by Lance T. Izumi, Fellow in California Studies
Pacific Research Institute
June 27, 2000

For years, the Oakland Unified School District has been an embarrassment. From rock-bottom test scores to highly critical state audits, the district has lurched from one crisis to another. Yet, when Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown proposed partnering with the California National Guard to create the high-academic Oakland Military Institute charter school, the Oakland school board sounded retreat. It recently voted down Brown's promising idea, ensuring that Oakland students will have no choice but to attend the district's mostly failing regular public schools.

Such cowardice is appalling in view of the fact that relatively few Oakland high school graduates, especially minority graduates, are prepared for higher education. Of Oakland's approximately 1,600 high school graduates, only 29 African-American males met the coursework eligibility requirements for the UC or the CSU. Even worse, only 8 male Latino graduates met those requirements.

The Oakland Military Institute would have helped reverse those dismal figures. The school would have focused on preparing students for higher education through a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum. That curriculum would have been tied to the state's tough new academic standards and would have offered the coursework required by the UC and CSU for admissions eligibility.

Although critics charged that the Military Institute would hurt minority students, the school's charter contains a strong anti-discrimination clause and an aggressive outreach program. Further, the charter notes that at-risk students would benefit greatly since many have little structure in their lives and often flourish in a disciplined learning environment. All the school's students would be members of the National Guard's California Cadet Corps and would not only learn solid academics, but also important life skills such as teamwork and community service.

Given all its positives, it's no surprise that the proposed charter school had the support of officials ranging from Vice President Gore to Gov. Davis. Mayor Brown may appeal to the Alameda County Board of Education. Hopefully, county board members will make their decision based on the best interests of Oakland's children rather than on anti-military prejudice.

With a perspective, I'm Lance Izumi.