Oklahoma

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Oklahoma
Image of a bible sitting on top of a school backpack.
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States How States Are Testing the Church-State Divide in Public Schools
A new order to teach the Bible in Oklahoma is the latest action to fuel debate over the presence of religion in schools.
Evie Blad, June 28, 2024
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7 min read
The Oklahoma Supreme Court is pictured in the state Capitol building in Oklahoma City, May 19, 2014. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, June 25, 2024, that the approval of the nation's first state-funded Catholic charter school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School, is unconstitutional.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court is pictured in the state Capitol building in Oklahoma City, May 19, 2014. The high court ruled Tuesday, June 25, 2024, that the approval of the nation's first state-funded Catholic charter school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School, is unconstitutional.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Law & Courts Religious Charter School Is Unconstitutional, Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules
The state high court says the planned Catholic virtual charter school violates a state provision against aid to 'sectarian' institutions.
Mark Walsh, June 25, 2024
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4 min read
A green apple with a cross shaped stem in between red apples.
Richard Mia for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Opinion What Would Religious Charter Schools Mean for Public Education?
Discriminating and proselytizing on the taxpayer dime will never be acceptable, writes Kevin G. Welner.
Kevin G. Welner, May 29, 2024
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5 min read
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is pictured Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, during an interview in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, pictured in February, argued April 2 before the state supreme court against the nation's first religious charter school.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Law & Courts Oklahoma Supreme Court Weighs 'Test Case' Over the Nation's First Religious Charter School
The state attorney general says the Catholic-based school is not permitted under state law, while supporters cite U.S. Supreme Court cases.
Mark Walsh, April 2, 2024
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5 min read
Jacqueline Chaney ask her 2nd graders a question during class at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.
Jacqueline Chaney ask her 2nd graders a question during class at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching The 'Difficult, Beautiful' Work of Teaching
From sunup to sundown, America's teachers grapple with countless decisions, interruptions, joys, and frustrations.
Madeline Will, Elizabeth Heubeck, Ileana Najarro, Arianna Prothero & Sarah Schwartz, March 6, 2024
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26 min read
Students in Sofia Alvarez-Briglie's class test the design of their experiments during class on Nov. 13, 2023.
Students in Sofia Alvarez-Briglie's class at Alcott Middle School in Norman, Okla., test the design of their science experiments on Nov. 13, 2023. Oklahoma has experienced a dramatic decline in teacher-prep enrollments, and teachers there say pay and politics have affected the profession's desirability.
Brett Deering for Education Week
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching What One Record-Setting Teacher Shortage Can Tell Us About the Profession
Oklahoma struggles mightily with the widespread perception that teaching is a low-wage, high-stress, low-respect profession.
Madeline Will, March 6, 2024
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13 min read
A photograph of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died a day after a fight in a high school bathroom, is projected during a candlelight service at Point A Gallery, on Feb. 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Federal officials will investigate the Oklahoma school district where Benedict died, according to a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education on March 1, 2024.
A photograph of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died a day after a fight in a high school restroom, is projected during a candlelight service at Point A Gallery, on Feb. 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Federal officials will investigate the Oklahoma school district where Benedict died, according to a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education on March 1, 2024.
Nate Billings/The Oklahoman via AP
Law & Courts Oklahoma Nonbinary Student's Death Shines a Light on Families' Legal Recourse for Bullying
Students facing bullying and harassment from their peers face legal roadblocks in suing districts, but settlements appear to be on the rise
Mark Walsh, March 6, 2024
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11 min read
A man in a black baseball cap stands in front of a green building holding a lit candle and a sign that says: "You are seen. You are loved. #nexbenedict
Kody Macaulay holds a sign on Feb. 24, 2024, during a candlelight service in Oklahoma City for Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died one day after a fight in a high school bathroom.
Nate Billings/The Oklahoman via AP
Equity & Diversity District Under Federal Investigation Following Death of Nonbinary Student Nex Benedict
A federal investigation into the Owasso, Okla., district follows the death of a nonbinary student last month.
Evie Blad, March 4, 2024
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4 min read
Elizabeth Alonzo works as a bilingual aide with 2nd grade student Esteycy Lopez Perez at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
Elizabeth Alonzo works as a bilingual aide with 2nd grade student Esteycy Lopez Perez at West Elementary in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022. Alonzo obtained her bachelor's degree through a partnership with Reach University and the Russellville city schools district.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
Teaching Profession Bilingual Teachers Are in Short Supply. How 3 Districts Solved That Problem
Helping bilingual paraprofessionals obtain bachelor's degrees and teaching credentials leads to more bilingual teachers, districts found.
Ileana Najarro & Madeline Will, February 23, 2024
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9 min read
Jun Kim, Director of Technology for Moore Public Schools, poses for a portrait outside the Center for Technology on Dec. 13, 2023 in Moore, Okla.
Jun Kim, is the director of technology for the Moore school district in Moore, Okla., He has made securing student data a priority for the district and the state.
Brett Deering for Education Week
Privacy & Security Q&A Why One Tech Leader Prioritizes Explaining Student Data Privacy to Teachers
Jun Kim, the director of technology for an Oklahoma school district, helped build a statewide database of vetted learning platforms.
Alyson Klein, February 5, 2024
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3 min read
Jun Kim, Director of Technology for Moore Public Schools, center, leads a data privacy review meeting on Dec. 13, 2023 in Moore, Okla.
Jun Kim, director of technology for the Moore public schools in Moore, Okla., leads a data privacy review for staff.
Brett Deering for Education Week
IT Infrastructure & Management Leader To Learn From Through Wars, Tornadoes, and Cyberattacks, He's a Guardian of Student Privacy
Jun Kim, the technology director in Moore, Okla., works to make the most of innovations—without endangering student data.
Alyson Klein, February 5, 2024
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11 min read
Third grade teacher John Watkins works in his classroom at Grove Elementary School on Aug. 11, 2022 in Tulsa, Okla.
Third grade teacher John Watkins works in his classroom at Grove Elementary School on Aug. 11, 2022 in Tulsa, Okla. Oklahoma is struggling to train enough teachers in its preparation programs—and keep them in classrooms.
Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
Recruitment & Retention This State Is Giving New Teachers Up to $20K to Stay on the Job. But There’s a Catch
Oklahoma's scholarship program is designed to keep fully trained teachers on the job longer.
Madeline Will, November 30, 2023
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8 min read
JaNae Collins, Lily Gladstone, Cara Jade Myers and Jillian Dion in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
JaNae Collins, Lily Gladstone, Cara Jade Myers and Jillian Dion in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Melinda Sue Gordon/Apple TV
Social Studies 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Covers Painful History. Can Oklahoma Teachers Teach It?
The crime epic illuminates hard history in Oklahoma. State restrictions could complicate teachers' efforts to draw on it in class.
Madeline Will, October 26, 2023
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6 min read
Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters presides over a special state Board of Education meeting to discuss the U.S. Department of Education's "Proposed Change to its Title IX Regulations on Students' Eligibility for Athletic Teams" on April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters presides over a state Board of Education meeting on April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Reading & Literacy With Moms for Liberty Endorsement, ‘Science of Reading’ Faces More Political Controversy
The endorsement from the conservative organization known for challenging books raises some thorny issues for the bipartisan movement.
Sarah Schwartz, October 9, 2023
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5 min read
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