Through the Oakland Public Education Fund’s Oakland Community United for Educational Success (CUES) Project, community-based organizations (CBOs) are making measurable progress in supporting student success across OUSD.

Now in its second year, the CUES 2.0 Project is a grant initiative that strengthens school partnerships with CBOs to increase student attendance and family engagement, particularly among students facing enrollment, attendance, and achievement challenges.

Recent data shows encouraging trends. Several CBO partners report higher school-day attendance rates than site and district comparison groups, and a majority report higher graduation rates than both school- and district-level peers. While these findings are not causal, they signal that many CUES participants are attending school more regularly and staying engaged.

Beyond the numbers, youth and staff voices bring this impact to life. One eighth-grade student shared how daily encouragement and incentives motivated them to attend school consistently. A returning educator also noted clear improvements in attendance from year to year. Students in programs like My Other Brother/My Other Sister highlighted gains in confidence, career skills, self-respect and strong relationships with caring adults.

Ella May, Transition Specialist at Oakland International High School, said about CUES grantee East Bay Consortium, “None of the post-secondary work happening at OIHS would be possible without the support, dedication, patience, and hard work that East Bay Consortium advisors provide day in and day out.”

Nivea, a student who participated in CUES 2.0 partner Battle Tested Kids, said it best: “Graduating from Dewey Academy and participating in the sports mentorship program gave me a chance to change my life. It helped me figure out what I want to do with my life. Coach Nita always checked on me, took the time to invest in me personally, encouraged me the whole way, and celebrated my accomplishments.”

Looking ahead, the Ed Fund is strengthening data sharing capacity through new Data Affinity Groups. These groups help CBOs better collect, share, and tell the story of how their programs benefit Oakland youth as CUES 2.0 continues through the 2025–26 school year.

Read About CUES 2.0 Grantees