By Magaly Muñoz

The Oakland-based student program, Energy Convertors, released their yearly report on learning proficiency and classroom management for the 2023-2024 school year. Fellows in the program found that students in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) believed they were proficient in English and math curriculum, when in fact they were not.

Energy Converters fellows surveyed 353 OUSD high school students (1% of all OUSD students) asking questions based on how they felt they were doing in their classes, how teachers were conveying proficiency goals to them, and whether teachers were keeping a conducive classroom environment.

The report, titled “Demanding Proficiency over Pageantry”, found that 3 out of 4 students surveyed believed that they were reading on grade-level and 3 out of 5 students believed they were meeting the grade-level standard in math.

Nearly 75% of those surveyed also said that a teacher has not discussed whether they were reading or understanding math proficiently.

A study conducted by Families in Action (FIA) Oakland showed that in the 2021-22 school year only 36% of students were at grade-level reading proficiency and 26% were proficient in math.

The FIA study also showed that Black and Latino students had the lowest proficiencies in these areas at 12% and 15% respectively.

MarQuis Evans, program manager of Energy Converters, told the Post that their annual reports are based on the experiences and topics that their fellows are encountering at their schools. The students are asked to share how they feel about a particular situation, in this case how well they are doing in the classroom, and then tasked with researching the effects of those subjects in relation to Oakland students.

“A lot of students were voicing that they passed a class but they don’t necessarily know if they understand [the subject],” Evans said.

A goal of Energy Convertors is making sure the kids know that they have to be their biggest advocates in school. Teachers deal with many students over the course of their day so knowing how to ask the right questions about their educational needs is imperative.

Charles Cole, founder of Energy Convertors, said he’s pushing this responsibility onto students and their parents because they are ultimately the ones who have to deal with the consequences if they’re not staying on top of their work.

“No one is coming to save you,” Cole said.

Another finding in the report was that many students, 80% who took the survey, said they were not aware that they were chronically absent. To be considered chronically absent, a student has to miss 10% of the total school days in the year, which could mean anytime over 18 missing days.

Vulnerable groups in California such as students with disabilities, English-learners, and students of color all have high absentee rates ranging from 25% to 37%, according to the CA School Dashboard.

The report recommends that schools should use incentives, like rewards, to push kids into attending their classes. It also states that students should be communicating why they are missing from their classes and what support they might need in order to attend more frequently.

Michelle Coleman, former OUSD administrator and current principal in West Contra Costa, said it’s important for students to be able to express their concerns about their education.

Coleman explained that in her experience it helped to keep all stakeholders informed about what was going on. For example, the school would notify parents after a certain amount of absences and would offer support in cases where resources might help get the student to attend school more often.

She shared that she wished students understood that as much as they are having struggles, teachers are also trying their best to keep kids in line and help them achieve grade-level goals, but it’s hard for them to care more about their education than the student actually cares for.

“I have high expectations, but it’s because I believe in you, and I know you can do it, and I will help you get there, but I need you to help yourself first,” Coleman said.

Coleman stressed that the most important aspect in all this is that the students feel like they are succeeding and the people around them are rooting for them to do so. Educators are setting these kids up to be functioning members of society and to give back to the community the same way they were given opportunities and chances because it ultimately takes a village to raise these students.

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