Oakland USD Opens New STEM Academy
Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) in California plans to open its new Computer Science and Technology Academy at Skyline High School.
The academy is a six-year early college high school program developed as a public-private partnership between OUSD, SAP, Berkeley City College (BCC) and the Career Ladders Project.
Participating students will have the opportunity to develop technical
skills and earn professional certifications. SAP will provide students
with "employee mentors and workplace learning opportunities within
SAP," according to a news release. Those who complete the program
successfully will earn both a high school diploma and a
technology-focused associate degree from BCC, "free of charge."
"Living
in the Bay Area, our students know well the opportunity that lies ahead
of them with advanced skills in technology," said Antwan Wilson,
superintendent of OUSD, in a prepared statement. "The opening of the
Computer Science & Technology Academy at Skyline High School
creates a critical pathway for our students to reach that opportunity.
SAP has funded other six-year early college high school programs, including BTECH in Queens, New York; C-Town Tech in Boston, Massachusetts; and Templeton Secondary School in Vancouver, British Columbia.
OUSD
and SAP co-hosted a celebration event at Skyline High School on Friday,
September 16, 2016. Attendees included academy students, teachers,
family members and SAP employees, as well as Reggie Jackson of the
Oakland A's; Venus Johnson, Associate Attorney General of California;
and David Silver, Chief of Education for Oakland.
About the Author
Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].