The BPP understood the label of uneducable as inherently a racist interpretation of Black children's communications, and behaviors at school. At the time the label of uneducable was used to separate poor and racialized students into underfunded classrooms for disabled students.

BPP Conception of the Term 'Uneducable'

The Oakland Community School was founded in part as a challenge to the idea that some youth were "uneducable." Many of the students who came to Oakland Community School had been expelled from Oakland Public Schools or were labeled as uneducable by teachers or school officials. 

University of Wisconsin - Madison

The Oakland Community School was opened in 1973 by the Black Panther Party as a tuition-free, not-for-profit, and community-organized elementary school for children ages two through twelve. The Oakland Community School was an outgrowth of some of the Black Panther Party's other educational endeavors including the Intercommunal Youth Institute. The Oakland Community School was widely regarded as a successful endeavor and was used as a training space for local educators. The school was also in very high demand and often had waiting lists for entry. The Oakland Community School closed its doors in 1982 in alignment with the formal end of the Black Panther Party.

What was the Oakland Community School?

Schalk, Sami. Black Disability Politics, New York, USA: Duke University Press, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478027003

Black Disability Politics

- Overarching Pedagogy
- View on Grade Levels
- Universal Design
- Standardized and IQ Testing

The Oakland Community School's Pedagogy

The Oakland Community School as a Response to Oakland Public Schools

- Oakland Community School Pedagogy
- Ericka Huggins, Oakland Community School director

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