Articles
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Education
If Oklahoma’s public schools are ‘accountable,’ why are all these high-school graduates illiterate?
“One in four young adults across the U.S. is functionally illiterate—yet more than half earned high school diplomas,” says a new report. It’s time for the Oklahoma Legislature to put an end to social promotion in our state’s unaccountable public schools.Brandon Dutcher | October 17, 2025
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Higher Education, Culture & the Family
OSU professor says black people ‘may be in danger’ at white churches
An Oklahoma State University professor who says he teaches “through the lens of Critical Race Theory” has published a column that appears to endorse racial segregation in churches, warning that black Americans “may be in danger” if they attend “white churches.”Ray Carter | October 16, 2025
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Health Care
Billions spent, few results: Medicaid expansion falls short of promises to rural Oklahoma
Five years after Oklahoma voters narrowly approved Medicaid expansion, a new legislative study has found that the policy has had little impact on stabilizing the state’s rural hospitals or improving health outcomes—despite billions of dollars in added government spending.Ray Carter | October 15, 2025
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Higher Education
OSU controversy doesn’t shock former students
Oklahoma State University is facing criticism after a student-government official reprimanded a student for discussing the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, an incident former students say reflects a long-running bias against conservatives within OSU’s Student Government Association.Ray Carter | October 14, 2025
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Higher Education
Free-speech group warns of ‘chilling’ effect at OSU
A national free-speech watchdog says Oklahoma State University risked chilling student expression after a student-government coordinator reprimanded a student for remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.Ray Carter | October 13, 2025
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Energy
Fossil fuels are essential for human flourishing
Fossil fuels provide low-cost, reliable energy critical for lifting billions out of poverty and improving the quality of life worldwide.Jonathan Small | October 13, 2025
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Higher Education
Violent threats against conservatives growing at OU
Death threats against a visiting pro-Israel speaker have deepened concerns about the climate for free speech at the University of Oklahoma, where nearly half of surveyed students say violence can be justified to silence opposing views.Ray Carter | October 9, 2025
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Economy
To infinity and beyond: SQ 832’s minimum-wage plan is a flight of fantasy
If State Question 832 is approved, Oklahoma could one day have the nation’s highest minimum wage. It may feel bold and heroic, but it defies economic gravity and would send jobs, young workers, and small businesses crashing back to earth.Curtis Shelton | October 8, 2025
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Education
New test results expose deep reading crisis in Oklahoma classrooms
Newly released 2025 state test results show a staggering 73 percent of Oklahoma third-graders are not proficient in reading—a finding that mirrors national NAEP data. Despite record school funding in Oklahoma, student performance has steadily declined.Ray Carter | October 7, 2025
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Law & Principles
Hern urges Republicans to speak out against California-style elections in Oklahoma
Congressman Kevin Hern is warning Oklahoma Republicans that silence is not an option as activists push a California-style overhaul of the state’s election system. “Every Republican leader in the state should be speaking out against this,” Hern said.Ray Carter | October 7, 2025