Real School Reform

I have taught high school social studies in Oakland, California, since 1990. I usually start a year of U.S. History by asking students, “What kind of world do you want to live in and what can you do to help create it?” Since I want my students to see themselves as people who can participate in historical change, rather than be its passive subjects, how can I do less when it comes to the dismal conditions under which we attempt to teach and learn?

For most of my teaching career, I’ve written about and worked for progressive change in public schools, primarily in the context of union activity. While I have often been among a dissident left faction of activists within the Oakland Education Association, I am proud of what OEA has stood for over the past fifteen years or so. In 1995-6 we struck for 26 days for fair pay and, most notably, significant class size reduction. Though we didn’t win small class size then, our strike helped the California Teachers Association win class size reduction to 20 in K-3 statewide the following year.

In our current contract negotiations OEA has proposed class sizes of 20, and 15 in “low-performing” schools, among other far-reaching demands. Our proposals are based on our Vision for Education that “calls for creating the best conditions for teaching and learning for all students.” Recognizing that cutting class size to 15 and other improvements would increase the cost of public schools several times over, the OEA Vision calls for redistributing the ample wealth of Oakland’s largest corporations and its port (handling $33 billion of goods annually) for public education and other vital services. Many think that it’s crazy to fight for major, costly forward progress in the depths of a massive economic crisis and will consider it a victory if we stave off the cuts our district is proposing. But our stance is based on the belief that it’s well past time to demand what students really need to succeed and to fight for it. We will win as much as can be won with the forces we can organize. If large numbers of our teachers and community members don’t get actively involved, we will have to compromise or worse, but why not start by demanding what our schools really need to be successful?

If there ever was a time when the public could clearly see trillions of dollars sloshing around while politicians and other “leaders” show us their empty pockets, it is now. Many people are asking: Why are there trillions for banks, but nothing for public services, nothing for universal health care, nothing for our public schools? If we can’t at least try to convince large numbers of people to hit the streets and the picket lines to fight for these resources now, when will we?

Craig Gordon – July 2009

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