Articles
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Education
Oklahoma’s next state superintendent must implement social studies, science reforms
Oklahoma’s new social studies and science standards are significantly strengthened from the previous versions. But standards alone are not enough: the next state superintendent must ensure these reforms are implemented in curricula, training, and classrooms.David Randall, Ph.D. | September 29, 2025
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Education
In nearly all states, public school funding exceeds private school tuition
We’re told public schools are “underfunded” while private schools are lavish and exclusive. But the truth is just the opposite: in nearly every state, public schools collect more per student than the average private-school tuition—often by huge amounts.Ray Carter | September 26, 2025
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Education
Poll shows voters strongly prefer school-choice supporters
A new national survey finds that voters—by nearly three to one—favor state legislators who back school-choice programs, with strong support across party lines and among public-school parents.Ray Carter | September 23, 2025
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Education
Athletic associations try to impede states’ school-choice programs
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) is under fire for allegedly deterring families from using the state’s open-transfer law by declaring some transfer students ineligible for sports. This dispute mirrors a high-profile clash in Alabama.Ray Carter | September 22, 2025
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Education
Oklahoma private schools aren’t maxing out tuition under new school-choice program
New data from the Oklahoma Tax Commission show that most families using the Parental Choice Tax Credit aren’t using the full credit. National school-choice experts say that market forces, religious missions, and a commitment to accessibility help keep tuition in check.Ray Carter | September 19, 2025
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Education
Oklahoma ranks high in teacher ‘opportunity and competition’
The website WalletHub, which recently ranked Oklahoma’s public-school system 50th in the nation academically, now ranks Oklahoma 14th nationally for “teacher opportunity and competition.”Ray Carter | September 15, 2025
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Education
Strapped, starved, and ignored: Oklahoma family pushes lawmakers to track school staff accused of abuse
When Kacey and Scott Burnett discovered their daughter Destri—an 11-year-old with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome—was being restrained, mocked, and even left unfed at her Moore public school, they were stunned to learn state law allowed implicated staff to quietly transfer and keep working.Ray Carter | September 11, 2025
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Education
Oklahoma joins multi-state push for parents’ rights, child safety
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has joined more than 20 other states in two high-profile U.S. Supreme Court cases involving parents’ rights and student safety in public schools.Ray Carter | September 3, 2025
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Education, Law & Principles
How OSSAA undermines Oklahoma’s open-transfer law
Instead of letting kids play ball, OSSAA is playing games with families’ futures. Its latest move—banning four Glencoe transfers on shaky grounds—shows how the association often undermines Oklahoma’s open-transfer law.Jonathan Small | September 2, 2025
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Education
Despite more money, Oklahoma students struggle
Since 2018, Oklahoma’s per-pupil school funding has surged by 51 percent—yet student outcomes have declined. Much of Oklahoma’s education spending goes to bureaucracy rather than classrooms, with less than half of school employees being teachers.Ray Carter | August 26, 2025