I wonder if this could be an example of kids that are excessively peer oriented, vs kids that have secure adult attachments. Is it possible that the children in the Oakland school were more peer oriented, in that they took take all of their cues from their peers, they look to their peers as their primary source of information and approval, and the opinions of their peers matter more than those of the adults in their lives? It sounds as though the children in your new school still look to the adults in their lives as their primary compass. Could this be one of the reasons that the children are more willing to embrace the social and home environments that encourage literacy?