Protecting OUSD Literacy Initiatives with Impending Superintendent Transition
By Kareem Weaver
May 6, 2025
Outdated Term Applies to Oakland
While “ADD” may no longer be an acceptable term, Oakland Unified seems to have fully embraced it with versions that include “Advocacy-Driven Distraction” from the policies, materials, and practices needed to secure students’ right to read. The district’s lack of focus threatens to put literacy on the back burner, and neither the children nor the adults who support them can afford that.
Keep What’s Working
Last month, Oakland’s school board voted to prematurely end Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell’s contract. While her tenure was not without its challenges, the outgoing superintendent was a champion for literacy. Dr. Johnson-Trammell laid the critical groundwork for getting reading right for all kids. It would be a mistake to unravel or abandon the groundwork she laid for improving Oakland’s student reading outcomes:
A standards-aligned reading curriculum grounded in the science of reading.
A districtwide push for structured literacy approaches.
A commitment to prioritizing measurable outcomes, even when uncomfortable.
These were critical first steps, but Oakland has a habit of starting the work and losing interest before it’s finished.
The Cost of Distraction
We’ve seen it before: Community advocates becoming consumed by board theatrics or personal alliances, producing the conditions for mission drift and questionable choices.
Northeastern University's takeover of Mills College is a prime example, a cautionary tale. The once cherished institution is now a propagator for disproven literacy practices that undermine children’s right to read, a shift that took place while the public discourse was hijacked by weapons of mass distraction masquerading as activism.
While Oakland has made progress on the literacy front in recent years, undeniable blockages remain, hindering the breakthroughs our students and educators desperately need.
For example, the district adopted a reading curriculum (EL Education) without aligning it to the preparation time teachers need for full implementation. This concern, though raised on multiple occasions, was sidelined in favor of political expediency and loyalty. Oakland teachers are simply not given the planning time the curriculum requires for full implementation, leaving school sites to wrestle with which elements to prioritize. The resulting inconsistency has stagnated literacy outcomes.
A focus on student success requires a commitment to establishing and protecting the necessary conditions. This means either increasing prep time for teachers to plan for full and consistent implementation or adopting a different curriculum where planning for full implementation can occur within the existing framework. Anything less is deluded hope, insufficient symbolism, and a veritable mannequin in the shopping mall of justice.
A New Leader, A New Chance
The next superintendent has an obligation to stay focused and finish the work.
This means:
Elevating Literacy to Cabinet-Level
Oakland needs someone in charge of literacy who is positioned within the superintendent’s cabinet, not someone several rungs down the org chart. This work is too critical to be championed from the periphery.Committing to a Growth Culture
Teachers need aligned, research-based professional development opportunities, not platitudes, that require varying levels of bandwidth. They also need support and time to grow in non-punitive environments.Aligning Higher Education
The district must inform local teacher preparation programs that alignment with evidence-based literacy instruction is non-negotiable. If institutions refuse to adjust, their graduates will be moved to the back of the hiring line.Investing in Coaching
Systems need a cadre of trained, respected, non-evaluative literacy coaches (county, district, or state) who are embedded in schools to support daily growth and measurable improvement. Coaching works—we must invest in and scale it.Following the Playbook
Oakland leaders visited Seaford, Delaware, a district that moved from last in their state to being one of the highest-performing in literacy. Answers and examples exist. Will we choose to follow them?Cutting the Distractions
We need substance, not symbols and slogans. The new superintendent must model outcome-focused, child-centered leadership that is relentless in its pursuit of literacy for all.
A Call to Action
These shifts in the district can act as a distraction or an opportunity. It is easy to get sidetracked by the latest news, but it is imperative that school systems remain focused. Oakland must protect what is working, fix what is broken, and follow through on what children deserve.
To the school board: Select a leader who will prioritize literacy across the board—within strategy, staffing, and budget—and whose agenda keeps reading proficiency front and center. Ensure “Literacy Update” is a standing item on the board meeting agenda.
To the community: Do not let district leadership lose sight of what students need. Demand that leaders persevere with initiatives that are working. Reject the “attention deficit” regarding literacy. Don’t let politics, personalities, performance, or loyalty-based advocacy pull attention from what matters most: kids are struggling to read, and they need adults who are discerning and disciplined enough not to get distracted.
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