Education

If Oklahoma’s public schools are ‘accountable,’ why are all these high-school graduates illiterate?

October 17, 2025

Brandon Dutcher

The late state Sen. Earl Garrison (D-Muskogee), a longtime educator who held a doctorate in education, once pointed out in the Muskogee Phoenix that “more than 20 percent of our state’s population, or nearly 400,000 people, can’t read.”

That was 17 years ago. Things have not improved.

“One in four young adults across the U.S. is functionally illiterate—yet more than half earned high school diplomas,” Jessika Harkay reported yesterday for The 74.

Alas, this is another reminder that it’s time for the Oklahoma Legislature to put an end to the social promotion of third graders who can’t read. “Most efforts to improve literacy have centered on early intervention before third grade, as a student’s reading level at that age is viewed as a key indicator of their future success,” Harkay reported. 

Unfortunately, too many students are passed along from year to year without having acquired literacy skills. 

Sharon Bonney, chief executive officer of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education, says that “over 20% of (young adults) that get their high school diploma do not have the skills commensurate with that.” That includes Oklahoma (here is a map by county).

So where’s the accountability? As I’ve written before, the dictionary definition of “accountable” is basically “answerable.” Webster gives this example: “held her accountable for the damage.”

Are any grown-ups being held accountable for the damage? Have any school board members resigned? Have administrators or teachers lost their jobs or had their pay reduced? 

“In reality,” says retired public-school teacher Larry Sand, “there is no entity in America that is less accountable than a government-run school system.”

It’s time to put an end to social promotion in public schools, while also continuing to expand school choice so that more parents can choose accountable private schools.