Articles
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Education, Law & Principles
Transgender bathroom issue extends beyond urban core
Recent controversies regarding the transgender bathroom policies in public schools are not isolated to urban districts or schools in university towns but are cropping up far from Oklahoma’s urban core.Ray Carter | September 8, 2022
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Education
Parental choice solves a multitude of problems
Most of us would not voluntarily send our children to a school if told in advance that less than two out of three students—or even just one out of four—will succeed academically. To change those statistics and make Oklahoma schools the best in the nation requires putting the customers and taxpayers—parents—in charge.Jonathan Small | September 7, 2022
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Education
Oklahoma’s poor academic outcomes not a product of poverty
Data presented to state legislators indicates that most Oklahoma students who are not proficient in core subjects do not fall into the category of poverty or associated rise in single-parent households.Ray Carter | September 7, 2022
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Education
Tulsa charter school to be countercultural—by touting Western Civ
Nathan Phelps leads the charge to launch Oklahoma’s first classical charter school.Ray Carter | September 6, 2022
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Education
School choice benefiting teachers
School-choice programs that allow tax funding to follow a child empower families and benefit students.Ray Carter | September 6, 2022
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Education
Oklahoma not an outlier on teacher shortage
Reports of a teacher shortage in Oklahoma have often intimated the problem is one largely driven by Oklahoma-specific factors.Ray Carter | August 31, 2022
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Education, Economy
K-12 failures create economic headwinds for Oklahoma
The failures of Oklahoma’s K-12 public-school system are a significant negative factor holding back economic growth and job creation in the state, based on data presented to lawmakers during a study conducted this week.Ray Carter | August 31, 2022
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Economy
Corporate welfare efforts ignore true growth areas?
In recent years, Oklahoma lawmakers have offered millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to “green” energy businesses. But the associated job creation has been anemic and those corporate-welfare efforts overlook, or even undermine, existing businesses that are already producing high-paying jobs across Oklahoma, according to one state business leader.Ray Carter | August 30, 2022
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Education
Oklahoma voters send education message
For years, Oklahoma has ranked among the bottom tier of states based on academic outcomes (despite the fact that funding is at a record-high level). Now, parents and Oklahomans from all walks of life and corners of the state are ready for change.Jonathan Small | August 30, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Education
Oklahoma schools’ federal spending highlighted at meeting
Oklahoma schools are flush with federal cash, including COVID-bailout money, with only limited spending restrictions. Some reported uses have little obvious connection to COVID, as experts warn improper spending could create financial challenges for schools within two years.Ray Carter | August 29, 2022