As superintendent of California's Oakland Unified School District, I come to work each day to improve the course of children's lives. I do this by staying singularly focused on strengthening our public education system so that it prepares every student to reach his or her full potential. I simply cannot do this work alone. Together with staff, families, the faith-based community, nonprofit organizations, local businesses and the city, we work to ensure a better future for our city’s youth and ultimately a better future for our city.
One partnership that has been tremendously successful to move this important, urgent work forward has been our relationship with Mayor Libby Schaaf. Many people see this relationship play out through our work with Oakland Promise, a cradle-to-career initiative aiming to triple the number of college graduates from Oakland within the next decade. What may not be as obvious is our alignment around a cradle-to-career approach to education that goes beyond the initiative. Our relationship enables the district to access resources and develop partnerships at the city level, but it also means that we can share information with students and families, bringing them closer to resources and services provided by the city. The work to effectively educate students goes beyond what students learn in the classroom.
Other benefits of alignment are evident through the collaborative efforts between the City Council and Oakland Board of Education. This is important because so much of maintaining healthy, vibrant neighborhoods or revitalization of neighborhoods boils down to the confidence Oakland residents have in their schools. Mayor Schaaf understands the impact of quality schools on our city. She understands our need to ensure schools are in a position to prepare all students for academic success and nurture their social emotional development. To this end, it has been exciting to partner with David Silver, the mayor’s director of education, who has helped bring opportunities to students more quickly. David is able to bridge key relationships, and add history and context, which are partly enabled by his experience as a long-time successful educator in Oakland. He is uniquely positioned to give me an outside perspective on how initiatives are progressing.
Partnering with the mayor's office accelerates our work. Having a mayor who cares enough about children to dedicate city resources and time is a tremendous statement about the importance of education to the city's ultimate success. Finally, I personally see Mayor Schaaf as a valuable thought partner. Everyone has an opinion about what's possible and what's not. So much of what you see and hear makes you want to do more and do it more quickly, and yet you know that urgency must be balanced with intentional strategy. Who better than the mayor to help provide perspective and thought on how best to improve the course of children’s lives throughout the city of Oakland?
Antwan Wilson is committed to working with the community to transform Oakland Unified School District into the premier urban school district. Under his leadership, the district has prioritized effective talent program development, school site support and quality community school improvement. An educator for more than 20 years, Antwan has served in various roles, leading successful work in school turnaround that has resulted in dramatic improvements in academic achievement, graduation and college acceptance rates.
