Participants at the Get on The Bus Tour 2026!
When thinking about data on student performance and seeing what teaching is most effective for Oakland students, that question can often stay unanswered. However, FIA’s Get on the Bus Legislative Tour came in full swing this year to answer that exact question. The tour was held to get some qualitative data and see what teaching and learning really looks like at some of Oakland’s top public schools.
Alexandra Williams, candidate for District 6 of the Oakland School Board, attended as she knows she needs to see beyond the numbers on a spreadsheet.
“I actually get to see what it feels like and what students are experiencing,” she said of joining the tour with other educators, leaders, and elected officials.
Alexandra (middle) at Oakland Unity Middle School.
FIA’s Get on the Bus! Tour for April 2026 visited Oakland Unity Middle School and OUSD’s Life Academy of Health and Bioscience High School.
The goal is to promote collaboration and a shared commitment to supporting education across the divide between charter and district schools. Participants heard directly from principals, teachers, students, and parents, and witnessed best practices in action that are shifting outcomes for underserved students.
The tour started at Unity Middle School, where visitors examined and discussed data together, solved logic puzzles alongside students, and visited classrooms. From there, the group traveled to Life Academy, where a student panel took center stage.
Damon Grant, co-principal of Oakland Unity Middle School, said it was important to open up her school to visitors to share the work that happens every day but can go unnoticed by those outside the school community.
“We feel tremendously proud of what we have here,” Grant said. “Sometimes we feel like we’re a little under the radar. So to be able to open up what we’re doing here and get to have people get a chance to see is just a fantastic opportunity.”
Tiffany Rose Naputi Lacsado, Chief Program Officer at The Unity Council, came to listen and learn. She grew up attending Oakland public schools and found value in the opportunity to see what was working for students in 2026.
“I’m from East Oakland, less than a mile away from here,” she said. “It’s just really good to see what’s going on in the neighborhood. It’s really great to see all of the innovation, a lot of the support that wasn’t there when I was in school.”
For Arielle Fleisher, a candidate for the Oakland school board in District 2, said she learned a lot from the presentation on Unity’s data, noting that it was “impressive” and that other schools in Oakland could learn from it as well.
Arielle Fleisher (right) at the Life Academy library for the student panel portion of the tour.
“Students, parents, teachers, everyone deserves the best,” she said. “We do not have that everywhere right now.”
Alykhan Boolani, principal of Life Academy, welcomed the group to the Calvin Simmons Library, a space he described as his favorite on campus because it was once a storage closet transformed by intention and care.
“We’re a small school who take that charge really seriously,” Boolani said. “There’s no secret to this sauce. When I say intentional, we built something really beautiful here around rowing the same direction, this crew of people who are dedicated to the kids who walk into this building every day.”
Alykhan pictured introducing the student panel at Life Academy!
He said he opened up his school because district and charter schools in Oakland “are all in the service of trying to figure out what’s best for kids.
“We all serve the same (student) populations,” he said. “So we have got to figure this out and collaborate.”
At Life Academy, FIA student leaders took over. They shared their personal stories and presented data from the A-G workshops they led for their peers. Before the workshops, most students didn’t know what proficiency in ELA and math looked like at their school. After the youth-led workshops, the correct identification of those outcomes skyrocketed.
Students themselves also gave recommendations to the adults on campus around the A-G Campaign that focuses on high school students teaching each other about the college eligibility requirements. Aligned adults, academic advising and 1:1 support, and engaging teaching and learning was what they shared, and so many people took note.
Adults need to do their part as well. “We need you guys to create an action plan, because a lot of students don’t know about it,” a student leader on the panel shared. “We need adults to be part of it and guide students with a clear plan.”
The tour participants filled their notebooks with takeaways and discussed what they were seeing at these top public schools. They left with a clearer picture of what’s working and what’s needed to increase the number of Oakland students who experience a high-quality education.
Patrice Berry, District 5 Oakland School Board member, was also on the tour. Like Alexandra Williams, witnessing these schools in action allowed her to see behind the numbers and get a clearer picture of what is needed for the students she is serving.
“We’re in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, trying to find the best answers to big problems,” Berry said. “We can’t wait until the budget has been solved to study performance, to learn, and figure out what I can do as a school board member. I can’t do my job without being here.”
Youth leaders speaking at this year’s tour at Oakland Unity Middle School.
