Winning friends and influencing people

The Tahlequah Daily Press criticizes "worthless" "bozos" in the state legislature who are "wetting all over themselves."

Former Democratic state Sen. Jabar Shumate joins Oklahoma Federation for Children

Jabar Shumate

The Oklahoma Federation for Children, a state affiliate of the American Federation for Children, announced in a news release today that former state Sen. Jabar Shumate (D-Tulsa) is joining the staff as Director of Legislative Affairs and State Director for Oklahoma. 

Shumate resigned from the Oklahoma Senate at the beginning of the year to take on promoting school choice policies in the state full-time.

“We are thrilled to have such a dedicated ally and experienced legislator join our Oklahoma team,” said Bob Sullivan, co-chair of the Oklahoma Federation for Children. “Jabar is committed to extending educational options and choice to every child in Oklahoma, and we are excited that he is joining our efforts to give every child regardless of their background the opportunity to learn in a high-quality setting.”

“Jabar has been a champion for school choice throughout his time in office and we are excited to have him continue to work with us as a member of our staff,” said Russell Perry, co-chair of the Oklahoma Federation for Children. “His hard work and dedication to providing students the opportunity to go to the school that best suits their needs is inspiring and he will be a great addition to the team.”

Since 2012, Shumate served as a Democratic Senator for Oklahoma’s 11th Senate District. He has been an advocate and champion for educational choice throughout his term, and has authored and introduced numerous education bills to the Oklahoma State Senate. Shumate’s legislative experience and keen political insight will be tremendous asset in Oklahoma and throughout the country. Featured at several national conferences, Shumate is a sought-after speaker in the ed reform community who has addressed legislative leaders throughout the country about the need to break down barriers to educational choice.

The Oklahoma Federation for Children is chaired by Bob Sullivan of Tulsa and Russell Perry of Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Federation for Children works to increase the array and quality of K-12 educational options available to Oklahoma’s children.

The Oklahoma Federation for Children is a state-based project of the American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice.

A couple of good teacher union quotes ...

... courtesy of Mike Antonucci:

• "Unions are disingenuous when they claim to represent the interests of the students. That’s not what they were created to do and is not what they are paid by their members to do."
• Harrison Blackmond, Michigan state director of Democrats for Education Reform and former UniServ director and staff attorney for the Michigan Education Association

• "I didn’t think it could get worse, but right now I think it’s just as bad as it’s ever been. People don’t want to believe that the unions are constructive, just generally."
• Susan Moore Johnson, a research professor at Harvard’s graduate school of education, discussing the public image of teachers’ unions

ESA can help boy with cerebral palsy

The cruelty of low expectations

"I believe it is cruel to allow students to graduate and find they can't enter college without having to retake many courses they already took in high school or to be turned down for a job because their math and reading skills are still on a sixth-grade level," state Superintendent Janet Barresi writes in the Tulsa World.

Oklahoma students are underperforming their peers both nationally and internationally. National Assessment of Educational Progress scores indicate that only one-fourth of Oklahoma’s eighth-graders are proficient in math and 29 percent are proficient in reading. ACT results show that only 35 percent of Oklahoma high school students who took the test are ready for college-level math or science. Finally, college remediation rates have hovered for years around 40 percent.

Parental choice in rural Oklahoma

Private schools safer than public schools

This according to a new federal report.

Parents, not government officials, should determine their child’s path

See my latest column in the Edmond Sun.

Oklahoma governor proclaims 2015 School Choice Week

For the fourth year in a row, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has recognized National School Choice Week in Oklahoma. Her proclamation is here.

The best secondary-teacher-preparation program in the nation

Former Gov. Frank Keating and I discuss it today in The Oklahoman.

Top teachers become multimillionaires

"I think one of the benefits of private education is that teachers compete with each other," says a millionaire teacher quoted in this Washington Post story.

'Many Oklahoma teachers are entering the profession insufficiently prepared'

"Officials have warned that Oklahoma faces a teacher shortage since many schools struggle to fill all positions with qualified individuals," The Oklahoman notes today in an editorial. "Now a report from the National Council on Teacher Quality highlights another problem: Many Oklahoma teachers are entering the profession insufficiently prepared."

Notably, the report stresses the need for Oklahoma to better prepare teachers to help struggling readers at all levels, from elementary through high school. The council specifically recommends that new elementary teachers be required to “pass a rigorous test of reading instruction in order to attain licensure.” ...

The report also warns of shortcomings in math instruction. In elementary schools, it suggests that Oklahoma officials require prospective teachers to achieve “separate, meaningful passing scores for each core subject” including math. Currently, the report notes, “A candidate may achieve a passing score and still be seriously deficient in a particular subject area."

In high school, the report warns Oklahoma’s teacher certification process can allow unqualified individuals to teach high-level courses. Teachers currently take a general science assessment that combines biology, chemistry and physics; the test doesn’t provide separate scores for each area. Thus, the council notes, “candidates could answer many — perhaps all — chemistry questions, for example, incorrectly, yet still be licensed to teach chemistry to high school students.” ...

It’s often noted that teacher salaries in Texas are higher than in Oklahoma. But it appears the bar for entering the teaching profession in Texas is also higher. Thus, simply raising teacher pay in Oklahoma won’t close the education gap with Texas. It seems the teacher challenges facing Oklahoma schools aren’t simply a matter of quantity, but also quality.

OCPA economist looks at teacher shortages

In Oklahoma's public education system, Wendy Warcholik writes in the Tulsa World, "the consumer is certainly not empowered to effectively solve the shortage problem, especially when it is beneficial for the establishment to make policy decisions that create these so-called shortages. The only real solution is to break up the monopoly by expanding school-choice opportunities."