5800 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Oakland, CA 94609

The teachers are very encouraging and love to make games out of what would otherwise be boring.

My son graduated from Oakland Tech in 2021. They prepared him for college and is doing well. He was part of the Race, Policy, and Law academy and had excellent teachers. My son had an IEP and his services were excellent. I'm disappointed in the review by the parent complaining about "labor strife." Very consistent with my experience with many of the families there. Truthfully, they were very rude and entitled. We support the teachers 100%.

I am a frustrated parent that has been trying to volunteer inside the school for almost a year.OUSD has pretty strict volunteering standards, which I have met, but it is now December and there has been no word on when I can participate in my child's education despite several emails and phone calls with the coordinator. In talking with other parents it seems like there is a 'stone wall' in effect for allowing volunteers on campus, with regular reports of student violence in all age groups with little/no adult intervention. I, and many others, feel like this is an attempt to control the optics of the school and prevent further scrutiny of what happens behind closed doors.504s are not enforced or honored, and trying to get mandated state assessments for students that need them are near impossible to obtain, even with plans from previous schools. Every attempt thus far to enact/uphold our current 504 plan has been met with resistance/dismissal, which is causing severe distress to my child. I cannot speak to the IEP process.There is little communication between families and the school. I have been told by several instructors that they are expressly forbidden from contacting parents directly without school permission, and this is also in effect for any volunteering, which must be approved through the front office. Even with OUSD clearance volunteers can't just help; we're expected to commit to a schedule that never finalizes.The PTA meetings are largely focused on budget and any attempts to discuss SEL, volunteering issues, and parental concerns are often dismissed due to 'lack of time'. I don't feel like the teachers have the support they need, and parents are often kept in the dark about what's happening at school until there's an issue that can't simply be kept behind closed doors.Sankofa has a lot of amazing programs; my child loves all of the extracurriculars and their primary teacher. I think the new principal, Dr. Arnold, has a great vision for the school, but I feel like there are a number of 'old guard' staff that wish to continue handling things the way they always have, which is no longer working for us. Unfortunately, we are going to start looking for another school with better communication and support. In talking with other families there is a common theme of intense frustration and deep concern shared across the board that seems to have no solution. When there is no communication, the community falls apart. I hope things improve.