New Fellowship for Oakland’s Education Leaders: The Teacher Edition
GO’s Education Fellowship “Teacher Edition” is an eight-week opportunity for a small, diverse group of Oakland teachers that aims to lift up teacher voice on Oakland’s most pressing issues.
Our future editions will be for other role alike communities, so if you’re a parent, student, or community ally, stay tuned for the announcement of our future editions.
At GO, we believe that diverse voices of Oaklanders – educators, parents and community members, are needed in our city’s educational advocacy as a way to connect the grasstops to the grassroots. In our ten-year history, we’ve hosted teacher and principal fellowship groups, and it’s become clear at this point in Oakland’s education landscape, that a new and dynamic affinity-based professional community is needed to learn and collaborate with similar roles. In this tradition, we’re proud to launch the Let’s GO Oakland Education Fellowship.
Let’s GO Oakland Fellowship “Teacher Edition”
Our “Teacher Edition,” of our Let’s GO Oakland Education Fellowship, aims to lift the voice of our teachers, in a unique space for teachers across the Town to collaborate. We know that teachers are an important influence on the education of our children, but teacher voice and perspective often are not included in policy and system decisions that impact students across our city. Engaging teachers, who work day in and day out with the students and families we serve, in Oakland advocacy is crucial to ensuring teachers have a voice at decision-making tables.
Past cohorts of fellows, including our most recent cohort, engaged in a number of key policy issues in Oakland. One cohort in particular focused on teacher retention. Their research, which has received news coverage, led them to write policy briefs on new teacher support and teacher leadership opportunities to inform district decisions.
GO’s fellowship is an opportunity for a small, diverse cohort to:
Rooted in adult learning principles, our fellowship aims to attend to both the content and the learning process. We aspire to:
- Intentionally build a critical learning community
- Honor prior knowledge and experience as an asset
- Provide opportunities for choice and self-reflection
- Set clear purpose for learning experiences
- Ground issues in data/research
- Design for transference of learning
- Engage in difficult conversations
Fellowship Details:
- Launching this Fall
- Six weeknight sessions, opening dinner and celebratory dinner
- Location: GO Office
- Dinner and childcare provided
- Teachers will also earn a small stipend to honor their eight-week professional learning commitment.
How to nominate:
- Join GO in identifying the next cohort of teacher leaders who will inform education policy and system practices in Oakland. Nominate yourself or an outstanding teacher today!
- Applications for the Fellowship’s deadline is November 1, 2019.
- Teachers representative of our Oakland student community are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Schedule a phone call or meet with me to learn more by emailing: yanira@gopublicschools.org
About Your Facilitator
As the Director of Community Leadership with GO Public Schools Oakland, I believe that educational advocacy calls on our village of Oaklanders (families, educators, community leaders). While the voices closest to the work (students, families and educators) should lead the way, others must partner by “pushing in” to elevate their voices for systems-level change because our students can’t wait.
I’ve spent forty years as a student, teacher, a founder, and a school leader in Oakland. I live as a mother, advocate of justice, and community member that works to support others to do their best work in service of our city. Improving the quality of education takes many allies, and I am one of many in Oakland. I hope you join me in this unique professional learning community.
