Is the four-day school week a sign of the apocalypse?

Many Oklahoma administrators and parents don't seem to think so.

Teachers (and students) in harm's way

"Several incidents in Oklahoma schools have occurred in which teachers have been physically harmed by children in the 3rd and 4th grades," says the leader of one teacher organization.

Ed choice and economic growth

Writing today in The Journal Record, OCPA president Jonathan Small says educational choice can help boost the number of college graduates and spur economic growth in Oklahoma.

Ed choice mythbusting never ends

With a new legislative session set to begin, Greg Forster (again) looks at some common myths about school choice in Oklahoma.

Drain the swamp

When a GOP campaign consultant advises Joy Hofmeister to feign conservative views and then do the bidding of the education establishment, that’s a problem. Read Andrew Spiropoulos's column today in The Journal Record.

Investigation underway amid allegations of Pawhuska teacher's abuse of special-needs children

FOX 23 has the story.

Disabled student denied entry into Piedmont schools

"Piedmont school officials refused to admit a 17-year-old disabled student into the district even though his mother was an employee at the time," Tim Farley reports. "This isn’t the first time parents with disabled children have encountered problems gaining services or entry into Piedmont schools."

Yet another reminder of why Oklahoma's special-needs voucher program is so important.

A tax deduction for education

"Education is an investment with some expected return," Roy Cordato and Sheldon Richman write. "Its purpose is to enhance the future productivity and income of students. Thus, principles of efficient tax policy suggest tht all personal expenditures on education ... should be made with pretax dollars."

Read the whole thing here.

Trump runs the risk of destroying school choice

"If DeVos and Trump love school choice and the children it benefits, they will keep the federal government far, far away from them," Joy Pullmann writes. "Trump should not destroy school choice in the name of expanding it."

EPIC continues to grow

Oklahoma's 14th largest school system, though nearly last in per-pupil funding, is at or near the top in teacher pay (which is based on student performance).

A word of caution to the Trump administration on school choice

Good advice from Will Flanders and Jake Curtis.

AFC holds successful event in Oklahoma City

Pictured from left: state Board of Education member Bob Ross, OCPA trustee Bob Sullivan, OCPA trustee Dana Weber, and Advance Rural Education founder Paul Campbell discuss educational choice at an AFC event in the Devon Tower. [Photo credit: Patricia Isbell Photography]

"Two key leaders of the American Federation for Children (AFC), a leading school choice advocate, came to the Sooner State for an early December event," Patrick McGuigan reports.

School choice must be part of the mix in 2017

"Education is another area crying out for reform," the state's largest newspaper editorialized today.

Teacher pay is a high-profile issue, but pay raises shouldn't be enacted without addressing other problems in the state school system, including administrative waste, low standards, and the need for consolidation. School choice policies must be part of the mix. If schools don't have to fear the loss of students to better-performing alternatives, there will be little incentive for school administrators and school boards to reduce waste and improve academic performance.