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Agenda Item
C.-2 24-1940 Decision Public Hearing by the Board of Education on Aspire Public Schools - Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy - Petition and Charter (Renewal) - Grades 6-12 - Ju1y 1, 2025 - June 30, 2030, pursuant to Education Code Section 47605, including consideration and possible adoption of Resolution No. 2425-0007.
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Aspire Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy is doing excellent work, and I wholeheartedly support its charter renewal. LWP has strong leaders in the administration, the classroom, and the student body. The sense of working together can be felt throughout the campus. As a dedicated ELD teacher with 38 years of experience, I know this school is a gem. I am proud that our ELD students are making fantastic progress. I appreciate how the school is consistent in its staff development—with our combination of veteran teacher leaders and new teachers eager to gain mastery of this vital profession. Through careful and deep analysis of our school data, we are building on our success across the curriculum. We collaborate extensively, and every staff member is eager to take their work to a higher level. For example, school-wide we are developing lessons that support vocabulary development and comprehension strategies across the curriculum.
LWP school is a thriving community of learners, parents, teachers - a whole ecosystem in education in an area that needs continued encouragement, - ably supported by a passionate groups of teachers, administrators, leaders, and educationists. I, middle school science teacher, have seen first hand the enormous potential our students possess, some of them brilliant scholars for tomorrow, some good athletes dreaming big for future, some struggling to make their mark in academic world, for the betterment of their families, striving, succeeding, repeatedly, day after day. We need this vibrant ecosystem to flourish. We need blessings of the board for continued sustenance, support, and success. We look forward to renewal of the school, a lifeblood for students and community here.
Removing LWP would take away the best option in Sobrante Park for students to read on grade level and go on to graduate college. In my work as a teacher & instructional coach here for the past 10 years, I am proud of our consistent literacy record. Our students grow tremendously in our 6-12 program; when they graduate, their literacy exceeds state and district levels and outstrips OUSD proficiency by 30 points. A huge reason for this is the coaching our teachers engage in. As a coach, I utilize student-centered coaching cycles--measuring my effectiveness via student data in cycles where I co-teach with teachers once a week and co-plan and analyze formative data together. I also facilitate students giving feedback to their teachers and co-creating cross-curricular exhibition projects alongside their teachers. Students in East Oakland deserve for their teachers to be coached rigorously and held accountable to improvement based on data. Vote yes based on our demonstrable positive impact.
I strongly support the renewal of Lionel Wilson College Prep. due to its contributions to student outcomes, social-emotional learning, and the learning environment.
Literacy: Focus on literacy not only prepares students for academic success but also equips them with essential skills for lifelong learning.
Social-Emotional Learning: The school has implemented a social-emotional learning curriculum, helping students develop critical skills like
empathy, resilience, and self-regulation. This holistic approach ensures that students are not only academically prepared but also emotionally
equipped to navigate in our community and beyond.
Future Oakland Leaders: By emphasizing leadership skills and community engagement, the school is cultivating the next generation of
leaders in Oakland.
Renewing LWP is essential for continuing these impactful changes!
Lionel Wilson has been a steady and supportive community of staff and students for the neighborhood and beyond for more than 15 years. Whole families of students and even some parents have graduated from Lionel Wilson. Some alumni have even come back to teach at Lionel Wilson. They have grown an excellent multi-language learner program, and serve students with a whole range of needs on a daily basis. Please support Lionel Wilson so that it can continue to provide high quality instruction and support for many years to come.
My name is Fatiisha Razo and I’m a Parent of 6 with a recent graduate from Lionel Wilson College Prep Academy. Lionel Wilson is a community school placed in the heart of Sobrante Park where many of our families reside. Lionel is important to me because as a parent, I want all of my children to get the best education possible.
Lionel Wilson is a small community school where my child was able to get 1:1 attention and build a strong relationship with his teachers, staff and other students. In my child's first few years at Lionel Wilson, he struggled academically and socially but the school worked alongside us to develop a plan for improvement. With the support of the school, my child was accepted to San Francisco state and part of the graduation class of 2024.
I’m hoping I can count on all board members to vote in favor of our school renewal.
As a student who has attended all of their high school journey in LWP, I support keeping the school open. LWP is filled with great opportunities to support students in their academics and future opportunities. It embraces a diverse community and welcomes everyone's culture by hosting celebrations/events. So YES my vote is to keep LWP opened and for the board members to agree with OUR decision.
I'm in support of keeping LWP opened. Thus far my child is doing excellently well. In all academic and activities. Being that this is her first year attending. I feel that this School is perfect for all students to excel in their education. I am a proud parent of my child adding LWP. She is more opened, and free to excel in her learning. I see that LWP is concerned an well equipped for our Scholars education to continue on for more years to come. Please continue to keep LWP OPENED!
A vote against LWP would be a vote to remove an excellent opportunity for students to achieve literacy. LWP consistently graduates young people who proficiently read & write at rates exceeding statewide averages regardless of location/demographics, & far beyond the literacy achievement of similar demographics in Oakland. Though there are two nearby 6-12 schools, neither gets the literacy results LWP does. Families would be right to be outraged. I am a charter skeptic myself, but I love working at LWP after teaching in other schools including charter, district, & private. It's appropriate for Board members to ask charters to justify their existence before opining. It would be inappropriate to begin from the stance of: "I must dig for flaws to justify my established view that charters are bad," (confirmation bias). Like all schools, we are far from perfect, but we have a culture of improvement & a small, nimble community to do so. Recognize our positive impact on Oakland with a yes vote.
Aspire Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy is doing excellent work, and I wholeheartedly support its charter renewal. LWP has strong leaders in the administration, the classroom, and the student body. The sense of working together can be felt throughout the campus. As a dedicated ELD teacher with 38 years of experience, I know this school is a gem. I am proud that our ELD students are making fantastic progress. I appreciate how the school is consistent in its staff development—with our combination of veteran teacher leaders and new teachers eager to gain mastery of this vital profession. Through careful and deep analysis of our school data, we are building on our success across the curriculum. We collaborate extensively, and every staff member is eager to take their work to a higher level. For example, school-wide we are developing lessons that support vocabulary development and comprehension strategies across the curriculum.
Please vote to renew our charter.
LWP school is a thriving community of learners, parents, teachers - a whole ecosystem in education in an area that needs continued encouragement, - ably supported by a passionate groups of teachers, administrators, leaders, and educationists. I, middle school science teacher, have seen first hand the enormous potential our students possess, some of them brilliant scholars for tomorrow, some good athletes dreaming big for future, some struggling to make their mark in academic world, for the betterment of their families, striving, succeeding, repeatedly, day after day. We need this vibrant ecosystem to flourish. We need blessings of the board for continued sustenance, support, and success. We look forward to renewal of the school, a lifeblood for students and community here.
Removing LWP would take away the best option in Sobrante Park for students to read on grade level and go on to graduate college. In my work as a teacher & instructional coach here for the past 10 years, I am proud of our consistent literacy record. Our students grow tremendously in our 6-12 program; when they graduate, their literacy exceeds state and district levels and outstrips OUSD proficiency by 30 points. A huge reason for this is the coaching our teachers engage in. As a coach, I utilize student-centered coaching cycles--measuring my effectiveness via student data in cycles where I co-teach with teachers once a week and co-plan and analyze formative data together. I also facilitate students giving feedback to their teachers and co-creating cross-curricular exhibition projects alongside their teachers. Students in East Oakland deserve for their teachers to be coached rigorously and held accountable to improvement based on data. Vote yes based on our demonstrable positive impact.
I strongly support the renewal of Lionel Wilson College Prep. due to its contributions to student outcomes, social-emotional learning, and the learning environment.
Literacy: Focus on literacy not only prepares students for academic success but also equips them with essential skills for lifelong learning.
Social-Emotional Learning: The school has implemented a social-emotional learning curriculum, helping students develop critical skills like
empathy, resilience, and self-regulation. This holistic approach ensures that students are not only academically prepared but also emotionally
equipped to navigate in our community and beyond.
Future Oakland Leaders: By emphasizing leadership skills and community engagement, the school is cultivating the next generation of
leaders in Oakland.
Renewing LWP is essential for continuing these impactful changes!
Lionel Wilson has been a steady and supportive community of staff and students for the neighborhood and beyond for more than 15 years. Whole families of students and even some parents have graduated from Lionel Wilson. Some alumni have even come back to teach at Lionel Wilson. They have grown an excellent multi-language learner program, and serve students with a whole range of needs on a daily basis. Please support Lionel Wilson so that it can continue to provide high quality instruction and support for many years to come.
My name is Fatiisha Razo and I’m a Parent of 6 with a recent graduate from Lionel Wilson College Prep Academy. Lionel Wilson is a community school placed in the heart of Sobrante Park where many of our families reside. Lionel is important to me because as a parent, I want all of my children to get the best education possible.
Lionel Wilson is a small community school where my child was able to get 1:1 attention and build a strong relationship with his teachers, staff and other students. In my child's first few years at Lionel Wilson, he struggled academically and socially but the school worked alongside us to develop a plan for improvement. With the support of the school, my child was accepted to San Francisco state and part of the graduation class of 2024.
I’m hoping I can count on all board members to vote in favor of our school renewal.
As a student who has attended all of their high school journey in LWP, I support keeping the school open. LWP is filled with great opportunities to support students in their academics and future opportunities. It embraces a diverse community and welcomes everyone's culture by hosting celebrations/events. So YES my vote is to keep LWP opened and for the board members to agree with OUR decision.
I'm in support of keeping LWP opened. Thus far my child is doing excellently well. In all academic and activities. Being that this is her first year attending. I feel that this School is perfect for all students to excel in their education. I am a proud parent of my child adding LWP. She is more opened, and free to excel in her learning. I see that LWP is concerned an well equipped for our Scholars education to continue on for more years to come. Please continue to keep LWP OPENED!
A vote against LWP would be a vote to remove an excellent opportunity for students to achieve literacy. LWP consistently graduates young people who proficiently read & write at rates exceeding statewide averages regardless of location/demographics, & far beyond the literacy achievement of similar demographics in Oakland. Though there are two nearby 6-12 schools, neither gets the literacy results LWP does. Families would be right to be outraged. I am a charter skeptic myself, but I love working at LWP after teaching in other schools including charter, district, & private. It's appropriate for Board members to ask charters to justify their existence before opining. It would be inappropriate to begin from the stance of: "I must dig for flaws to justify my established view that charters are bad," (confirmation bias). Like all schools, we are far from perfect, but we have a culture of improvement & a small, nimble community to do so. Recognize our positive impact on Oakland with a yes vote.