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Emma Paulino, Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) leader, ascend (A School Cultivating Excellence, Nurturing Diversity) parent and next year's ascend Family Coordinator, describes her experience creating new small schools in Oakland:
At OCO, we started to talk about the largest overcrowded schools. When I visited schools in Chicago, I could tell the difference between the large schools here and the small schools there. Parents there felt like, "This is my school, this is my kid's school, I am part of this place." That wasn't happening with me. When I went to Chicago, it changed everything in my mind.
I didn't know how much it would take to create a new smaller school. I was part of the design team. I spoke out and they listened to me and they wrote it down. I said I wanted for families to be part of the school, not only the kids. I wanted parents to be listened to by the teachers. I wanted the principal to know if something was going on with the kids, if we had a question for the principal, for her to be able to listen. And everything is happening here. We are like a family. When one laughs, everybody laughs. When one cries, everybody cries. Here is something unique, a real gift for the kids.
I had a really bad experience at other schools. They were nice people but I didn't see my kids were improving. Here we make a difference for the families. We will find a way to help you with everything you need in every area, health care, housing, immigration. My kids are blessed with this opportunity to go to this school. Teachers have a lot more time than before. Here, every teacher knows my kids and all the kids. I think this makes the difference for the kids, having relationships with the teachers. It is the same thing with the parents-when they walk in they know the kids. And the communication we have with teachers is excellent.
For thirty years, no one opened a new school in Oakland. OCO did it because we organized the community. If people don't get involved, they can't make the change. We're going to get to the point where all children will get the education that they deserve. This is not a privilege. This is a right. We have to work for that right. And there are a lot of people working for new places. The most exciting thing is the number of parents who want to work to make a difference. When people ask, I always say, "It's hard but it's not impossible." We work very hard, Saturdays, Sundays, nights. It's not easy. For me, it's too much work, but I am so proud that we did it.
by Emma Paulino