Empowering Immigrant Students: How Oakland Unified is Bridging Education Gaps

Maribel, an 11-year-old girl from Guatemala, faced many challenges in her early education. She attended a one-room schoolhouse for two years, but her teacher was often absent, leading to canceled classes. As a result, she never learned how to read. The school closure during COVID-19 meant that Maribel didn’t return to school until last year, after moving to Oakland.

Now enrolled in middle school at Urban Promise Academy, Maribel is diving into English while also filling gaps in her education—learning to read, interpret graphs, and grasp other essential skills.

Urban Promise Academy is one of four schools in Oakland with a new curriculum tailored for students who missed significant time in school, referred to as students with interrupted formal education (SIFE). The staff has requested that students be identified only by their middle names for privacy, as many are recent immigrants feeling uncertain due to current political climates.

In class, joy replaces fear. Maribel and her classmates recently analyzed graphs about their favorite foods, colors, and sports, enhancing their English skills along the way.

“How many students like pizza?” asked their teacher, Shannon Darcey.

“Eight students like pizza,” a student answered.

This year, around 3,300 students who recently immigrated are part of Oakland Unified, making up nearly 10% of the student body. At least 600 of these students had over two years without schooling prior to arriving in the U.S. Their reasons for missing school vary: some live far from educational institutions, while others face threats from violence or need to work to support their families.

Students who have not mastered basic math, reading, or writing in their native language have a tougher time grasping complex subjects while learning English. Traditional materials can feel overly simple and unengaging, especially for teenagers. Teacher Shannon Darcey previously taught English to students with varying skills, which sometimes led to frustration. She recalled one student who struggled daily with his reading difficulties while other students seemed to understand the material.

Darcey had long sought access to specialized curricula for students with significant educational gaps. After hearing about the Bridges curriculum from a New York university, she found it wasn’t accessible to those outside the state. Julie Kessler, who oversees newcomer programs in Oakland Unified, echoed this frustration, noting teachers’ difficulties in finding suitable resources for their students.

Fortunately, Kessler secured funding for a new curriculum designed to meet the needs of immigrant students in Oakland, in conjunction with the SIFE Equity Project. This Curriculum for SIFE Equity is now available to teachers worldwide and has been adopted in several California school districts and beyond.

This curriculum includes 50 days of lesson plans, with hopes to expand it to a full school year. Darcey has already noticed the positive impact on her students, who now attend separate English classes tailored to their needs.

The year began with a focus on identity. Students learned to express their names, ages, and backgrounds, eventually creating “identity maps” that highlight their interests and communities. For example, 14-year-old Anallely shared that she enjoys salad, fish, and marimba music, speaks the indigenous Mam language, and hails from a warm, rainy mountainous region in Guatemala.

Before joining Urban Promise Academy, Anallely had only attended school until third grade, after which she helped her father on a coffee farm. She appreciates the new skills she’s gaining, saying, “It’s very useful, because you can use them to define how many people like something or where they are from.” Anallely aspires to be a doctor one day.

Most of Darcey’s students are new to reading in any language. She utilizes a program called SIPPS to help them learn sounds and phonetics.

Another student, Arturo, enrolled at Urban Promise at 14, having never been to school before. Darcey notes his engagement in class, even if he struggles with reading. “He is trying, and he’s still able to follow what’s happening,” she said.

Darcey feels grateful to work with her students. Their eagerness and work ethic inspire her. “They are part of our society,” she emphasized, aiming to equip them with the skills to thrive.

Maribel, initially nervous about attending school in the U.S., now looks forward to it. “The teacher speaks some Spanish and always helps us if we need anything,” she says. “I can write some words in English now, and I’m learning to read.”

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