Transcript
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[0:00]
We believe that providing culturally responsive approaches to literacy, math and science, then that really develops a sense of academic, cultural identity and belonging.
[0:14]
Community and connection is actually essential because we don't all necessarily come from the environments where we are taught to build community.
[0:22]
It's something that we kind of take up right how do you create community, right? How do you create connection?
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What we found was that this is where kids do find their community, where kids do feel like, it becomes kind of like a family, right?
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They're able to talk about themselves in a way where they don't have to feel like they have to shy back.
[0:38]
We provide that space for them to come in and get that help.
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But also we talk to other teachers.
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So how are they doing in that class?
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What are some things that I can do to help?
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We just try to be involved within the student and everything that they go through.
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Being in a space where you go from space with a girl that looks like you and you may be in a space with people
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I don't look like this much
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It's important to have a strong sense of who you are and off is really helping you to develop that and you know give me a stronger foundation
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If this means to like a leader, it makes me come here to basically when I come to school way more because I have people that I can talk to
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I feel like before I met them
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My grades were as good as I felt like I didn't have a lot of support and help
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But after I got into this program, all my greatest blew up, and all my greatest went good.
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And my attendants got better.
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I felt like being present at the school because I felt like, you know, I can actually get help.
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Now that I'm older and I'm seeing the younger people come through, it's really given them a sense of maturity.
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You know, a lot of them come out of middle school.
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You know, they're young, they might've been everywhere, but once they come in an AMA, they realize,
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I, this is where I learn how to be a man, this is where I learn how to do master.
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we see students lean into the advocate within them. We see our parents understanding that this is their
[1:55]
school and that they have a voice and a place in improving the school in making the school community
[2:03]
a great place of learning for all students. The approach of the department is very much
[2:11]
student and family centered is very important that their voices are included in the decisions
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that we make to move forward with them. I think we're all very happy to see that our parents are really
[2:23]
flexing their muscle and making more demands on us and asking us to do more things,
[2:30]
which we're doing our best to meet them with what it is that they would like to see for their kids.
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So facilitators do it in our names and parents oftentimes with a parent once another adult in
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space, they will act as advocates and other ear, especially if they're a challenging
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situation, not that students get into a school. It's really nice to have another mentor,
[2:50]
another adult who's in their corner. This school year across our targeted initiatives,
[2:55]
our students are coming to school, twice or three times more than students in their populations
[3:02]
that are not enrolled in our programs. Across our initiatives, our students are also showing
[3:07]
growth in great level ratings. I also like motivate me to come to school every day.
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I look forward to coming into class because I know my teacher like acknowledges me.
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I know they want me to succeed academically.
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This has really helped me actually know how to team up with people and know how to work my way
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through challenges. Kunna does a great job. They do small groups with our Pacific Islander
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students through literacy, so reading books and exploring like the stories that are in these books
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that are centered around their culture. Also a big thing with reading is that we specifically
[3:47]
have Pacific Islander books, so they can read it in song and song, they get to read like their
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stories. They also do individual meetings with families around attendance, literacy, and other
[3:57]
needs as well, maybe housing and any kind of food insecurity. So over the last four years since
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We've started our PI literacy program within the Oakland Unified School District.
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We've seen an increase in their literacy scores.
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It affirms that when we create a cultural belonging and care for our students,
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then that really is creating the conditions for them to succeed.