Kingmakers of Oakland awarded $4.8 million from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative supporting new educational system

The goal of Kingmakers of Oakland is to enhance the lives of Black males and strengthen the educational system for all kids. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative will invest $4.8 million to expand their thorough, research-based approach to school improvement to more districts and schools across the nation.

Kingmakers collaborates closely with districts to enable them to fully comprehend the particular requirements of their locality. Together, they work to improve schools’ capacity for change by assisting teachers in creating meaningful connections with their students that eventually lead to better academic and personal outcomes.

In 2010, the Oakland Unified School District’s African American Male Achievement (AAMA) program was introduced. Later, Kingmakers evolved into a stand-alone nonprofit. According to a 2019 AAMA study conducted by Stanford University academics, students who took part in Kingmakers’ activities had a higher likelihood of finishing high school.

The same study revealed an advantage for children who may not be a member of a specific Kingmakers program but benefited from systemic changes brought about by their school’s collaboration with Kingmakers.

The six drivers of systems change that form the basis of Kingmakers’ all-encompassing strategy are culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum, Black male teacher recruitment, training, and retention, youth voice and leadership, community and family engagement, narrative change, policy change, and youth voice and leadership. Their attention is guided within this context by regional requirements.

Since its inception, Kingmakers has created programming that is specific to each district using listening exercises and assessments in order to promote long-lasting transformation.