5 Point Plan

Every Oakland public school should be an environment where our educators are eager to come to work and our families are proud to send their children.

- Jumoke Hinton Hodge

Real Talk, and the Leadership to bring Real Solutions::
Five Point Plan for School and Student Success

My candidacy is about elevating the city of Oakland by preparing our children to be successful young people and future stewards of our city. We, as today’s adult leaders, must take on this responsibility. With your help, beginning on Day 1 of my term, I will work to implement my Five Point Plan to improve our public schools.

1. Provide a Quality Education for All

The Goal: Our responsibility as educators is to graduate our students equipped for success in today’s increasingly advanced economy. All of our students will gradate with the skills to be college and career ready.

The Solution:

- Ensure that fundamental, college ready academics are provided to every student so that all of our students have the option to attend college or the workforce, as they choose.

- Graduate students with the skills to succeed as work-ready adults: problem solving, research and analysis, written and verbal communications, and technology acumen.

- Keep students engaged and in school through a meaningful and relevant curriculum, including opportunities to explore art and music.

2. Tackle the Needs of Students Facing the Greatest Challenges

The Goal: To be successful as a school district, we must eliminate the thorny problems of the Achievement Gap, the Drop-out Rate, and Student Truancy that stand in the way of success for many of our students.

The Solution:

- Targeted resources to equip our teachers to meet the needs of students with disabilities, English language learners, students living with crime and violence, and students whose basic needs are not being met at home.

- Increased counseling and on campus supports to focus our help on a school-by-school and neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.

- Continued investment in after school programs and other educational support programs to help struggling students meet their educational and personal needs.

3. Equip Our Professional Educators with the Essential Supports for Success

The Goal: Oakland is a complex place to educate students. We must help our education professionals, especially our young teachers, to be fully prepared to meet the challenges they face in the classroom and ensure their longevity as educators.

The Solution:

- A professional development and training program that equips our teachers and site administrators with the skills to excel in a modern urban school.

- A robust teacher mentoring program that couples experienced educators with new teachers to meet the individual needs of our teachers.

- A school-site environment that is equipped with the technology, tools and materials to enable teachers to focus on their craft.

4. A Safe and Healthy Environment for Students and Families

The Goal: Safety, health, rest and nutrition are basic needs that must be met to enable effective student learning. We must ensure that our children are safe and healthy on campus and in the community.

The Solution:

- Implement the Safe Passages Initiative - partnering with City of Oakland leaders to improve the safety of our streets and neighborhoods, reflect a vibrant business and neighborhood community, and the presence of adults as role models.

- Continue my work to educate parents about the health and safety needs of their students through the work of the OUSD Office of Family and Community Development.

5. Strong Schools Begin with Strong Leadership

The Goal: To be successful at our mission of educating students, Oakland public schools need to develop a culture of leadership that places students first.

The Solution:

- Create a Transfer and Transition Plan that restores local control to the Oakland Board of Education over all functions of school district leadership, including academic program oversight, coupled with a knowledge transfer plan to enable us to take control responsibly.

- Hire a new district Superintendent who will be the Educational Leader of the district – putting education first while building a team to manage the district’s operations in a fiscally responsible way.