THE ISSUE By virtually any measure—attendance, test scores, graduation rates—many of Oakland's public schools faced significant challenges in the early 2000s. The combination of declining enrollment and a massive budget shortfall pushed the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) into insolvency in 2003. The School Board ceded its authority to the State of California in exchange for a $100 million line of credit. OUSD became a district in crisis both academically and fiscally. Galvanized by the crisis, the state-appointed leadership embarked on a set of initiatives to completely redesign the district.

THE MISSION

Named Expect Success!, the program aimed to transform the various schools into communities of learning to provide more opportunity, empowerment and expectations of success. Expect Success! replaced larger failing schools with smaller schools and aggressively decentralized budgetary power to them. The program also equalized school funding based on student attendance and reduced the size of the central office by reorganizing it into service organizations. Because the challenges of urban education were not unique to Oakland, these reforms were of national significance and some aspects had no precedent in the United States.

THE PROJECT Full Circle Fund's involvement with OUSD and Expect Success! spanned a period of three years, focusing on three critical areas: fundraising, communications and outreach to key stakeholders.

THE WORK At the onset, fundraising was a critical unmet need. OUSD lacked a development team for cultivating local support. Full Circle Fund served this function, driving early fundraising results. In year two, members helped OUSD make effective use of a first-ever survey of students, parents, teachers, and staff. The results enabled the district to create actionable changes within its schools. Year three focused on redesigning the district's communication strategy to make Expect Success! a relevant, unifying theme for students, teachers, and the community. In addition to continuing fundraising efforts, the team completed an evaluation of the district’s information technology needs, a critical component to retooling the district.

“Full Circle Fund played a crucial role in

the dramatic improvements in

Oakland Unified after the state takeover.”

“The members are smart and talented, they have outstanding connections, and when

they make a commitment, they follow through.”

- Tony Smith

Superintendent

Oakland Unified

School District

SNAPSHOT GRANT TERM: 2004-07

ATTRACTED $26 MILLION IN NEW

FUNDING SUPPORT IN ONE YEAR

GATHERED 30,000+ RESPONSES TO THE DISTRICT'S FIRST EVER SURVEY OF STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS AND STAFF

PROVIDED 100+ PRINCIPALS WITH

CUSTOM DATA ANALYSIS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

SINCE THIS PROJECT, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN OAKLAND IMPROVED FASTER THAN ANY OTHER LARGE URBAN DISTRICT IN CA, MEASURED BY ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE INDEX SCORES

Oakland Unified School District REDESIGNING A SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR SUCCESS

Full Circle Fund is an engaged philanthropy organization

cultivating the next generation of community leaders and

driving lasting social change in the Bay Area. We recruit top

leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, and

empower them to leverage their experience, connections, and financial resources to benefit innovative social entrepreneurs

and organizations.

www.fullcirclefund.org

GRANT PARTNER IMPACT STORY

CIRCLE: EDUCATION