Articles
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Local Government
‘It’s endless’: Seattle’s rail system shows the potential cost of OKC’s plan
Oklahoma City metro-area officials are proposing a $1.8 billion commuter-rail system funded roughly half by federal grants and half by a local sales-tax increase. But Seattle’s experience suggests the initial tax could be only the beginning of taxpayers’ costs.Ray Carter | September 30, 2026
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Education
Parents report high satisfaction with school-choice programs in West Virginia, Arkansas
Recent reports from West Virginia and Arkansas indicate high parent satisfaction and encouraging academic results among students participating in school-choice programs.Ray Carter | September 29, 2026
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Higher Education
Judge allows lawsuit alleging race-based financial aid at OU to proceed
A federal judge has allowed a class-action lawsuit alleging that the University of Oklahoma improperly considered race when awarding financial aid to proceed.Ray Carter | September 28, 2026
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Higher Education
‘Anti-Muslim racism’: Report finds race, gender, social-justice courses at OU and OSU
A new Young America’s Foundation report highlights several courses at OU and OSU, including: Queer Religion; Social Justice Politics; Anti-Muslim Racism; Diversity of Biological Sex Characteristics; Environmental Justice; LGBTQ Lives in the United States; Power, Oppression, & Privilege; and Race and Reproduction in the U.S.Ray Carter | September 25, 2026
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Local Government
OKC pushes commuter rail as riders remain missing from trains nationwide
Oklahoma City-area officials are advancing a proposed $1.8 billion commuter rail system linking Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman even as most U.S. commuter rail systems continue to have fewer riders than before the COVID-19 pandemic.Ray Carter | September 24, 2026
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Education
More than one-third of Oklahoma students attend schools of choice, survey finds
A new survey finds that 36 percent of Oklahoma parents say their children attend a school of choice rather than a geographically assigned public school. The survey also found that 68 percent of Oklahoma parents favor school vouchers.Ray Carter | September 23, 2026
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Education
Oklahoma Democrats call for more non-instructional spending in schools
In Oklahoma public schools, recent staffing growth has overwhelmingly occurred outside the teaching ranks. Yet two Democratic lawmakers recently made a case for additional administrators, behavioral specialists, and other support personnel.Ray Carter | September 22, 2026
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Education
Union urges teachers to oppose immigration enforcement
The National Education Association is urging educators to oppose federal immigration-enforcement policies and encouraging teachers to press their school districts to adopt policies governing how schools respond to immigration authorities.Ray Carter | September 21, 2026
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Education
Oklahoma lawmakers urged to strengthen classroom discipline
In a recent interim study, supporters of stronger teacher protections told state lawmakers that Oklahoma should give educators greater authority to remove persistently disruptive students and protect teachers who enforce classroom rules.Ray Carter | September 17, 2026
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Local Government
ONE Transit’s Texas rail success story doesn’t quite add up
As ONE Transit promotes its proposed $1.8 billion commuter rail system by pointing to Grapevine, Texas, as a model of rail-driven economic development, analysts say the cited numbers do not establish that the train generated significant new economic activity.Ray Carter | September 15, 2026