Why it might be a good thing that you didn’t get your first choice of OUSD schools.
Last week, thousands of Oakland parents received offers for an OUSD school placement for the fall. Some children randomly beat out hundreds of others to get a spot in a high-demand school. Others were easily and happily accepted to a lower-demand school. Some kids will be going to their neighborhood school, others commuting across town to a school that is higher-rated, or more convenient for their parents’ work, more diverse than their neighborhood school, or that offers some kind of special program. There are many choices in Oakland, and that has its opportunities and its drawbacks.
But many parents are somewhat in limbo. Their first, second, maybe even third choices were all taken up by other students, and now they face a choice to either accept the school they’ve been assigned, spend the next six months frantically checking waitlists, or go with a charter or private school instead.
If you are one of these families, we’re sorry your child didn’t get placed where you’d hoped. The bad news is, rejection and disappointment are no fun. Making big choices for our children is really tough, and being anxious about how they will fare in a new school, especially one you know little about, is to be expected. We all want the best for our kids.
But the good news is this: there are many more great schools in Oakland than the ones that have long wait lists. In fact, there may even be a silver lining in this dark cloud of your lottery outcome – giving your child the benefits of attending a school where no one had to compete to get in, and shifting your family’s definition of what “the best” really means.
Your third or fourth or fifth or even sixth choice might just be a great choice for your kid, even if it’s not a seven or an eight on greatschools.org. Why? Every child and school community is different and every school has wonderful aspects that aren’t always obvious to parents (like a fabulous restorative justice program not talked about on the website), especially when that school doesn't have the resources or parent volunteers to publicize them. Many low-demand schools are diverse, free from high-pressure environments, resilient, resourceful, and are the ‘best’ for many kids. Plus, research shows that test score rankings like those on greatschools.org mostly reflect the wealth of the students at a school, rather than the work being done within its walls.
As one parent on our recent panel put it “"Our kids are gonna get more than ABC 123, they're gonna get a community…”
For some examples, check out the schools we currently feature on our website, such as Hoover Elementary and MLK Jr Elementary in West Oakland, and Fruitvale Elementary and Bridges Academy in East Oakland, all of which have above average district test score growth (a better indicator of teacher success) in Math and English-Language Arts.
Want to connect with a parent at the school your child was assigned, if it’s a school you feel you know little about? Fill out our Parent Connection request form and we’ll do our best!
Learn more about OUSD schools on Oakland Schools Finder, think through your OUSD school decision with these resources, or check out the slides from our winter workshops on choosing OUSD schools.
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Stay calm, stay optimistic, and stay in community.
Best,
Get Schooled Oakland