GO Public Schools is playing an absolutely critical role in Oakland public education. Through NewSchools Oakland City Fund, I feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with the talented GO team as we seek to ensure all Oakland students have access to a great education.
I am an Oakland native concerned about the challenges the school district has has in the last 20+ years meeting the needs of our kids. GOPS has been a breath of fresh air in the last four years by bringing a deep commitment to children's needs, a clear-eyed ability to focus on bottom line results rather than political factionalism, a capacity to have dialogue and collaboration with multiple groups (often at odds with each other), an intellectual understanding of trends and strategies across the country, and above all a passion for working hard and efficiently. This is one of the best charitable investments I make!
I worked with GO Public Schools for several years, and always found them to be extremely judicious with resources, thoughtful about how they engaged the Oakland community, and remarkably effective at achieving their goals.
GO is very good at articulating their vision for excellence in Oakland Public Schools. However, unlike many nonprofits, they are also great at executing their vision by having clear action steps for each goal, thoughtfully engaging stakeholders, and continuing to reflect on how they might improve their work.
Great Oakland Public Schools is one of the highest performing and highest impact non-profits working on education reform advocacy across the country. In my role at CEE-Trust (www.cee-trust.org) I have the honor of working with 30+ cities across the country and very few have grassroots and grasstops organizing this effective.