Articles
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Education
Local control? Study shows voters rarely hold school boards accountable
Despite Oklahoma school-board elections being scheduled on obscure dates that average just 6 percent turnout, defenders of the system claim those elections provide valid “local control” of schools. But new research shows that academic outcomes have little impact on the results of school-board races.Ray Carter | June 16, 2025
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Education
School choice fuels Catholic school growth
Thanks to robust school-choice programs that are open to nearly all families, enrollment in Catholic private schools has surged in several states, including Oklahoma.Ray Carter | June 11, 2025
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Education
Report shows growing interest in Oklahoma school-choice program
Oklahoma families’ desire to participate in the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program and provide their children access to private schools continues to grow.Ray Carter | June 6, 2025
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Education
A big win for Oklahoma students with special needs
For years, the Lindsey Nicole Henry (LNH) Scholarship gave hope to Oklahoma families of children with special needs—but only after they spent a full year in a public school, even if it wasn’t working. Thanks to a new law, that wait is over.Jonathan Small | June 6, 2025
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Education
Data show no link between school spending and student outcomes
A new report finds that when Oklahoma’s spending on public schools is adjusted for cost-of-living differences, the state spends the national equivalent of more than $15,000 per student. Even so, Oklahoma’s academic results have declined significantly in recent years.Ray Carter | June 4, 2025
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Education, Culture & the Family
OEA touts transgenderism in schools for ‘pride’ month
The Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), the state’s largest teachers’ union, is touting transgenderism in public schools as part of its “pride” month messaging.Ray Carter | June 3, 2025
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Education
Was Oklahoma 17th in education under Democrats? In a word: No
Oklahoma did not rank 17th nationally in any credible measure of academic performance in 2011. Not even close.Ray Carter | May 29, 2025
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Education
Oklahoma school-choice critics denounce hypothetical fraud while ignoring actual fraud in public schools
Imagine being more outraged by a theoretical school-choice scam than by public schools billing taxpayers for fake school days.Ray Carter | May 22, 2025
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Education, Culture & the Family
Stitt signs special-needs scholarship bill
Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed legislation that eliminates red tape preventing Oklahoma families from accessing the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships (LNH) program for students with special needs.Ray Carter | May 21, 2025
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Education
What if we ‘poured money’ into schools? Oklahoma knows the answer
One Democrat state senator says Oklahoma has never tried “to actually pour money" into our public schools. In reality, total revenue to Oklahoma schools surged by a staggering $3.3 billion since 2018—a per-student increase of 51 percent.Ray Carter | May 19, 2025