What we stand for

What we stand for

GO is working to bring people together to realize the most effective solutions to ensure educational excellence and equity for Oakland students.

More than 50,000 Oakland students and their families are counting on us as a community to help our children achieve their dreams and be prepared for the future. And there are many excellent schools in Oakland. Yet equal, excellent educational opportunities are not yet a reality for all of our students.

Our network is driven by the urgent needs of children and families for an excellent education — especially those most at risk of missing out.

Yet equal, excellent educational opportunities are not yet a reality for all of our students.

We believe every child in Oakland deserves access to a high quality education – whether it’s district schools or charter public schools.

As it stands, the charter versus district frame has pitted people – who should be allied in the fight for public schools – against each other. The reality is we need to hold all schools in our system accountable, district or charter, neither of which can claim to be serving children well enough today, to high standards, and ensure that all of our students are served equitably.

We must come together to fight for adequate funding of all public schools in California, updating our outdated school models that are not preparing students for today’s society, and other issues of teaching and learning that really impact kids and families.

We advocate for change through are two compaigns:

A high-quality school for every student

More $ for schools

Common ground instead of battleground for students

Smarter spending

Address equity issues harming both district-run and charter public schools

Transparency

A high-quality school for every student

Common ground instead of battleground for students

Address equity issues harming both district-run and charter public schools

More $ for schools

Smarter spending

Transparency

How we work

GO informs, organizes, and supports leaders at every level of our education system — grassroots (students, parents, educators) to grasstops (elected leaders, education leaders, community leaders). We help leaders to understand, develop, and advocate for system-level changes (policy, practice and culture shifts) that promote excellence and equity for students and families. Changes such as new resources to prepare students for college, new pathways to college and career success, and increased supports for effective teaching create the conditions for improved student opportunity, learning, and achievement, cradle to career.

Our Values

We are driven by the urgent needs of Oakland children and families who are being left behind.

Anti Racism

We work strategically to disrupt oppressive systems and actualize systemic change. We actively seek to distribute power and support systems as they build toward more just outcomes for students.

Community

We believe in the knowledge, effort, and leadership of our community. We look for and value those with diverse perspectives who can push us in our work and partner with them to get things done and solve problems.

Impact

We pursue robust, meaningful, and measurable outcomes. We face facts honestly and openly while staying disciplined, but nimble in our approach to achieving results.

Courage

We approach big problems with the assumption that we can do something about them. We are persistent in the face of challenge and learn from both our successes and mistakes to advance equity.

We believe in the knowledge, effort, and leadership of our community. Together, we are teammates and partners in advocating for our children. Together, we can make a change.

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