Oakland Unified School District Case Study: The McClymonds Educational Complex: BEST and EXCEL High Schools

This case study is one of six conducted for the report, Oakland Unified School District: New Small Schools Initiative Evaluation.

The McClymonds Educational Complex case study informs Oakland Unified School District policy by illustrating the strengths and challenges of converting a comprehensive (OUSD) high school and its existing faculty into smaller high schools that share an existing campus. The case study demonstrates the promise and unintended consequences of converting McClymonds High School in West Oakland into two small schools: Business Entrepreneurial School of Technology (BEST) and Experience eXcellence Community Empowerment Leadership (EXCEL). It also provides a window into how OUSD’s theory of action for new school development has been enacted in the predominantly African-American community of West Oakland.