Articles
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Education
Tulsa Public Schools accused of breaking state law
The State Board of Education voted Thursday to send a charter-school application back to the Tulsa Public Schools district and urged the district to vote on the application within 30 days. That action was taken after charter supporters said Tulsa officials have violated state law and the district’s own policies.Ray Carter | December 20, 2019
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Education
Teacher numbers climb, but trend may not last
New figures suggest pay increases have attracted more teachers to Oklahoma schools, but much of the increase remains attributable to reliance on emergency-certified teachersRay Carter | December 2, 2019
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Education, Culture & the Family
Teachers’ union encourages members to politicize Thanksgiving, Christmas gatherings
The parent organization of the Oklahoma Education Association is encouraging its members to “incorporate your commitment to social justice at your celebrations this year.”Ray Carter | November 27, 2019
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Education
State testing outcomes prompt question: When will results improve?
Despite a dramatic increase in school funding and the adoption of what state officials say are higher academic standards, Oklahoma students’ academic performance on state tests mostly remained stagnant in 2019 or lower than in 2017.Ray Carter | November 27, 2019
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Education
Notable decline seen in state school grades
For every Oklahoma school that achieved a higher grade on this year’s Oklahoma School Report Card, more than two schools saw their state letter grade fall.Ray Carter | November 26, 2019
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Education
Funding structures, not union politics, driving teacher pay
During 2018, many Oklahoma school districts shut down for up to two weeks as part of a union-led walkout campaign targeting the state legislature. Just days before the shutdown, the legislature had passed a package of tax increases in order to raise teacher pay by an average of $6,100. One of the most salient arguments leading up to the pay raise and walkout was that Oklahoma was losing teachers to Texas due to higher pay south of the Red River.Curtis Shelton | November 21, 2019
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Education
OKC district’s effort to penalize charter schools for attracting students prompts lawsuit
The Oklahoma City school district has announced plans to impose a fee on area charter schools that would financially penalize charter schools for attracting students from the traditional district. Two area charter schools have filed a lawsuit in response.Ray Carter | November 13, 2019
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Education
Ethics questions arise as law firm hosts school administrators’ golf event
Ask the average teacher what his or her Wednesday looks like, and the answer will usually involve working in the classroom. In contrast, on a recent Wednesday, as many as 100 school administrators and board members spent their day in a very different fashion—playing golf.Ray Carter | November 11, 2019
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Education
Father of Parkland shooting victim says Enid Public Schools’ actions dangerous
The recent action of Enid Public School administrators who fired a school resource police officer for seeking prosecution of at least two students who had threatened classmates sent precisely the wrong signal, nationally known school safety crusader Andrew Pollack has told OCPA.Mike Brake | November 8, 2019
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Education
Oklahoma academic decline prompts concern, calls for change
Results from two national measures of academic performance— the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the ACT college-readiness exam—show continued decline in Oklahoma schools’ academic outcomes.Ray Carter | November 7, 2019