Articles
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Education
Hysteria and hyperbole surround teacher certifications
Hysteria about Oklahoma’s alternatively certified teachers ignores basic facts and does nothing to further the discussion about improving educational outcomes for students. In fact, multiple studies have found no evidence that traditional certification improves outcomes.Curtis Shelton | August 21, 2018
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Education
School choice is helping these kids
A tax-credit scholarship program is helping homeless children, teenage students battling addiction, north Tulsa students ill-served by Tulsa Public Schools, and many more.Jonathan Small | August 17, 2018
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Education
Let’s be humble on what we know about education
Sound education policy begins by accepting just how much we do not know and cannot know. Let’s put the people who do know—the parents—in charge.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | August 16, 2018
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Education, Good Government
SQ 801 empowers schools to set priorities
“Under current law, schools are prohibited from using a portion of school-dedicated property tax revenue on anything other than building-related expenses,” OCPA distinguished fellow Andrew Spiropoulos writes. SQ 801 “amends the state constitution to provide school districts increased authority to use property tax revenue to fund school operations.”Andrew C. Spiropoulos | August 16, 2018
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Education
Crossover Prep brings hope, transformation
Incredibly, only 22 African-American senior boys were college-ready in Tulsa Public Schools in 2015. With the help of Oklahoma’s tax-credit scholarship program, a private school in north Tulsa is tackling the problem head-on.Patrick B. McGuigan | August 9, 2018
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Education
As teacher pay raises kick in, OKCPS teachers must wait
Oklahoma City Public Schools announced that the raises due to all certified and support personnel would be delayed until September because “we felt it was important to work closely with our union partners in the interpretation and implementation of the statutes.”Mike Brake | August 8, 2018
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Education
OCPA comments on State Question 801
After Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin issued an election proclamation that places State Question 801 on the November ballot, Jonathan Small, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), made the this statement.Staff | August 3, 2018
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Education
Free Market Friday: Emergency?
We continue to see news stories about emergency certifications for teachers who didn’t take the traditional certification route to get a teaching license. But are we getting the full story?Jonathan Small | August 3, 2018
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Budget & Tax, Education
Official says some assessors shortchange schools, counties
Oklahoma teachers spent much of the spring at the state Capitol requesting increased school budgets. But even as they won massive statewide tax increases, many of their own home county assessors were likely failing to collect millions of dollars in local property taxes for education.Mike Brake | July 20, 2018
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Education, Law & Principles
Politicized schools threaten education
The First Amendment protects all Americans from government officials prodding us to support their pet special interests. But, some Oklahoma school officials seem to reject this idea.Jonathan Small | July 20, 2018