• What We're Working On: Growing a Diverse and Stable Staff

     

    During our strategic planning process in Spring 2021, our working group identified four focus areas. Each focus area includes a list of Year 1 actions and deliverables, listed below. Status updates are reported quarterly. 

     

    For more information about how we’re monitoring progress, please visit our Progress Monitoring page. →

Four Areas of Focus

  • For this initiative, each focus area is brought to life across the stages of educator development to meet the needs and opportunities of educators at that point of their career. Our focus areas also maximize the collective impact work required to effectively grow and support a dynamic, representative educator workforce that research has proven benefits all students.

     

     

    Strengthen Partnerships

    Strengthening partnerships across key stakeholder groups in the Bay Area, in particular with individuals and organizations of color, to support the other three focus areas

     

    Strengthen Pathways

    Creating clear pathways for our students to become educators, activating the desire to teach for local citizens, and providing opportunities for Black and Brown community members

     

    Strengthen Affinity-Based Support Structures

    Establishing dynamic, affinity-based support structures for educators across OUSD

     

    Strengthen Conditions for Educator Learning and Continued Growth

    Creating conditions in school that serve educators, students, and families; building nimble growth opportunities to meet educators’ ever-evolving needs; removing inequitable barriers for Black and Brown folks in Oakland to become and stay educators; adapting teaching and learning based on what has been learned through the pandemic

Stage 1 of Development: Black and Brown Aspiring Educators in High School and College

  • Black and Brown aspiring educators in high school or college will be inspired by clear pathways with related projects and organized supports, such as summer programming and work opportunities. They will be supported by college and career readiness staff in an academy structure, by their work-based learning coordinator and counselors, and by their own teachers of color. 

     

    students and educator sitting at table drawing with markers 

Stage 2 of Development: Black and Brown Aspiring Educators with a Bachelor's Degree

  • Black and Brown aspiring educators with a bachelor's degree will have a clear sense of their direction, with a pathway to a credential program, supported by structures such as cohort models, residencies, paid veteran teacher mentors, and opportunities to gain experience working within education and to build relationships with school sites. They will be encouraged to think about their long-term growth with career planning and learning about trajectories in education.  

     

    a young adult smiles and looks at a large piece of paper another person is showing them.

Stage 3 of Development: Early Career Black and Brown Educators

  • Black and Brown early career educators will experience a personal, relational entry into teaching. They will have supports from multiple levels of the system, from district-organized affinity groups and new teacher mentoring programs to site-level systems of support. They’ll have a professional development (PD) plan to support their self-sufficiency with both universal foundational PD and individualized learning in content areas of interest.  

     

    three black male educators seated at desks looking toward the front of a lecture hall

Stage 4 of Development: Black and Brown Practicing and Experienced Educators

  • Black and Brown practicing and experienced educators will feel recognized for their experience, valued for their cultures, successful in their efforts, and respected in decision-making. They will be a part of a connected community through affinity groups, communities of practice, peers and colleagues, and site coaches. Planning time, space for reflection, peer observations, and a personalized PD plan will support the ongoing growth of their practice, as well as opportunities for continued growth into greater leadership as experienced educators. 

      

    3 women sit in chairs, as if on a conference panel. the center woman is holding a microphone and speaking

Ongoing Work

  • Built into this Strategic Plan are concrete action plans, deliverables, and metrics by which to measure our success. The Plan also includes an ongoing dialogue with the community so we can continue to engage in meaningful partnership. From now until June 2024, OUSD will:

     

    • Convene working groups to monitor year 1 actions and establish future actions and deliverables. (For more information about our working groups, please see our FAQ page.)
    • Organize quarterly co-chair engagements with the Superintendent for progress updates and guidance.
    • Provide additional opportunities for community engagement.
    • Share the strategic plan with the broader community. 

     

    We invite you to stay connected by keeping an eye on our Get Involved page (here →) for opportunities to raise your voice and share your vision for change in OUSD.
a group of educators holding signs that say "i heart OUSD community schools"