This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
United for Success Academy is a new public school that opened to replace a failing Oakland, CA middle school. The school whose students and facilities we inherited had not met AYP growth for 10 years and had 11 administrators in that time. I teach 6th grade Humanities and Reading and serve as an advisor.
Our site is badly in need of renovation which was promised by the district and subsequently fell through. We do not have sufficient funding to pay a full staff of teachers and are forced to hire new teachers each year in order to keep custodial staff and buy basic materials. Our students are 100% free lunch. Our school is located in the middle of Oakland's gang turf and the site is surrounded by violence of all kinds.
This year, we will explore human relations throughout history and do a comparative study of how civilizations in ancient times addressed issues of violence and difference. We will then apply what we've learned to an investigation into our society. The product will be a video documentary which illustrates how Oakland's neighborhoods illuminate difference as well as how they might use ancient wisdom to tackle issues of violence today.
The gift of a video camera will give my students the chance to use technology to make change. It will also empower them to write, not just for a test or a teacher-read essay, but for an audience which includes the entire community as their video projects will be shown at one of our 3 public expos which generally bring 4-500 members of the community to our school to celebrate student work. It is a chance to infuse learning with purpose, to empower children to see themselves as agents of change, and to touch an entire community.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Scheinfeld and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
