School tours are optional and are open to a limited number of participants. School tours require a separate $50 fee in addition to any conference registration.

7:30am Registration and breakfast at BayCES, Downtown Oakland
8:00-8:30 Welcome and introductions
8:30-9:00 Travel to school campus
9:00-10:30 Visit School #1
10:45-12:15pm Visit School #2
12:15-1:00 Lunch and Debrief
1:00-1:30 Travel back to BayCES Downtown Oakland

6:00pm Opening reception featuring Dr. Pedro Noguera, Preservation Park, Downtown Oakland

School Tours will take place at one of the following campuses in Oakland and San Francisco. Please select one option according to your own interests and professional development needs.

Oakland High Schools

Oakland Elementary Schools

San Francisco High Schools

Oakland High Schools

Option 1: Castlemont Campus

Business and Information Technology (CBITS) - The Castlemont Business and Information Technology School (CBITS) prepares students for success in 4-year universities and the high-technology workplace. The small school provides a safe environment where students and families from all backgrounds are welcomed. Students learn to be collaborative problem-solvers, and develop character and citizenship. CBITS is the only Oakland school participating in the nationally recognized New Technology Network of schools, and has more computers per student than any other school in the district. Curriculum focuses on learning through real-world projects. Students learn to use technology tools to present project work. CBITS emphasizes strong community values and supportive relationships. Students are assigned to an advisor who monitors and supports their progress. All
students can participate in our Advanced Placement classes, and can participate in Castlemont athletic teams. Free tutoring, mentoring, after-school clubs and activities, student leadership development, and physical and mental health services are provided for students.

East Oakland School of the Arts (EOSA) - EOSA's vision is to meet the needs of talented students who are considering careers in the arts by providing intensive arts instruction of the highest quality and a strong academic curriculum; to prepare students for post-secondary education and/or professional careers. East Oakland School of the Arts is a school where strong, sequential academic curriculum ensures that each graduate is prepared for whatever creative opportunities the future may hold. EOSA was founded with the idea that arts and academics are equally important to a student's development. EOSA is committed to providing a rigorous academic and arts education for students who are eager to think creatively and independently, to question, and to take risks within a college preparatory program. EOSA is a small school that demonstrates a commitment to arts and academics-in a way in which the two support and complement each other. EOSA is a place where teachers are dedicated to student development.

Leadership Prep - The mission of Leadership Preparatory High School provides students with an environment of academic excellence in a safe and nurturing community. Students are given the opportunity to grow, take responsibility for their education, and have access to a rigorous core curriculum that includes challenging subject matter, critical thinking, and problem solving strategies. The staff, students, parents and community are given a voice in a collaborative decision-making process for the development and improvement efforts of the school. A rigorous college-preparatory curriculum designed to provide foundations and comprehensive interdisciplinary studies is offered to all students. Leadership Prep believes that "Leadership is not just for people at the top. Everyone can learn to lead by discovering the power that lies within each one of us to make a difference when the call to lead comes."

Option 2: McClymonds Complex

Business & Entrepreneurship School of Technology (BEST) - The Business Entrepreneurship School of Technology (BEST) on the McClymonds campus is a school that believes that students who attend will learn and thrive in an atmosphere that encourages and nurtures honesty, responsibility, respect, and creativity. Fundamental to its philosophy of education are the cultivation of life-long learners who are strong communicators, critical thinkers, and active participants in their education and the affairs of the world around them. All students read, write, and express themselves using all intelligences and modalities in project based and real world learning activities. BEST gives students the hands-on experiences that promote and enhance critical thinking, and real life connections.

Experience, Excellence, Community Empowerment & Leadership (EXCEL) - The EXCEL (Experience, Excellence, Community, Empowerment, and Leadership) High School embraces the rich cultural and historical experiences of West Oakland and builds a network of graduates who contribute to this community through service and activism. EXCEL provides an environment that values and honors all individuals, our collective histories, and our shared and diverse cultures within a positive school climate marked by high expectations, academic rigor, and a relevant curriculum. Students will be empowered to problem solve and effectively communicate who they are through various forms of expression. EXCEL houses two academies that address students' potential career interests. The Stories, Media, and Arts (SMART) Academy engages students in professional video production, media literacy, and narrative work. The Law and Government Academy is designed to expose students to a wide range of legal careers, public service, and career fields that require an understanding of law and government process.


Oakland Elementary Schools

Option 3: Cesar Chavez Educational Complex - Think College Now Elementary/International Community School Elementary

Think College Now (TCN) - The school's vision is to ensure that all students will have the tools to choose their life's path and desired occupation with an equitable opportunity to attend college and pursue their dreams. Think College Now values, involves and educates students' families and strives to create a diverse, safe, trusting environment. TCN was recognized as 2007 Honor Roll school by the California Business for Education Excellence Foundation and Just for the Kids-California.

International Community School (ICS) - International Community School (ICS) one of an increasing number of elementary schools in Oakland. We serve Kindergarten through 5th grade in the Fruitvale District. ICS provides a primary language (Spanish) educational program, including English Language Development to 120 students. We also provide Structured English Immersion Instruction with English Language Development, to an additional 120 students. Our school addresses the social inequities in the current educational landscape and seeks to create a school where our students' potential will be achieved through a rigorous academic program. In order to achieve this goal we are committed to maintaining small class size of twenty across each grade, k-5. We seek to create a learning environment, which provides opportunities for creativity, change, and growth. We believe that high-level learning can occur only when there is an embracing community in which relationships are strong and personalized. At ICS every child and every family is known and has a voice that is heard; every child's talents are nurtured and celebrated; the community has ownership of the school; and parents' knowledge and love of their children are recognized as integral to our success.

Option 4: ACORN Woodland/Encompass Academy

ACORN Woodland - At ACORN, we see our young scholars as acorns planted in their families and communities. We offer integrated academics, character values and leadership skills, dedication, high expectations and excellent teaching. Families are partners in realizing our vision through active participation in the leadership, governance and day-to-day operation of the school.

Encompass Academy - The vision of an educated child at Encompass Academy is one who achieves excellence in developing an active, reflective, and disciplined mind; a healthy body; a centered spirit; and just, caring, and courageous self-conduct. Students thrive through multicultural balanced literacy, hands-on learning, a caring school culture, family/school partnerships, music and movement, and "looping" with teachers for 2 years.


Option 5: San Francisco High Schools: June Jordan/Leadership High

June Jordan School for Equity - The mission of the June Jordan School for Equity is to help a diverse group of students achieve the highest academic standards so that they can give voice to their dreams and grow into healthy, productive adults. JJSE lives out this mission by guiding young people to discover and explore their passions, to grow into independent, reflective thinkers, and to build connected, socially just communities, both inside and outside the school. The school includes a "junior institute" which allows students to build study skills and maintain the same teachers for ninth and tenth grade, and a "senior institute" for eleventh and twelfth grade students to access a rigorous, seminar-based college-preparatory curriculum. As part of June Jordan School for Equity's commitment to community action, students engage in community-based internships in targeted neighborhoods in South-East San Francisco.

Leadership High School - Leadership High School is a small, public charter school that has been serving the diverse students of San Francisco since 1997. Recognized throughout the country as a model, Leadership provides a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum and extensive leadership development in a small school setting. At Leadership, high expectations are coupled with a supportive and personalized environment so that students are known well and are individually supported to meet the challenges of high school. Leadership students develop the skills needed to be successful in college, to lead their own lives, and to lead change in our community.

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