BY JOHN THOMPSON Even many of the staunchest pro-charter corporate reformers are criticizing virtual charters for their poor outcomes and draining resources from public schools. For instance, Todd Ziebarth of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, criticizes the high rates of “churn” they contribute to, their low graduation rates, and low levels of student…
BY JOHN THOMPSON The Tulsa World’s headline nailed the big picture, Staggering: 30,000 Oklahoma Teachers Have Left Profession in the Past Six Years, Report Shows. The World’s Michael Dekker cites state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister who explained, “The loss of 30,000 educators over the past six years is staggering – and proof that our schools must…
BY MIKE W. RAY The root cause of many problems in this state, such as poverty and crime, can be traced to a lack of education, yet over the past eight years the Oklahoma Legislature has imposed deeper cuts on education than any other state. That was the crux of the recent Oklahoma Observer Newsmakers…
Editor’s Note: This is the first of two essays by veteran Oklahoma educators analyzing State Question 779, the proposed one percent sales tax increase for public education that will appear on the Nov. 8 statewide ballot. The second essay will be posted tomorrow. Both first appeared in the September edition of The Oklahoma Observer. BY…
BY JOHN THOMPSON Oklahoma City legend Mike Barlow died last fall at the age of 71. His funeral at the Temple B’nai Israel was attended by a sanctuary full of friends and family; teachers and administrators from within and without Oklahoma City; leaders and the rank-in-file of both teachers unions; civil rights and social justice activists;…
