League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Alameda County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Renato P Almanzor Answers Questions Candidate for School Director; Oakland Unified School District; Trustee Area 6

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Oakland and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. How do you plan to get parents and the community more informed and involved in educational policy and programs?

Although I have worked closely with education and community organizations involved in educational policy and programs for the last 15 years, in the last six years I have been providing leadership development to nonprofit executive directors who work with low-income communities and communities of color in the Bay Area. We relate as partners in transforming our region already, and as an OUSD Board member I would be extending the depth and breadth of our work. These organizations include parent groups, youth development organizations, community organizers, as well as education, economic development, and environment organizations.

2. What will you do to raise the incentives and motivation for students to study, stay in school, and choose a skilled trade or a college career?

I ascribe to the notion that the more significant 3 R's today are rigor, relevance and relationships. Briefly, this framework assumes that students are "agents" or "protagonists" in their lives and learning. As educators, delivering a quality educational experience requires creating the conditions that foster students curiosity and path toward achieving their promise and potential. So raising incentives and motivation for students is really about ensuring that we offer a curriculum that is rigorous (i.e., offers new knowledge and ways of thinking base on students' curiosities, wants and needs), relevant (i.e., they can understand within their life context, encouraging application or adaptation for their success and contribution to community), and relationship-centered (i.e, deep learning does not happen in isolation. The courage to learn something new and challenging requires an environment where learners believe that they can meet high expectations, will be supported and respected when mistakes/failures occur, and will be asked to offer support to others). In that environment, students choose pathways for college, career (e.g., skilled trade), AND community engagement.

3. What is educational equity? Using your definition, how will you address the most critical issues of inequity facing Oakland public schools, and how will you attempt to resolve this issue as a school board member?

I learned about the stance and practice of educational equity from working at the Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools (BayCES, not National Equity Project) and serving as Board President of the San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools. In an nutshell, educational equity for me is holding a critical consciousness, developing policies and practices, and utilizing tools toward equal and excellent results regardless of internal/external, social/cultural contexts; while acknowledging and transforming such contexts. As a board member, this means allocating resources intentional toward those kids and contexts who need it most, having high expectations for our kids, teachers, staff and community for succeeding and developing a powerful and loving community, interrupting current systems that are inequitable while creating systems that are effective and equitable, and creating alliances across our communities because we must do this together.

4. What can the School Board do to hire and retain high quality teachers and encourage diversity among staff?

there are already a number of efforts within OUSD to address this, and School Board members must be the champions of these efforts. This includes changing the narrative of the Oakland teacher to ensure that, in our city, we can honestly say they are well-compensated, respected, valued and honored. So as a school board member, our role is to ensure that our principles, policies and practices create those conditions for that narrative. In addition, we need to act like it in our negotiations, interactions and own practices. When I taught I knew what it felt like to be honored and supported, and I also knew what needed to happen so that believe occurred in a regular way. I will bring that experience in as well.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. References to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 8, 2014 14:02
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