SITE VISITS

OVERVIEW

Experience the power of dual-language immersion at Yu Ming Charter School, California’s first public Mandarin immersion charter. Founded in 2011, Yu Ming now serves over 1,000 TK–8 students from 25+ cities, empowering a diverse community to become bilingual, biliterate, and globally minded changemakers.
A 2019 National Blue Ribbon School and multi-year California Distinguished School, Yu Ming consistently outperforms state averages in English and math, with students achieving across race, language, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Only 20% of incoming students speak Mandarin at home—yet all graduate with AP-level proficiency.
Through classroom visits and conversations with educators, you’ll learn how Yu Ming’s whole-child approach blends rigorous academics, language immersion, and social-emotional learning to prepare students as collaborative, self-directed global citizens.

OVERVIEW

Too often, culturally and linguistically responsive texts are treated as “enrichment” — wonderful for a read-aloud, but not the core engine of literacy instruction. Yet research shows that relevance, representation, and cultural connection are essential for how children learn to read, write, and think.

This “Made in Oakland” session spotlights local leaders who are making responsive literacy real in early learning:

• Angela Dalton, Oakland author of Juneteenth: Our Day of Freedom, on the power of authentic stories for early readers.

• Vicky Chen, Children’s Fairyland, on puppet-making and storytelling partnerships with OUSD that center creativity and culture.

• Maya Gutierrez, Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, on curating culturally responsive books and family learning experiences from birth to five.

Together, they’ll share how belonging, joy, and identity form the foundation for rigorous, engaging literacy. Join us for an interactive, engaging conversation! The panel discussion will be followed by a tour of The Children’s Fairyland, provided by Executive Director Kymberly Miller.

OVERVIEW

Spend the morning in East Oakland exploring the vibrant library at Lockwood STEAM Academy, a dual-language Spanish-English school in the Havenscourt neighborhood. Learn how OUSD librarians cultivate a love of reading, build students’ independence, and collaborate with classroom teachers to strengthen literacy both at school and at home. Participants will engage in discussion with library staff, reflect on equity-driven library practices, and share strategies for nurturing joyful, inclusive reading cultures.

OVERVIEW

 Leaders at Cox Elementary have made bold shifts in curriculum and coaching that have led to remarkable gains in student outcomes. During this site visit, you’ll hear directly from school leaders about the key moves and lessons learned, observe classrooms where both Word Recognition and Language Comprehension come to life, and engage in reflection and role-alike discussions to translate insights into action in your own context

OVERVIEW

Spend the morning getting to know what foundational literacy looks like in the context of Newcomer Multilingual Learners in a high school. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the current state and history of the literacy department at OIHS and see what systems are in place to allow all students to develop English language and literacy skills, including explicit phonics instruction, vocabulary building, and comprehension work. Attendees will also observe mixed grade (9-11th grade) literacy classrooms with time to debrief and ask questions at the end.

OVERVIEW

Join us for a unique opportunity to observe what true instructional coherence looks like across a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). During this site visit, you’ll see Tier I whole-class instruction, Tier II small-group instruction, and Tier III 1:1 virtual tutoring—each aligned to the same scope and sequence. Hosted at Acorn Woodland Elementary, this visit will showcase OpenLiteracy’s high-impact 1:1 tutoring and Elevate small-group intervention in action.

Backed by research from the National Student Support Accelerator and the American Institutes for Research, you will see how shared instructional language, coordinated assessment use, and consistent routines across tiers can drive stronger student outcomes and reduce fragmentation. Whether you're a school leader, teacher, or community partner, you'll leave with tangible ideas for bringing instructional coherence to your own setting.

OVERVIEW

Collaborative Classroom, in partnership with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), is hosting a Literacy and Justice for All site visit focused on early literacy and joyful learning environments.

This visit highlights how SEEDS of Learning practices are supporting PreK and TK teachers in building children’s language, literacy, and social-emotional foundations through evidence-based, relationship-centered instruction.

Over the past several years, OUSD’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Department has developed a coherent strategy grounded in equity, instructional quality, and whole-child development. Through ongoing professional learning and coaching, educators have deepened their understanding of the science of reading and the SEEDS of Learning framework, strengthening classroom practice, fostering nurturing relationships, and accelerating literacy outcomes for Oakland’s youngest learners.

Visitors will observe classrooms where teachers are implementing SEEDS of Learning to create language-rich environments that integrate intentional instruction, responsive interactions, and joyful engagement.

OVERVIEW

Experience the power of EL Education in action. Join us for an engaging site visit at a Lab School where you’ll see how a school community brings EL Education’s literacy curriculum to life-fostering purpose, mastery, and belonging for every learner. You’ll step inside classrooms where students are joyfully engaged in rich literacy experiences, teachers are skillfully aligning lessons to the curriculum’s core principles, and instruction is thoughtfully adapted to meet the needs of diverse learners including multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Through classroom observation and reflection with educators, you’ll leave with practical ideas, inspiration, and tools to strengthen implementation and deepen student engagement in your own setting.