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Public Radio Intermediate Public Radio Reporting, Spring 2008
Madeleine Anderson: Lousy luck doesn't always lead to an unhappy ending.
Alex Bonin: In this commentary, Bonin contemplates the apparent oxymoron of foster care.
Ashley Guillory: In Oakland, less than half of all high-schoolers make it to their senior year.
Aisha Johnson: The Oakland Unified School District is constantly struggling to raise student
Ashlie McDonald: The Oakland Unified School District has more than 5,000 identified Special Education students,
Melissa McDonough: In California there are approximately 90,000 young people in foster care.
Sonya Rifkin: Everyone wants kids to get an education. We want them to have safe and
Paula Tejeda: Imagine you're sixteen. You've grown up in the U.S. and attended public school
Pon Thommavang: In 2004, a landmark legal settlement guaranteed a billion dollars to pay for basic |
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But one public charter school is breaking the trend. 80% of the graduating class got acceptance letters from four-year universities last year. And this is not just any public school; it's also a military academy. The Oakland Military Institute mixes history and math with drill marches and demerits.Reporter Ashley Guillory takes you behind the school's green gates to see how their students challenge the statistics. 
test scores at its lowest performing schools. The California Department of Education shows that two-thirds of Oakland's elementary schools received a ranking of five or less on the Academic Performance Index. Despite the disturbing numbers—there are some good things happening and much of it is coming from the parents. Aisha Johnson reports on two schools who are close in proximity, yet miles apart in performance.
and the Special Education Office conducts about 7,000 Individual Education Programs (IEPs) each year. This means that a lot of our youth here in Oakland are involved in special education in some way. However the journey through this program may not always be easy. Ashlie McDonald shares her story.
These children were removed from their homes and placed in state custody for their own safety and well being. However, the state is not necessarily such a good parent. Once a foster kid turns 18, they are on their own. About one quarter of foster youth end up in prison and about one third become homeless, half of all foster youth drop out of high school and of those that finish only one percent make it through college. Without an education, these children may never make it off the streets. Our reporter, Melissa McDonough, investigates why education seems to be failing the youth who need it the most.
stimulating schools-we even want them to find ways to enjoy school. But even if all of these factors were to fall into place, many high schoolers might still find it hard to show up on time. Why? The task of transporting minds from the street or the home to the classroom often begins right around the corner, at the bus stop as Sonya Rifkin reports. 
since kindergarten. To most people and even in your own mind, you are an American kid, except you're not. You are not an American citizen...you're what's called an illegal alien. There are about 25,000 high school kids in similar situations in California. And that means they have practically no option of continuing their education after high school. State Senator Gilbert Cedillo says this isn't good for kids or for the state and he wants to change the law. Cedillo has introduced a bill known as the California Dream Act. It would allow students to apply for fee waivers at all California community colleges, and to apply for non-governmental financial aid. Paula Tejeda reports... 
educational needs in low performing California public schools. Four years later, students at Oakland High School say they're still sitting in classrooms with poor ventilation and using dirty bathroom with over-flowing toilets. Pon Thommavang of Mills College has this story about the students' fight to get their school's problems fixed.
