Articles
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Budget & Tax, Education
Oklahoma offers lavish teacher benefits, study shows
Oklahoma’s public-school teachers face no out-of-pocket expense for their health insurance premiums because state government foots the entire tab. That’s far more generous than what most other states offer—even though the taxpayer cost of providing that perk is escalating rapidly in Oklahoma, according to a new state report.Ray Carter | December 16, 2022
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Education
Lankford lambastes Biden administration attack on charter schools
A Biden administration proposal would effectively bar funding for the top-ranked school in Oklahoma in order to prop up a surrounding school district that ranks among Oklahoma’s worst.Ray Carter | December 14, 2022
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Education
The science of reading is clear. It’s time for Oklahoma lawmakers to act.
It’s time to insist that teachers teach based on the science of reading.Brandon Dutcher | December 13, 2022
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Economy
Economists bust the myth of income inequality
Many on the left have a moral objection to the idea that people who are more productive should have more buying power than those who are less productive. This leads to arguments over income equality. There are two major problems with the left’s premise. First, the desire for buying power incentivizes production, which benefits us all. Second, the left simply has its facts wrong.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | December 13, 2022
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Higher Education
OSU documents focus on ‘gender confirmation’ surgery, transgender advocacy
A range of Oklahoma State University documents, obtained through an open-records request, describe the idea that heterosexuality is the prevalent norm in society as a Western “system of power,” dismiss biological sex as an “ambiguous” term, indicate that OSU officials will help train high-school students in transgender advocacy, and encourage individuals to seek out personal information from others in ways experts warn could prompt lawsuits in the workplace.Ray Carter | December 12, 2022
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Education
After assault, Edmond transgender bathroom policy questioned
An Edmond police report indicates an Oct. 26 assault in the girls’ bathroom at Memorial High School involved at least one male student who identified as a female.Ray Carter | December 8, 2022
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Education
Pandemic fueled school choice in Oklahoma
Thousands of Oklahoma students left the traditional public school system during the COVID-19 pandemic and those families continued to embrace school choice two years later, declining to return to traditional district schools even after those schools reopened for in-person instruction, according to a new report.Ray Carter | December 8, 2022
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Education, Law & Principles
Motion Picture Association opposes Oklahoma library book ratings
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has indicated it may sue Oklahoma schools if a state senator’s proposal to use a G/PG/R rating system for school-library books is implemented.Ray Carter | December 8, 2022
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Education
Study finds school choice benefits rural students
A new study—from a state that actually has school choice in rural areas—shows that school-choice programs have benefited rural students without harm to local public schools.Ray Carter | December 6, 2022
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Higher Education
Paycom, Watts mum on OU free-speech action
The University of Oklahoma board of regents has voted to adopt the “Chicago Statement,” which affirms the college’s commitment to free speech and open debate. That action flies in the face of prior pressure tactics from the head of Paycom, who previously criticized OU’s support for free speech and announced he would yank advertising from the school.Ray Carter | December 6, 2022