Edna Brewer Middle School

My 6 grader had an English teacher leave in the middle of the year. From what I heard, at least 2 more teachers left their classes hanging in the dust for long term subs to pick up the pieces. EB did not meet expectations. Oakland schools lose teachers all the time, but what kind of school loses so many in one year?
--Submitted by a parent

My son came from a distinguished school in the Elk Grove Unified School District where he earned a 0.0gpa after his first quarter. After having moved him to Edna Brewer I am pleased to say that he is delighted to be there and earning a 3.0 gpa after a few months. Something must be right... :)
--Submitted by a parent

EB is a truly wonderful middle school with an excellent music department, solid academics, good physical education program and exceptional parent community/student body. For the most part, parents and students will find this school to be a great choice, and the test scores attest the solid learning environment. That said, anyone who has raised a tween to teen knows that this age will present periodic challenges. Neither you nor your child will escape adolescence at ANY school, sigh. However, be assured that you and your child will have a strong community of peers, families and teachers to help buffer the ups and downs. I have one child happily moving through teenhood and the other moving down the pike. EB is a true neighborhood gem
--Submitted by a parent

My son is in his first year at Brewer. He has never been happier. He says it himself. The communication between teachers and parents is very strong. They are truly committed to excellence for every student. It is amazing to see my son having the support at school to become a responsible citizen.
--Submitted by a parent

I know that no cell phones are allowed at school. If seen, they are confiscated and I believe a parent is allowed to retrieve once. After that, they cannot be retrieved until the end of the school year. Students are encourgaged to use the office phone to call their parents. So if there is rampant sexting, it probably is not part of the school day. I'm not sure how the school can control it as part of the after-school environment. It would be the same with what kids post on Facebook to each other. There is some type of cyber behavior policy that we all sign off on at registration, both kids and parents, so someone could be turned in as violating that policy, and then receive disciplinary consequences. But I think it's only about the cyber resources of the school.
--Submitted by a parent

Bullying is rampant for this age group, and each school has to make a big effort to give kids support. Like for my child, they have to be willing to come forward to say they are bullied, and that is a big barrier (the snitch factor). There is a box in the main office to drop in a slip and ask for adult-guided peer mediation. There is restorative justice program where the person who caused harm does civic action to make amends to the community, that a restorative justice circle has agreed upon. There are intra-day mental health counseling services, groups, and after school programs such as Brothers on the Rise. There is a counselor-led Gay Straight Alliance weekly at lunch. These are a wealth of resources, so there is help if kids seek it out. They are told how to seek it out.
--Submitted by a parent

Agree that 6th grade was adequate, but there has been a change in administration since then, resulting in a complete change in feeling of community. Many teachers and administrative staff have left recently-seen as a vote of no confidence. Few, if any, research papers required and even less reading (two or three books in a whole school year). Current administration seems to expect the worst of students and acts accordingly.
--Submitted by a parent

I am the parent of a 7th grader at EBMS. While I feel the school was adequate in her 6th grade year, I am beyond displeased with the school this year. The teachers hardly give homework, and what they do give doesn't seem very challenging, and the administration seems to turn an eye away from the social issues that are happening at the school every single day. There is bullying, catty behavior amongst the girls, sexting (mass text messages of a sexual nature), and kids sneaking around performing sexual acts on one another. Unbelievable! The fact that the kids are so under-supervised and the security so blind that they are able to sneak off and do these things is absolutely appalling. I am making plans to transfer my daughter out of EBMS as soon as possible.
--Submitted by a parent

We were nervous about our daughter entering a public middle school but were beyond relieved to find that she not only loves the school but that the culture there is positive, supportive and engaging. We're thrilled with the climate and teaching at Edna Brewer.
--Submitted by a parent

I love this school. i have 4 kids and all of them have been to edna brewer, all of them have loved it too. I cant wait to send my youngest, Jamie, to edna brewer. For now he will stay at Crocker Highlands Elementary the SECOND best school, in the oakland school district. After edna Brewer i sent my kids to Oakland Technical Highschool. The teachers are friendly, srtaff is helpfull, the hw is minimum but also challenging for my children. the afterschool programs are fantastic as well. I LOVE THIS SCHOOL! A+
--Submitted by a parent