Sankofa United Elementary School

5
19 reviews
Grades
K-5
Students
192
Type
Public

Community Reviews

Read what parents are saying about Sankofa United Elementary School
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.
Posted by a parent on 12/14/2023
My daughter is a new TK student this year. We have 3 kids at 3 different elementary schools, including Peralta and Chabot (not ideal), but from this experience I can say that so far Sankofa is our favorite. It has a real community feeling that we have not felt to the same degree at the other schools. It may be because the school is small or because it's new, there's a real excitement and energy that the parents are putting into the school. The principal is charismatic and engaged with the community as well. My guess is this is related to the "new school" feel as Sankofa United was formed from a school merger a few years ago and also the changing neighborhood demographics. Reflective of this change, the parents that show up to school groups on weekend activities and bike to school day are mostly from lower grades (TK-1) and are not representative of the 71% black student demographics (posted on Greatschools at the time of this writing). From speaking with other parents, it seems like the parents that send their kids to Sankofa in the lower grades are largely doing it because they believe in the school and value being part of a local community, over sending their kids somewhere further away that might have a higher score on Greatschools. I would not be surprised if the Greatschools academic rating starts to improve year to year in the test scores.The principal greets each kid as they enter every morning and my daughter knows the names of all her teachers, the after school staff, and they know her. The TK teacher, Ms. Jackson, is fantastic. I have no idea how she gets so many 4-5 year olds to listen to her and does it in such an incredibly loving way. My daughter says she plays all day, but I know from parent teacher conferences and newsletters that she's learning and I'm glad she sees it as play. I appreciate that the TK students are already getting small group instruction with (pre)"reading" activities. They have dance classes, art class with a dedicated art teacher beloved by students, and other enrichment activities.Overall, I'd recommend Sankofa.
Posted by a parent on 11/14/2022
I have two children at Sankofa United and the experience has been exceptional. The teachers are excellent and experienced, and everyone at the school is attentive and empathic to the children, making sure no child goes unseen or unsupported. There is a lot of emphasis on social-emotional learning and support, which is critical (especially for children who had less interaction with their peers in 2020-2021). The principal is focused on both ensuring a great current experience as well as implementing a long-term vision, which is very important for the stability of students' experiences. The after-school program has a variety of different programs/activities and runs till 6 pm. The community involvement at the school is high, with family activities planned throughout the year. Our children joined Sankofa through a merger after another school was shut down, so we came to Sankofa without researching options. After three years, we couldn't be happier that we ended up at this special community.
Posted by a parent on 11/11/2022
To tell you the truth, we were not expecting to be at Sankofa when we moved to the Bushrod neighborhood 5 years ago. We had been planning to attend Peralta, based purely on the 10/10 ranking. But when the time came to rank our choices, we heard from other families how special Sankofa was, so we thought we would at least check it out. We were surprised that after exploring both schools, meeting the leadership and other families, the choice became clear. If you value diversity, equity, and a supportive community dedicated to their children, Sankofa has it in spades. The Principal, Dennis Guikema, is truly a godsend - his remarkable leadership and vision for the school is one of the main reasons we changed our minds and ranked Sankofa as our top choice. But now that we're at the school, we see it is the entire community that makes it great. The school is committed to ensuring students master the fundamentals of math, reading, etc., but there's so much more. Because we are fortunate to have the resources and knowledge to ensure our children are on track academically, Sankofa's focus on emotional safety, diversity in all forms, and community building is what sets it apart for our family. And we feel good about having our son at a public school where he is making friends from economically diverse families, and where data shows that economically-secure kids still succeed academically, and that less privileged kids benefit from the added resources that come from more affluent families.The TK and Kinder teachers are awesome (we don't have experience with others yet). The after school program, including the science, dance, art, and soccer after-school enrichment activities are free for all families. During the school day, each day of the week the kids have art, dance, gardening, library, or PE. We're so grateful to all the hard-working teachers and staff, and the other committed parents, for our wonderful community!
Posted by a parent on 9/30/2022
I have a kindergartener at Sankofa United. We have been very pleased with the organization of the school and the efforts of the staff. My child feels safe, cared for, and has made great connections with students and teachers. We've also seen great progress in reading and math skills. It's a true community school with many families walking or biking in every morning. The after school program provides free child-care, activities, and homework help until 6pm. Students have weekly art, music, and garden classes. There have been some conflicts with other students but nothing unusual for kids and the staff handles these incidents well. Overall we're very happy with Sankofa United!
Posted by a parent on 3/16/2022
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Oakland schools - Sankofa United Elementary School is located at 581 61st Street, Oakland CA 94609. Sankofa United Elementary School is in the Oakland Unified School District. Sankofa United Elementary School is a Public school that serves grade levels K-5.

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