From Victims to Victors: Student Collaboration as the Key in Oakland’s A-G Completion Challenge
By: Rebekah Zena, EC Oakland Cohort 5 Fellow
An essential aspect of education that needs more attention would be helping to encourage students to pursue subjects that challenge their thinking, primarily in order to meet the a-g requirements. According to OUSD’s official website, 44% of high school students did not reach A-G requirements during the 2021–22 school year. This is a big concern because this means that fewer Oakland students are attending colleges like CSUs/UCs. It’s very important to encourage students, not just when they are seniors but from the moment they enter high school, just how important it is that they excel in their classes.
This is a massive problem because it means that many people are unaware of just how important their grades are when it comes to attending CSUs/UCs. A big reason why this is happening is because of a lack of knowledge in the area. I, myself, wasn’t aware of just how important A-G requirements were until my senior year. I believe that informing people as soon as they start high school and continuing to remind them will help with not only increasing the percentage of people meeting A-G requirements but also allowing students the chance to apply to CSUs/UCs. Though this primarily affects all high school students, people who are specifically affected are African American students. Within the OUSD district, they found that Black students were a lot more likely not to meet A-G requirements and even graduate. From 2016 to 2021, the rate of African American students not reaching A-G requirements has been between 60–70%, and over half of these students are unable to receive the chance to apply to CSUs/UCs.
This hits home for me because I have grown up in Oakland all my life, and it is very sad to think that my city and its school district are unable to educate people on this important issue. I also think, as a Black student, it makes me worry that had I not known, would I have been part of the percentage of 60% Black students who didn’t reach A-G requirements?
A solution to this problem would be to not only inform the students but also help them achieve A-G requirements. This would mean for students to form study groups where they would come together and educate each other of these requirements, while also assisting with work. I think that not only does this bring students together and establish a community, but it benefits everyone regardless of whether they need the help or not.
Sources:
https://oaklandside.org/2022/04/28/graduation-rates-black-student-achievement-oakland-strike/
