Urban Dreams is a project of the Oakland Unified School District Office of Instructional Technology. It is funded by a five-year Federal Technology Innovation Grant awarded in 1999 by the U.S. Department of Education. The project is designed to support the work of History and English teachers, grades 9-12, by providing access to appropriate technology tools and professional development opportunities. A focus on teaching and learning about Human Rights and Civil Rights will provide the thematic context in which students work to improve their skills as readers and writers. Students and teachers will explore this theme as it emerges in their study of history and their study of literature, as outlined in OUSD's content standards, and through the innovative use of technological resources. Participant teachers will receive the equipment necessary to support this work in their classrooms.

All teachers, grades 9-12, who teach at least 3 periods of History/Social Studies, or 3 periods of English are eligible to participate. For the duration of the grant Urban Dreams will, in addition to its work throughout the school year, hold Summer Institutes that alternate their content focus between grades 10-11 and 9-12.

The Marcus A. Foster Educational Institute directs the Project's community access component. The Institute has placed computers in the homes of over 1200 students and provided training for their parents, thus strenthening the relationship between home, school and community.

Urban Dreams - Equipping Oakland Classrooms

The Urban Dreams project has placed instructional technology in 166 classrooms.

Integrating Technology, Content and Classroom Instruction

• Classroom-based technical assistance and coaching
• Web site with curriculum resources and lesson plans developed by Urban Dreams teachers.
• Direct classroom support by the Urban Dreams staff.
• Technology integration classes - a wide range from beginning to advanced applications.
• Summer Institutes - two week introduction to UD and one week curriculum writing program.

Professional Development Programs

• Liberation Curriculum - is a collaboration with the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University. Urban Dreams teachers work with project staff developing academically rigorous lesson plans that encourage critical inquiry.
• UC Berkeley's Interactive University - current partner projects include: California Heritage Project, an online archive of primary source materials, works with UD teachers on curriculum projects, Teaching and Learning about the Literature and History of Mexico, and Local Context, curriculum focused on current affairs and participatory government.
• Core Literature Study Group - English teachers share and develop strategies for teaching texts from the OUSD core and extended literature lists.

To help us achieve these goals, and to add depth and breadth and a diversity of ideas to the project, Urban Dreams is working with the partner projects and institutions linked below.