Articles
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Education
Approaching her third sobriety birthday, Mission Academy graduate looks to the future
Mission Academy, operated by the nonprofit Teen Recovery Solutions, is one of some 44 similar schools nationwide, bent on reclaiming young people long lost to drug and alcohol addiction.Mike Brake | August 15, 2019
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Health Care
Lawmakers told behaviors to blame for most of Oklahoma’s health problems
Members of the Healthcare Working Group, a bicameral special committee studying potential expansion of Medicaid to able-bodied adults, were told Wednesday that personal behaviors are more to blame for many of Oklahoma’s low health rankings than a lack of insurance coverage.Ray Carter | August 15, 2019
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Criminal Justice
Punishment and crime: How they are (and are not) related
Changes to state penal codes can have a significant impact on reducing state prison populations. Oklahoma policymakers should continue to pursue new criminal justice reform policies to safely lower the state’s high incarceration rate.Kaitlyn Finley | August 13, 2019
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Education
School funding surges, but to what end?
Over the last two legislative sessions, lawmakers have increased K-12 school appropriations by 20 percent, funneling $638 million more into the system, boosting teacher pay by a combined total average of more than $7,000 apiece, and devoting millions more to classroom funding. But so far, lawmakers have little to show for it.Ray Carter | August 12, 2019
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Education
Powerful iron triangle resists parental choice
Oklahomans favor policies which give parents more educational options. However, enacting those policies has proven to be difficult. A simple metaphor can help explain why.Brandon Dutcher | August 11, 2019
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Education
Union declares teaching is political
Just weeks after roughly 60 of its members attended a conference where participants voiced support for abortion, transgender rights, reparations for slavery, and more, the Oklahoma Education Association tweeted that teaching “is a political act.”Ray Carter | August 9, 2019
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Education
The government school monopoly as reverse patronage program
One of the key challenges for education reformers is the huge size of the government school monopoly as a “reverse patronage” employer.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | August 8, 2019
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Good Government
Proposed election change could create costs, headaches
Some liberal activists want to require Oklahoma and other states to eliminate runoff primaries and instead use “ranked choice” voting. But Oklahoma’s top election official warns that change would involve substantial taxpayer expense and likely voter confusion.Ray Carter | August 8, 2019
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Health Care
Stitt continues to reshape government leadership
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Monday that Kevin Corbett will be the new director of the state’s Medicaid agency, continuing Stitt’s practice of prioritizing individuals with private-sector business expertise when making appointments.Ray Carter | August 7, 2019
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Economy
Expert says gambling compacts need to better address addiction
The debate over renegotiation of Oklahoma’s gaming compacts with tribal governments has centered on the rates paid by tribes and the impact of renegotiation on state-tribal relations. But some experts say those discussions are overlooking another important factor.Ray Carter | August 7, 2019