Articles
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Higher Education
Report raises concerns about Oklahoma universities’ participation in Chinese exchange program
Two Oklahoma universities sent students to China through the Young Envoys Scholarship Program, which a new report alleges is part of a Chinese Communist Party propaganda and influence effort. Neither university responded to requests for comment.Ray Carter | September 3, 2026
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Education
Oklahoma bucks national trend of declining high-school graduates
While most states are projected to have fewer high-school graduates by 2041, Oklahoma is expected to maintain roughly its current number, putting it among just 12 states projected to experience stable or growing graduate populations.Ray Carter | September 3, 2026
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Education
New literacy law brings science-of-reading training to hundreds of Oklahoma teachers
Oklahoma is beginning to implement a major overhaul of its approach to reading instruction after years of dismal literacy outcomes, with hundreds of teachers now receiving training grounded in the science of reading.Ray Carter | September 2, 2026
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Budget & Tax, Local Government
OKC rail gamble comes as transit systems nationwide face billion-dollar shortfalls
Oklahoma City metro area officials are proposing a $1.8 billion, 39-mile commuter-rail system from Edmond to Norman just as major transit agencies nationwide confront mounting structural deficits and seek new taxpayer funding.Ray Carter | September 2, 2026
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Local Government
OKC views Charlotte rail as model despite murder, crime
Oklahoma City metro officials continue to hold Charlotte’s regional rail system up as a model for the proposed commuter rail line connecting Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman—but Charlotte’s experience raises serious questions about that comparison.Ray Carter | September 1, 2026
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Budget & Tax
Oklahoma’s tax cuts are proving the critics wrong
Oklahoma’s experience under Gov. Kevin Stitt offers a useful rebuttal to the argument that cutting income taxes necessarily reduces government revenue.Jonathan Small | August 31, 2026
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Law & Principles
Edmond-OKC-Norman rail plan raises questions about homeless encampments, crime
Have Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman adequately considered how a new rail corridor could affect homelessness, public safety, and the communities surrounding its stations?Ray Carter | August 27, 2026
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Budget & Tax, Education
State data contradict Munson’s claims about taxes, education funding, teacher pay
Oklahoma House Democratic Caucus leader Cyndi Munson has made several claims about state taxes and education policy that conflict with publicly available government data.Ray Carter | August 26, 2026
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Law & Principles
Democratic Socialist wins Oklahoma Senate nomination
N’kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Oklahoma’s primary runoff Tuesday. Thomas describes herself as a Democratic Socialist.Ray Carter | August 26, 2026
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Culture & the Family
Researchers project Oklahoma population growth will continue
Oklahoma's population growth is projected to continue for decades, according to researchers at the University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. After growing 5.5 percent from 2010 to 2020, Oklahoma's population is projected to increase 7.6 percent from 2020 to 2030 and to grow 11.4 percent overall by 2050.Ray Carter | August 25, 2026