History   

1991: BARCES (Bay Area Regional Coalition of Essential Schools) opens in San Mateo. Gay Hoagland is Coordinator.

1994: Name changed to Bay Area Coalition of Essential Schools (BayCES). Van Schoales is Director at that time.

1995: BayCES acquires nonprofit status as independent organization. BayCES continues to be an active regional affiliate of the national Coalition of Essential Schools until today.

BayCES runs teacher inquiry projects throughout the Bay Area in the late 90's.

1998: Under the leadership of Executive Director Steve Jubb, BayCES changes its name to the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools to emphasize focus on race- and class-based gaps that result from historical biases.

1999: Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) hires a Director of Small Schools and asks BayCES to draft a small schools policy. Oakland voters approve $350 million dollar bond to build and improve schools. BayCES partners with Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) to support the small schools movement.

BayCES collaborates with the Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) on the Secondary School Literacy Project.

2000: Over 300 teachers, parents, and officials attend BayCES' "Small Schools for Equity's Sake" conference.

Dennis Chaconas named OUSD Superintendent, and agrees to make the Woodland site a "Superintendent's Pilot."

The New Small Autonomous Schools Policy is unanimously approved by the Oakland School Board.

BayCES launches the Small Schools Incubator to coach design teams of parents and teachers in writing new small school proposals.

BayCES receives $15.7 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to create at least 10 new small autonomous schools in Oakland.
BayCES partners with City of Emeryville and Emery Unified on its Math, Science, and Technology Initiative.

2001: BayCES, OUSD, and OCO sponsor second annual Small Schools Conference.
Successful design teams identified for new school openings in fall 2001.
BayCES launches LEAD (Leading for Equity, Achievement, and Democracy) program, Tier I credentialing program in collaboration with Cal State Hayward.

2002: BayCES, OUSD, and OCO hold third annual Small Schools Conference.
OUSD and BayCES begin discussions around a full district redesign.
BayCES holds first annual Leading for Equity Institute.

2003: OUSD Superintendent Dennis Chaconas resigns. Office of School Reform closes. Dues to fiscal crisis, CA Dept of Education takes over OUSD and appoints Randolph Ward as State Administrator.

Ward hires Katrina Scott-George as Special Assistant (formerly of BayCES and the Office of School Reform).

BayCES awarded augmentation grant from Gates Foundation of $9.5 million.
BayCES launches BayCES University, our first coach-training institute.

2004: BayCES hosts 4th annual Small Schools Conference.

BayCES Incubator passes to OUSD, where Hae-sin Kim launches New School Development Group.

OUSD launches central office redesign project "Expect Success" co-led by Katrina Scott-George (OUSD) and Steve Jubb (BayCES).

BayCES partners with Berkeley High School and the district to develop small schools within the high school to improve outcomes for African American and Latino students.

2005: BayCES leads year-long Inquiry for Equity Network for regional schools.
BayCES leads Coaching for Educational Equity Institute in collaboration with National School Reform Faculty.

2006: Superintendent Randy Ward resigns. The state appoints Dr. Kimberly Statham, formerly Chief Academic Officer, as new State Administrator. Expect Success and funds for new school incubation move into district central office.
BayCES continues to coach over 30 schools and district leaders in Oakland.

2007: BayCES Executive Director Steve Jubb retires after 11 years. LaShawn Routé Chatmon, former head of BayCES High School Redesign Initiative, appointed Executive Director.

External evaluations, including one by Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond, show accelerated achievement at Oakland's new small schools. Oakland is the most improved urban district in California.
BayCES launches annual Coaching for Educational Equity coach training institutes.

2008: BayCES hosts "On Our Watch: The Urban Small Schools Symposium" at Oakland's EXCEL high school campus. Over 300 participants from across the country attend.

BayCES launches IMPACT 2012, an instructional improvement through formative assessment initiative, with the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and multiple local funders.

2010: BayCES changes its name to the National Equity Project. We formally launch an effort to change the national conversation about achieving equity in our schools and communities.