Re: Choosing a high school for gay son
I don't know how arts-oriented your son is, but have two daughters at Oakland School for the Arts, and we have found that there are many openly gay kids at this school. These kids (mostly boys that we know of) seem very well liked, and well accepted. In fact, the school does a great job in making kids from various backgrounds, interests, and family structures feel included and part of the school community.

OSA is moving into the newly-refurbished Fox Theatre next year, and has a great college-prep curriculum. Students can choose acting, music (instrumental or vocal), dance, visual arts or theater tech as their area of emphasis. There is an audition required for admission. OSA parent

Are there any BPN parents whose child is at the middle school at Oakland School for the Arts? The latest posting on the website if for 2005 and I am interested in getting more updated information about the quality of the academic program, the quality of the instrumental arts program and the teacher retention rate. Thanks for your help! Anon

OSA is scheduled to move into the historic Fox Theater in the Fall and the school has a new director, Donn Harris, formerly the director of the thriving San Francisco School for the Arts. Mr. Harris brings tremendous experience and vision to OSA, with the intention that Oakland have a strong arts school in a program-driven facility designed specifically with the arts and the needs of the students in mind. -- OSA parent

Are there any other OSA parents out there who are as worried/dismayed/disgusted with the way things are going as I am? My daughter is a new 10th grader with a Vocal Music emphasis. She has been placed in the wrong classes, had her favorite teacher quit the second week of school, has no regular science teacher, did not get into the Choir we were promised she would be in, the list goes on. As far as I can tell, many of the teachers this year are new to the school, new to teaching, and don't have credentials. They seem to be struggling to manage their classes and teach the material. Why can't the school find and keep good experienced teachers? Neither my daughter nor I are willing to sacrifice her academic education for the sake of her ''art'' -- she needs to be prepared for college. The Directo! r of Admissions who was our main contact before is also gone. Many of the students my daughter met last year did not come back this year, and quite a few who started the year are leaving. I'm beginning to thing this was a big mistake. I would love to hear from anyone else who has or had a kid at OSA. Should I be looking for another school? Melinda

My daughter was in the first year and my husband and I worked veryhard for almost two years to help the school be what it promised to be. There were wonderful teachers, most left, there was a fabulous dean, he was fired, there were amazing students who my daughter still stays in contact with, and there were dedicated parents. The issues in my opinion, (that I didn't want to see for the first year or so) is that the Director and Assistant Director do not know how to run a school, and do not treat teens, parents, and staff with respect and dignity. There were many times that we attempted to work with the Administration to find solutions to the problems that any new school faces, but they were not open to ideas and they had so little experience with students this age. It takes an edu! cator to run a school, not an actor/director ... an educator with experience in high school issues and an educator who respects the entire community and expects problems to exist -- problems that are normal for teenagers. Many teachers I have spoken with put their time and energy to make OSA a good school, but they did not get the support they needed. The school has great potential, and the students are wonderful.....but in my opinion it needs a new administration. I also found the board to be difficult to work with when we had a problem -- they seemed too dedicated to the administration to really hear the issues and respond. They seemed to have little interest in communicating with parents.

My daughter is in her senior year at BHS (she entered as a Junior) and she is having a very creative and dynamic experience. She has been in plays, dance production, made a film, and will direct a play this year. Her academic work is more challenging, and the CAS program offers her some of what she liked about OSA and more. (Small school, diverse students, interested teachers, creative thinking).

At one point parents at OSA began to meet, to see if we could do anything about changing the direction of the administration... I am sorry that I didn't continue along that path. I admit now that I was fooled by some of the promises of the administration, and I regret not working more with other parents who were also disappointed and frustrated. From what I can tell, most of the outspoken parents (who were not happy with thier child's education and school policies) are no longer there. It was too frustrating for them and their students. Also, my daughter was not being challenged academically and had a lot of ''wasted time'' during the all too long school day. When this was brought up with the Ad. I was told that the school couldn't do everything and that they couldn't live up to the promise of a strong academic program at this time. (this was over a year ago...so I don't know if things changed). My daughter had to go to summerschool to catch up with her science classes. She loved singing at OSA... but we see now that she should have left after her first year. Her favorite teacher left early in the 2nd year after he had serious differences with the Ad. related to his art. There was also unfair treatment of students when discipline problems happened -- some were treated very badly (and punished very harshly) ... and others had their problems kept secret....with fewer consequences. So much had to do with the likes and dislikes of the administration, and once you spoke out about problems, you were more likely to not be responded to in the future.

For some students, OSA is a much better alternative than their local High School -- especially if they have talent in the arts -- and so it can work for some, but not for everyone. Some of the students I know from class #1 have stayed because they didn't have a better public alternative, and they could not afford private school. The issues are very complex, with underlying conflicts based on race, class, discipline, communication and expectations.

I wish the best to you and your child. Rona

I have a 7th grader at EBWaldorf who's interested in OSA. I looked in the BPN archive, but the info was pre-2004. Does anyone have any current experience of the school? How are they doing? What's the student culture like? i.e., is it fiercely competitive? Thanks for any info you have! Laura

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My daughter was accepted into the literary arts program at OSA for the Fall. Can anyone comment on the integrated curriculum, quality of teachers, long days, pros and cons of the school. Thanks

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I recently joined this newsletter so I missed most if not all the discussion about the Oakland School for the Arts. I would like to remind those interested that the application deadline is February 18. The website www.oakarts.org has more information. My daughter did not know anyone at OSA and now has wonderful friends. We have been extremely impressed by the high caliber of teachers-- they all seem to have been educated at topnotch universities and are more than qualified--they all love to teach! There have been a few starting pains in the first year but they have worked out. Mr. Berry, the director, and his staff are all very accessible, hard-working, friendly and eager to solve problems. The hours are indeed long but the kids seem to have adjusted and they have learned so much. We have been very pleased by the quality of the education and it is just getting better and better. We are looking forward to the remaining enriching experience this year and next year. I highly recommend OSA to any family with a child who has artistic ability as well as an interest in a high quality academic education. Erica

I would love to hear from a family with a student that is currently enrolled at Oakland School for the Arts. I've been very impressed with what I've seen (I currently have a 7th grader so will be looking next year) but would love to hear from somebody who is experiencing it.

Some questions:
* how are the academics?
* how does your child deal with the long day?
* lack of PE/physical activity/sports?
* physical building?
* anything else!
Intrigued Parent

* how are the academics? There have been a lot of problems with the development of the curriculum. Remedial? College-bound? Using arts to sweeten a conventional curriculum? Training students for professions in the arts? Teacher-generated? Director- mandated? These basic issues have not been decided.

* how does your child deal with the long day? In principle everyone is required to stay till 6 and later (11 pm?) for field trips. But some kids with longtime after- school activities have been excused from this, so there is tension around this issue. Very inconsistent. The long schedule may be hard for families that spend a lot of time together or whose children relax in the afternoons.

* lack of PE/physical activity/sports? In principle everyone is moving around in dance class. But no sports, recreation or fresh air breaks are, of course, difficult (unhealthy?)at this age, physically and socially.

* physical building? Most classrooms are underground, so there is no fresh air or natural light. There is no exterior area.

* anything else! The school lost three experienced teachers and its managing director in less than three months so all cannot be well. The relationship between the school and the other tenants of the Alice Arts Center is a hostile one. The school's administration has no effective oversight and some highly idiosyncratic policies go unsupervised. The school was the Mayor's project but he is understandably preoccupied. Perhaps someone else can speak in its support. Good Luck.

Mondays and Fridays are the art intensive days for all students. That means on those two days, students in theatre work exclusively in theater etc.

Tuesdays, Wed., and Thursdays are academic days. The core curriculum for all high school students is what is covered on these days.

Contrary to popular belief, all the students are involved in some form of physical activity even if that isn't their core art study. I'm pretty sure that this is coordinated by the dance department. You could call the school to make sure.

I can't speak for all of the academic studies at OSA, but I can tell you that what I have observed in the English studies is very impressive. The English instructor I observed is passionate about his work.

The key concept the school is trying to get across to the students and parents is intergrated studies. In other words, what is studied in history class is also intergrated in theatre studies, dance studies, visual arts etc.

I'm a graduate of one of the oldest and most sucessful Magnet Art Schools in the United States. The High School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston Texas which is celebrating it's 30th birthday.

It was the beginning of a whole new world for me and a whole new life for me. I had a place I finally belonged to and kids I could relate to.

I started out in poetry and fiction writing. Then I discovered photography and was determined to understand it. I graduated in a class of 106 students. My mother always reminds me I won an award for ''Most Improved Photograpy Student'' when I graduated. This experience lit a passion in photography I didn't even know I had. I went to the best Art School in the United States and got my Bachelor of Fine Arts. None of this would have been possible if I hadn't applied to my magent arts school.

If your child is interested in applying, I suggest you help them out with the process. It was the best thing my parents did for me. beth

As an instructor, I've found the Monday/Friday Core Academics, T/W/Th Art Intensive setup the school has to be very difficult for students and teachers alike. The intensity of ''all curriculum/all arts all the time'' for about 8 and half hours (including a lunch break and afternoon break) to be an opressive environment.

Also you should know that the majority of the staff at OSA do not have their teaching credentials as of yet. I used to pay lipservice to the whole notion of having to get your credentials in order to teach. Emphasis on the words used to, until this year when I started working in a school with seasoned teachers who had their credentials and experience under their belts. From what I can tell, the school doesn't have a plan of action to convert their emergency credentialed to credentialed teachers. This not only impacts the level of education the current students are receiving but it also impacts the school's ability to receive state and federal funding in 2003.

Also, the school only has instructors for the 9th grade. Currently there are no instructors for 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. What happens to the current crop of students after they graduate into the 10th grade? This is only one person's opinion, but to me, the school feels very much like a work in progress. I'd encourage parents with creative children to pursue after school classes through more established performing and visual arts organizations until OSA gets it's bearings.

I have a question about a high school for the arts. I know that there is a SOTA in SF, but they are reducing their out of district population to 10% (of 400 kids). I've heard that one may be starting in the east bay; does anyone know anything about this? Any other ideas for a kid who wants good academics but with an arts/theater focus? Thanks--Joanna