions of African American students in OUSD.

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Initiative

MTSS is an organizing framework that helps create progressively intensive supports for all students and fosters safe and supportive schools. Building out the MTSS approach so that academic and behavioral supports are integrated and mutually-supportive is needed to facilitate academic gains for ELL students, foster youth, and students identified as economically disadvantaged. APISA and the Office of Equity are partnering with Community Schools, Teaching and Learning, Special Education, Professional Learning, Behavioral Health, Local Control Accountability Plan Staff, and Network Superintendents to align and integrate joint efforts to better support students to thrive.

Curriculum Adoption & Equity in Social Studies Committee

OUSD's History Department adopted new curriculum to be more reflective, inclusive, engaging, and effective. The Office of Equity is partnering to provide input and create guidance to ensure that communities of color and included, and to identify gaps and supplemental curriculum that is needed. APISA is partnering with the History Department to elevate curriculum on Asian Pacific Islanders, including coverage of The Chinese Exclusion Act and API history in California in the 4th grade and secondary level curricula.