This 1976 Jet article describes the success of the Oakland Community School five years after its founding. The author juxtaposes the school with the surrounding “East Oakland ghetto,” likening it to a safe haven for the community. He describes the evolution of the Black Panther education program, which began as private homeschooling and has grown over time, gaining recognition and educational results. Photographs of engaged students and teachers in formal attire accompany the article.

Elaine Brown, the chairperson of the Black Panther Party and the school’s executive director, rejects the idea that the school is a “Black Panther Party school per se” or a liberation school. Rather, she proposes that the school offers a model, and a strong counterargument to claims that poor Black children are uneducable; it is the public school system that is failing kids, she suggests. Rather than teaching Panther ideology, then, the school aims to teach critical thinking and equip students to form their own opinions.

The article also notes differences between the OCS and typical public schools, starting with its low student-teacher ratio and the absence of conflict between teachers and students. The author also notes the excellent manners and academic achievements of the students. In addition to teaching, the school provides three meals a day, field trips, and medical care, all free of charge.