At Energy Convertors, we believe that knowledge is power, and nowhere is this more evident than when students dive deep into their own educational data.
Over the years, our driving force has been agency, specifically helping students and families become more informed end-users and consumers of public education. We don't see agency as a replacement for much-needed systemic change. Rather, agency aids systemic transformation and has proven necessary for meaningful educational progress. As someone who was once a student in Oakland schools myself, I understand firsthand the importance of this empowerment.
This fall, we launched a cohort comprising Oakland public school students who attend Lodestar, a charter public school in East Oakland, CA. The Lodestar cohort is a fellowship for high school students who are empowered to become agents of change in their schools. Guided by adult facilitators, fellows research issues within their school, develop actionable solutions, and advocate for improvements. They learn to analyze education data and systems, ultimately serving as visible leaders who bridge the gap between student experience and school leadership.
In a recent session, we witnessed something remarkable: Lodestar students transformed from passive recipients of grades to active agents in their own learning journey. This transformation benefits everyone in the educational ecosystem. We value our school partners deeply, and we know that great schools not only respect but actively want a more agentic student and parent base.
Before students can chart their path forward, they need to understand where they stand. The numbers paint a sobering picture of Oakland's educational challenges:
Our approach goes beyond simply presenting statistics. We turn students into educational data detectives, using tools like FIA's Interactive Map to investigate their own school's performance. Students don't just read about disparities—they discover them, analyze them, and begin to understand their place within larger systemic patterns.
The magic happens when students realize they attend one of the best high schools in Oakland and begin to grapple with what that means in context, comparing their education to the state average and examining data maps that show public schools perform better in more affluent areas with higher proportions of white and Asian students. They start asking the right questions:
This is where our work becomes transformational.
We don't stop at data analysis; we pivot to agency building. The breakthrough moment occurs when students realize that good grades don't automatically equate to proficiency, and that this understanding empowers them to take action.
Our curriculum design intentionally moves students through three phases:
Students begin to recognize their power within the system by asking critical questions that build three essential components of agency:
This isn't about creating despair over challenging statistics. It's about building informed advocates who understand both the systemic challenges and their individual agency within those systems.
When students become agentic, when they own their data and understand their position, they become powerful voices for change. They initiate conversations with teachers about the distinction between proficiency and grades. They seek out resources for college preparation.
Students become partners in their own education rather than passive recipients.
Over eight sessions, Lodestar fellows will progress from exploring their personal educational journeys to becoming actionable advocates for their school. They will identify key issues, conduct research, and connect their lived experiences to broader data and systems. The fellowship culminates with fellows developing and pitching their data-informed recommendations to school leaders, equipping them to bridge the gap between student experience and institutional change.
These students not only improve their own outcomes, but they also become catalysts for systemic change.
They ask better questions, demand more precise answers, and hold themselves and their schools accountable for real learning, not just good grades.
As we continue this work at Energy Convertors, we're seeing students develop what we call "agentic perspective": the ability to see themselves as powerful actors in their educational journey. They're building valuable insights that benefit not only themselves but also school leaders, educators, parents, and other students.
Energy Convertors' Founder and Executive Director Dr. Charles Cole, III
The data tells us where we are. Agency tells us where we can go. When we combine both, we create students who don't just succeed within the system; they transform it.
EC Fellows have opened mental health lines at their schools, published thousands of survey responses from peers about key education issues, and, now at Lodestar, are partnering with school leaders to transform their own buildings.
Ready to learn more about how we're building student agency in Oakland schools? Follow our journey and discover how data literacy becomes the foundation for educational empowerment.
Energy Convertors improves education by building agency in students. Learn more about our work at energyconvertors.org or contact us to bring agentic education to your community.