Oklahoma

Tulsa Public Schools board members Jennettie Marshall, left, and president Stacey Woolley speak to the members of the State Board of Education during a meeting where the board voted 6-0 to approve accreditation with deficiencies for the Tulsa Public School district in the Oliver Hodge Building on Aug. 24, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Tulsa Public Schools board members Jennettie Marshall, left, and president Stacey Woolley speak to the members of Oklahoma's board of education on Aug. 24, 2023. The board voted 6-0 to approve accreditation with deficiencies for the district, for now averting the possibility of state control.
Daniel Shular/Tulsa World via AP
School & District Management Tulsa Maintains Accreditation, Averting State Control—For Now
But the district's school board president issued an unusual rebuke to Oklahoma's top education official.
Evie Blad, August 24, 2023
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5 min read
Superintendent Deborah Gist, a woman with long brown hair wearing a black suit, sits at a desk as she speaks into a microphone.
Superintendent Deborah Gist speaks during a Tulsa Public Schools board meeting in Tulsa, Okla. on March 5, 2018.
Joey Johnson/Tulsa World via AP
School & District Management With a State Takeover on the Table, the Leader of Oklahoma’s Largest District Resigns
Gist cited her desire to avert state control—even as the looming vote has spurred teachers and students to activism.
Evie Blad, August 22, 2023
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7 min read
Illustration of an online teacher working with four students.
Olivia_art/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Lawsuit Challenges First Religious Charter School in Oklahoma
The suit argues that the Catholic virtual school violates a state constitutional requirement that public schools not be "sectarian."
Mark Walsh, July 31, 2023
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4 min read
Photo of cash in mousetrap.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Budget & Finance Auditors Are on the Hunt for ESSER Fraud. 5 Things to Know
Districts in some cases have failed to follow regulations for documenting spending—but criminal fraud findings have been minimal.
Mark Lieberman, July 20, 2023
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6 min read
Image of someone working on a data dashboard.
iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity A State Said Districts Had to Report Spending on DEI. Some Defied the Mandate
Some of Oklahoma's largest school districts resisted a directive to detail their spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Mark Lieberman & Eesha Pendharkar, July 18, 2023
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6 min read
070523 disability student activist BS
Georgia teacher Maronda Hastie shows off a snowy grouper captured aboard the ship Oregon II during the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency's Teacher at Sea program.
NOAA
Professional Development These Teachers Wanted More Than PD on Zoom. Here's How They Spent Their Summer
Seeking to broaden their horizons and those of their students, some teachers embark on experiential learning programs during their summer break.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 6, 2023
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6 min read
Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters presides over a special state Board of Education meeting discuss to the U.S. Department of Education's "Proposed Change to its Title IX Regulations on Students' Eligibility for Athletic Teams", Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma's superintendent of public instruction, Ryan Walters presides over a special state Board of Education meeting on April 12, 2023, in Oklahoma City to discuss the U.S. Department of Education's proposed changes to Title IX rules that would prohibit states from categorically banning transgender athletes from playing on teams that align with their gender identity. Walters was among four conservative state education chiefs who spoke at the national summit for the group Moms for Liberty on June 30.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Federal Conservatives Renew Call to End U.S. Education Department at Moms for Liberty Summit
A panel of state schools chiefs criticized the federal agency at the summit in Philadelphia for policies that "indoctrinate" students.
Libby Stanford, July 5, 2023
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6 min read
The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, 2023, in Washington.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, 2023, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Declines to Hear Closely Watched Case on Charter Schools
The justices won't consider whether charter schools are "state actors," which has implications for the push for religious charter schools.
Mark Walsh, June 26, 2023
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5 min read
A three photo collage on dark blue paper of principal Chris LeGrande and others from school.
Photos: Courtesy of Chris LeGrande; Design: Gina Tomko/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management In Their Own Words This Principal Endured A Lot of Senior Pranks. One Stood Out
Chris LeGrande won't forget 215 keys, a jar, and a parking boot.
Denisa R. Superville, June 23, 2023
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3 min read
Pregnant teacher wearing N95 Face mask and standing in front of a whiteboard holding a blue marker.
E+/Getty
Teaching Profession Paid Parental Leave for Teachers Is Happening in More States and Districts
Policymakers are hoping that the expansion of paid leave will be a recruitment and retention tool.
Madeline Will, June 22, 2023
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6 min read
A parent and child looking at 2 different schools
DigitalVision/Getty
School Choice & Charters 6 More States Will Soon Let Almost All Students Attend Private School With Public Money
So far this year, 14 states passed laws and lawmakers in 42 states introduced bills to expand private school choice.
Libby Stanford, June 15, 2023
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7 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School Choice & Charters Opinion Oklahoma Has Approved the Nation's First Religious Charter School. What's That Mean?
A charter authorizer has endorsed a statewide virtual school, which will be run by a Roman Catholic archdiocese and diocese.
Rick Hess, June 7, 2023
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9 min read
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond speaks during an interview, Feb. 1, 2023, in Oklahoma City. The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, a state school board in Oklahoma, voted Monday, June 5, to approve what would be the first publicly funded religious school in the nation, despite a warning from the state's attorney general that the decision was unconstitutional. Drummond had previously warned the board that such a decision clearly violated the Oklahoma Constitution.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond speaks during an interview, Feb. 1, 2023, in Oklahoma City. The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, a state school board in Oklahoma, voted Monday, June 5, to approve what would be the first publicly funded religious charter school in the nation, despite Drummond previously warning the board that such a decision violates the Oklahoma Constitution.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
School Choice & Charters Approval of Nation's 1st Religious Charter School Will Spark Legal Battle
A state board voted 3-2 to approve the St. Isidore Catholic Virtual Academy, which will aim to open in fall 2024, pending a court battle.
Mark Walsh, June 6, 2023
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5 min read
Lessons on the dry-erase board in history teacher Kala Hester's classroom at Millwood High School on April 20, 2022 in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma schools will have to report all DEI-related spending, per a new rule.
Lessons on the dry-erase board in history teacher Kala Hester's classroom at Millwood High School on April 20, 2022 in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma schools will have to report all DEI-related spending, per a new rule.
Brett Deering for Education Week
Equity & Diversity State Chief Targets DEI Initiatives. Here's How District Leaders Are Responding
Some Oklahoma superintendents are concerned about the state's reporting requirement on DEI spending.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 23, 2023
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7 min read
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