Rooted in Oakland: A Community School Takes Shape

Data proves that the current strategie in our district are not working, but instea failing our students and teacher 34% graduation rate, when I was a student at Fremont, where did everybody else go?

For so long, the big discussion at this site was safety.

We're not meant to be a prison.

We're a school.

We couldn't move the conversatio from safety to academics.

I just remember wanting a better life.

Social justice recognizes everyone's basic humanity.

We are taking on a challeng never completed successfully in to fully redesign a comprehensi high school with multiple career and sustain that transformation for generations to come.

When I say Fremont, you say tige Fremont!

Tigers!

Fremont!

Tigers!

Good morning everybody.

My name is Ms.

Baez.

I know there's some new people in this space.

I am your principal and I'm also a very proud Fremon I am going to my clas reunion, actually, this Saturday so that'll be interesting 20 yea When I was a student here, I definitely felt peopl didn't think we were worthy of t and I think some people didn't really see much hope in us.

And I think we carried that arou I met Nydia my first year here.

We had battled the same type of negative perception where people would discredit us, discounted us.

I remembe the population was really large.

I just remember we've been very There isn't a flow.

We go jump from one class to ne without really understanding the I think that contributed to me having this vision of what I wan and not receiving kind of the education that was h prepare for that career.

I just, I just remember, like, wanting a better life.

And so whatever it takes for me to get through the challenges as a student that's what I would have to do.

And when I returned to the campu 20 years later, people still had that vision of our students.

I came back in 201 and we were at that point, three small schools, and they had been by the district leadership, that we were going to be back to one school.

That 2012, 2013 school year.

On my heart, Fremont has been th all the time as a concern.

Like we haven't don what we need to do at Fremont.

When I sit with parents, like t who were here today, and I ask, you know what is going on inside the school around the transformation? They don't know.

Some of the students, they don't So I just want to point that because I think it's important f to really make sur that we can reach out as much as And I'm saying that becaus we're willing to work with the s I just, you know, we like for u like we are a work in collaborat But it's not just about being a big school again.

We have to do a better job o just having a high quality schoo that meets the needs of the comm The school felt hectic because I think there was a lot of uncertainty around what was going to happen.

And the staff at Fremont, I wou was overwhelming with all the ch They feel like resented around t how they made the decisions without asking them, without engaging them.

One way that I can tell you where the where we saw a lot of the issues were we would have parent meetings.

Their number one issue that they continuously brought was this school feeling unsafe.

And feeling, and their concern w my student isn't safe, we need more cameras.

We need more police.

We need metal detectors.

The idea that that we were an ac institution was not there.

As far as the cameras go There's a total of 48 cameras he And I did some research into it, not in charge of the cameras, but since we're coming to this m I, you know, I set out and I did some research into i so I could provide you guys with So, there's a total of 48 camera here on campus.

26 work.

We have 26 working came There was something about that l what the concern was that that reall worried me and a few other peopl Right.

Like we're not meant to be a prison.

We're a school.

We're supposed to help students feel safe.

But I think if we just worked on getting metal detectors or police presence or whatnot it wouldn't really solve the act Restorative justice is a respon that is different from punishmen to a wrongdoing.

It's an alternativ to the criminalization of wrongd or to a punitive, retributive re to wrongdoing.

People go through different things that are not a and they bring that energy into And, just like, they don't have to, like, let it out anywhere el So sometimes it's just like it's out of habit.

Like they can't control it some like they don't have that space So underneat the response is the foundation o the relationships that hold it all together.

The whole idea behind R (restorative justice) is that if a classroom where people are lik relaxed and feel good and know that they can talk to p then they're going to be actuall more able to learn.

And there's been a lot of resea that shows that schools that do not just circles but just different kinds of fun that they- students will graduat and actually do better.

Our goal is not to arrest or suspend students.

We want them to stay in class and get their education, and we want to deliver a clear plan of services and how they can receive these so that they can focus on educat But then what happene was that there was this spirit o wanting to rebuild the campus.

There was someone who said, hey, your school is going to get this community schools manager.

So I was one of the first five schools managers in Oakland Unif Qu piensan?

What did you think I think I was really prou to see so many parents come out, because we really se how much we're involved in our k and if all of us were like the p we have to today, we could just imagine how the school would be.

I'm really thankful and gratefu for all of you para todos Los pa Everybody who helped Toda las que ayudaron y participaron you guys accomplished a lot toda lograron muchas cosas hoy, Estas muchas felicidades porqu necesitamos esta ayuda so thank For me, it's been really import to have a sense of community on but also with the community that felt so So us as an institution have har this community.

What were proposing is school t And we wanted- [Booing] What that means?

I see the question, but I encour to write the question down.

There will be a time where we'r to have the questions followed u [Crowd:] Nows the time!

Nows t Nows the time.

Im sorry, we're going to contin with the process because otherw we're not gonna have an effectiv [Crowd:] Can you answer the ques We will answer questions, so please put it on the card.

How do you build community so that people who know each oth who feel in communit with each other are less likely to then engage in behavior that is harmful?

It's about respect.

And I felt like at that moment, didn't feel a lot of respect, because they werent being liste or because there was some miscommunicatio or there was just barriers in be The reality is that we didn't kn about this community engagement until the last week before break This is not a transparent proces I had no doubt that I wante to bring Carmen back to this sch Carmen graduated in 2015 and was on the school board for three years, so really under lots of the bigger picture around our school district.

But also her drea was to make a difference in the My biggest ask was, let me try to figure out how we can create a space where we can listen to each othe not only as students, but have a conversation between adults and students.

I had not stepped foo on the campus of Fremont for 20 and let me tell you, I walked in Mind you, we were still not bein Like there were- the facilitie project had not gotten off the g And, and we were then told you guys have to redesign again, an RFP, and charter schools can run your school and redesign it So get ready.

It was starting to feel like, we the only consistent is inconsist We know that OUSD (Oakland Unified School District) is committe to offering support to Fremont.

Unfortunately the current supports are inadequ and are not based on the unique needs of Fremont.

We are taking on a challeng never completed successfully in to fully redesign a comprehensi high school with multiple career and sustain that transformation for generations to come.

People feel like really undermin They don't feel like- the educat they don't feel like they they get any respect from the school district.

And the challenge is going to b can we put all this pain away?

Can we leave behind what is hold and can we move forward?

In mid 2015, 2016, the community came togeth to demand that the school distri allow our design team to choose its own principal.

Everyone in OUS must commit to making Fremont Hi the first choice high school in this neighborhood.

We must create seamless pathways and partnerships from K through Data proves that the current str our district are not working, b failing our students and teacher When we decided to fight back, we wrote a proposal to turn the school around and other people submitted propo but ours was the strongest.

The purpose is to really re-attract the neighborhood stud to come back to their school so that they can walk here, and as a result, then we would h a different neighborhood, just a safer neighborhood.

We knew that we wanted a safe c school, and we wanted a communit that would be a beacon in this of East Oakland where people wou they were proud to graduate from Fremont High School.

Meet Tom.

When we were hired by the commu we knew that there was going to some school culture work especi and some work to support staff t to kind of heal some of the thi that had happened in the previou Well the hope that I had right now is I see the parents more owning this process.

They had voice in selectin who is coming to work to Fremont And that is really powerful for the parents because they never had that expe before.

And especially in high school it really difficult.

Most of the tim their voice is not on the table.

There was some protection of ou our enrollment status, and that to have enough leeway to do the work of like the small changes of, of stabilizing culture, sta student experience, retaining te I mean, the things that that mat in the long term, that people have been ther they want to be there, and they want to protect the sch community.

All right.

Well, welcome to Fremont High S the best high school in Oakland.

We started to believe, like, ok some folks in the district that Fremont is growing and that Fre a place that families want to co And it allowed us to continue t build out the school and do the What's a margin?

This is like the inside, the margin is the outside.

So when you marginalize somebody is like making someone be an out So when we have social... I think at the district level.

there was a belief in Fremont, r that we could, transform, that we could do well Te gustan los paraguas?

You like the umbrellas?

So imagine working side-by-side with someone who's doing the same thing as y but they do it with such a passi I was like, oh, man, these peop are really invested in their sch I interviewed with about 15 to 2 It felt like it a large room.

And what I took that as was this community, this school community all the stakeholders really car about who's leading the school.

And it's not going to be a top- decision or a district pushed de And that was really important to For so long the big discussion at this site was safety like making sure everyone's safe And that's important.

But we couldn't move the convers from being- from safety to academics and rigor.

And can they read?

And are they getting what they n like that.

And so I'm- we ca now have that conversation becau there is a sense of safety.

I'm in, architecture academy, you know I was one of the top of my class I'm in media.

Media.

The students are the reason why I chose this work.

I became a teacher at the age of 21, in Africa, because I was inspired by my te and I could see how far she impa Architecture Academy, are you he Architecture Academy, are you he The Architecture Academy, by the is one of your oldest academies Unified School District.

And your academy directors, Mr.

Nardie and Mr.

Hoang plan a lot of really fun stuff f Theyre over there.

Mr.

Hoang is also a Fremont grad so he actually went through the and is now back with you.

Isnt that great?

Morning guys.

Today's goal is about going through the desi to solve that problem, to figure how can we find information gather it, analyze it, create a prototype of it, test it, remodel it, and then bring it to the site and actually try it out.

So let's go through the process you all right now and define tho If the black color is the cut t that means the white is the wood If that's the case you just make sure you trace tha The problem that you're going to is that the black right here is the cut through th that's going to be wood.

So what happens that piece of wo if this is the cut through?

It gets cut out?

It gets cut out So that's the only proble that you're going to encounter.

But if you don't mind that that' Does that make sense.

Yeah.

Cool.

Awesome.

Get back to me.

Social justice.

Everyone copy th Social justice recognizes everyone's basic humanity.

And because of that recognition, we're working hard to protect and secure fundamenta which we will talk about and works to righ historic wrongs to end oppressio We'll talk about that as well.

I love the fact that we activate our students a what's happening in our neighbor And we tie that to some summativ where they write in the first se and do all their research.

And then, the second semester is more abou It kind of weaves itsel into our, curriculum in a way wh very organic and natural, and i our kids invested in their commu A student picked a topic I love this one acces to financial literacy in high sc How does that impact someone?

If you don't have money or like generational wealth, the money gets passed down from the father to like the son and stuff but then debt can be passed down Like say the father either runs off or just dies with that debt, it gets passed on to the kids and if they don't know what to with like the money they barely then their kid's going to be in It's just going to go on.

As a teacher of color, I would and see the amount of opportunit that is present to impact, this group of students, right?

That that's the population that Yeah And it's also about like ownersh Like people who have had generat like, owning stuff.

Like I'm going to ask you a real ques and I hate that there's other p in the room right now, but it's I want to ask you this.

Who's family owns a home here in Okay.

Is this is this- di it get passed down to your your No.

Your adults are first time b Okay.

Who else?

One person.

Do you see what I mean?

This is the problem, What I di was I partnered with a lot of pe and by doing so by bringing more people into the people realize that this was not a scary place, that our students were just like any other students.

They wanted to lear and they wanted opportunities.

But before you write I want you to do a little bit of So in Google Classroom I have it set up to where you should look at some examples I'm treating you like the produ directors and editors that you a You are a one-stop-shop.

You are going to produc a lyric music video for a client Okay?

Now that means that the bar is h because we're going to pretend t putting cash in your pocket.

I believe that it's importan that students have, teachers of because we need to see oursel reflected in everything that we It was important to be around kids who grew up like me or who are growing up like I gre and I found Fremont to be that p Growing up, when I would be in s and I knew how to produce, opera a camera and edit people always make an assumption They would say, oh, you went to And I was like, no, I went to Fr And I was always proud of being a Fremont student because people would second gues We've been wall-to-wall pathway meaning every student on our cam is enrolled in a career technical education course and core classes that support that work.

Lots of people think that Fremon offer college prep classes.

All of our classes are college p They all qualify your students to apply for a UC or a CSU, because sometimes student don't want to take all the class because they want to have a quot easy year.

Right?

But we know that sometimes then they they, close doors for thems And we want to keep those doors Knowledge of self is very import And when you have students that can't see themselves in the front of a classroom ins other people, like they don't ev themselves reflected that way, it really kind of does something Okay, so I wouldn't do this par because look what hes saying.

Could you choose a part of the s that's not misogynistic?

What does that word mean?

Okay, so, this song is very muc so not really uplifting women.

Okay?

It's kind of dogging them.

What about this one?

You know this song?

I know this song.

Okay?

I think that would be a good one for you to use.

I let them know tha everyone needs to hear your voic I think I probably, like, give like, ten times during the year.

I listen to them and I try to fi to partner them with people that have a louder voice than t and then that person cheerlead t We cheerlead our students on.

What I think is really interesti about leaders is like when she was coming into the rol of principal and taking ove the stewardship of the school, like immediately the people that she reached out to be like assistant principals, just were really amazing, progressive, wonderfu human beings that cared about ki and matched like kind of her in terms of what she needs.

I'm not, you know, if I did that going home.

I'm gonna hurt myself, an then I'm gonna be off for 2 to 3 You'll be on the IR.

I will be on the IR, that's a re My legs don't work like they use You're going to all all your cla Broke my heart last year, Cam.

I might sit out one.

Don't sit out any!

You're too smart for that.

Youve got college.

You still doing Oregon?

How do we support student in doing everything they want to that's right for them and then pushing them forward?

-into the building, you're goin straight and you'll see a blue d Community school is a school owned by the community.

We are serving the community whether it's not just academics, it means getting them jobs, job it means building experiences where students really feel connected to other students and, and other staff.

If we're asking for a community to be invested in us, they have to see themselve as being part of that process.

We had to make change, and we had to really show our students that we want them t I think we try to look for power or someone to help us outside when our biggest supporters are right in front of us.

Now, it's been about five year where we have now seen a consist presenc of restorative justice on our ca All right all right.

Go.

Let's go.

This is See ya!

We've been able to really see how you go from a school that's really divorced from a community to being a sch that's really owned by the commu With all the work that people ha to make sure we're serving our students needs and not just what we think, but they're saying that they need.

We have to support young peopl so that they can successfully gr from high school with options.

We want to set a standard for Ca We want to set a standar for what a school should look li Ten years ago, I could see the school being bu and I didn't think a lot of peop And now I get to see it everyday and I get to see a waitlist of o for ninth grade which is something that was unbe Currently, how many people do w on this campus right now, Ms.

Ba 1240.

1240 there are 1240 students on this Look around and clap for yoursel for the end of school.

Very nice, very nice, very nice.

There are a lot of you.

In a city like Oakland which sometimes gets a a bad rep I want my school to really embo what I see in my community, whic We are the best high school in O So I want to make sure that you walk with that and know that wit