Credit: Graphic past the San Francisco Foundation

An anonymous donor seeking to improve Oakland is investing in education. Virtually a quarter of the donor's $34 meg gift fabricated this week to city organizations is targeted to school subject field reform, trauma care for students and early teaching teacher grooming and materials.

The donor reportedly cold-called the San Francisco Foundation before this yr to float the idea of the gift and to ask Fred Blackwell, chief executive of the philanthropic foundation, to assist disperse the funds. The focus of the grants is on "scaling proven solutions" to academic and economical obstacles faced past Oakland residents, according to a news release from the foundation, which donates grant money to nonprofits throughout the Bay Area.

The upshot is an $8 one thousand thousand souvenir to Oakland schools for what the foundation described as "a preK-12 system of support." The donor requested that the coin be put to piece of work this summer.

"We have a hazard to have a very direct, immediate and positive bear on on Oakland schools and families," said Troy Flint, spokesman for the Oakland Unified Schoolhouse District.

"We have a take chances to take a very directly, immediate and positive touch on Oakland schools and families starting this school year and standing for quite some time," said Troy Flint, spokesman for the Oakland Unified Schoolhouse Commune.

The Oakland Public Pedagogy Fund, the district'south fundraising and grant management arm, received $6 million to fund early childhood education teacher training, restorative justice programs, the expansion of the African American Student Achievement programme, and community school coordinators.

The California School-Based Wellness Alliance, a statewide organization, received $2 million to support trauma-informed care in 15 schoolhouse-based health centers in Oakland, including centers at Oakland Technical High School, Elmhurst/Alliance Center Schoolhouse and Castlemont High Schoolhouse.

The piece of work will include schoolwide screenings, support groups and support for teachers to help students cope with the effects of severe trauma, according to the Alliance.

According to the San Francisco Foundation and Oakland Unified, the funding means that:

  • 15 middle and high schools will gain new clinic staff and programs dedicated to addressing the impact of trauma;
  • Eight schools volition launch restorative justice programs to reduce suspensions and expulsions;
  • 14 schools will take a full-service community schools coordinator;
  • an African American Female Accomplishment program volition exist created to complement the existing African American Male person Accomplishment program, which works to ameliorate academic operation and graduation rates of African American boys, and
  • All early on childhood classrooms will receive teacher training, new curriculum and literacy materials

Oakland schools too will benefit indirectly from the donor'south new grants to nonprofit organizations that serve youth, Flint said. Those grants include $1.3 million to the Destiny Arts Center, $1 million to the East Oakland Youth Evolution Center and $two.v meg to Youth Uprising, a community center for health services, arts programs and pedagogy support.

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