Forum at Holy Names Will Discuss Impact of Possible School Closings
Oct 13, 2017
By Post Staff
School Board Director Shanthi Gonzales and members of the Holy Names University Education Department are co-hosting a forum on school closings Tuesday, Oct. 24, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Bay Vista Room at Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd. in Oakland.
The event is free and open to the public.
Panelists will share research on the impact of school closures, including research on whether or not school closures actually save money.
Panelists will also share experiences about previous closures in Oakland and discuss whether or not closures and reconfiguration can improve access to quality education.
The panel will be moderated by Dr. Kimberly Mayfield, chair of the Education Department at Holy Names.
Panelists will include parent Cintya Molina, a former principal and current OUSD network officer and professor Kitty Kelly Epstein.
The event will be organized to allow for the audience to ask questions and engage in discussion
Boardmember Gonzales said she hopes to learn a lot from the forum and discussion. Some of her questions are:
“If the board decides to close schools again, are there mistakes can we avoid repeating? And was there anything that worked, and OUSD was able to mitigate the impact on students?”
She continued:
“Closing a school is a traumatic experience for students and staff, and not a step that can be taken lightly.
“I am specifically interested in learning what the research says about whether school closures can be used to improve student achievement by moving students to other schools.”.
To RSVP for the event, go to www.eventbrite.com/e/dialogue-on-school-closings-tickets-38801909556