Articles
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Education
Tax-credit scholarships help kids find the right fit
What is the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship program, and why does it matter? Several families who have received scholarships from the program share their life-changing experiences.Staci Elder Hensley | January 6, 2020
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Education
Oklahoma education agency newsletter includes transgender bathroom policy, other LGBT ‘best practices’
A recent Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) newsletter advises school districts to allow students to use the bathroom of their choice based on gender identity rather than biological gender.Ray Carter | January 2, 2020
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Education
Shortage of applicants, not teachers, plagues Oklahoma schools
When lawmakers passed historic tax increases in part for teacher pay raises in 2018, it was argued that schools’ reliance on emergency-certified teachers demonstrated the need for those actions.Ray Carter | December 30, 2019
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Education
Reading ESAs will put Oklahoma parents in charge
Florida has been a leading K-12 innovator for years, so it is no surprise that it became the first state to offer education savings accounts (ESA) to children enrolled in public schools.Patrick Gibbons | December 30, 2019
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Education
Who governs Oklahoma’s public school system?
The fundamental problem with public education is the lack of accountability. The best school accountability is parental choice, but reforms to the system’s governance structure can also help.Greg Forster, Ph.D. | December 27, 2019
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Education
Oklahoma education agency promotes progressive activism masquerading as civics
Generation Citizen makes the casual observer think it’s nonpartisan: “Through student-driven projects, youth learn how to effect policy change by engaging with local government and leaders to solve community problems.” In truth, Generation Citizen smuggles propaganda and vocational training for progressive activism into K-12 schools and calls it “action civics.”David Randall, Ph.D. | December 26, 2019
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Education
Schools disagree on definition of ‘significant medical condition’
Under Oklahoma’s school grading system, a measure of “chronic absenteeism” is one of the factors included in the calculation of schools’ A-F grades on state report cards. However, exceptions are allowed for students with significant qualifying medical conditions that result in long absences.Ray Carter | December 23, 2019
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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