Oklahomans are not satisfied with the state’s K-12 education system. Oklahoma’s students currently rank near the bottom in the US on many key measures of academic performance.
Because Oklahoma’s students deserve a better education, the Oklahoma Education Impact Initiative (OKEII) was formed.
Ed Harris, professor emeritus of Education Leadership at Oklahoma State University and current OKEII Director said, “We want to first identify the critical priority issues in Oklahoma and then, working with parents, educators, community leaders, state officials and agencies across the state, develop and implement a comprehensive initiative to rapidly transform the state’s public education system.”
This fall, the OKEII team fielded a comprehensive research study to identify those priorities needed to improve education in Oklahoma. Conducted by a team of educators from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, research findings from this work will provide the foundation for policy recommendations to the Oklahoma Legislature during the upcoming legislative session.
To understand performance challenges in the state’s education system, OKEII’s research team surveyed the Oklahoma general population, as well as public school educators.
Both surveys consisted of large, representative samples of respondents from urban, suburban, and rural areas of Oklahoma (+/- 3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level). The following results are highlights from these surveys:
• Both Oklahomans in general and public school educators agree that students’ reading and writing abilities need the most improvement among different academic skills.
• Both groups agree that the primary goals of Oklahoma’s K-12 schools should be to promote good work habits and self-discipline and to prepare students for the workforce.
• Both groups also agree that the two best ways to attract high-quality teachers to Oklahoma’s schools is to increase financial incentives for teachers and reduce student behavioral issues.
• Nearly all respondents reported that parents and students themselves need to be held more accountable for students’ behavior, attendance, and achievement.
See the full results of the first study at www.okeii.org/research. The third study is currently underway, surveying public school superintendents across Oklahoma. The results of this survey will be added to the OKEII website as soon as possible.
The Oklahoma Education Impact Initiative is a part of The Brock Foundation, headquartered in Tulsa. The Brock Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit engaged in education and many other endeavors. For the past 24 years, they have sponsored The Brock Prize in Education Innovation, given annually to a person doing innovative work in the field of education worldwide.
