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Oklahoma: Near the bottom in public education
See the research:

Oklahoma ranks

49th

in public education

No Oklahoman should be satisfied with a ranking of #49 or #50 in public education.
It’s not new news. US News and World Report recently ranked Oklahoma at #49 in both Pre-K through 12 and Education overall. Newsweek and WalletHub rank us even worse - #50. Oklahoma’s NAEP scores in reading and mathematics are #47 and #48 respectively. Oklahoma kids deserve a better public education.

Disruptions to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened the problem. Coming off the pandemic in 2022, Oklahoma’s students scored lower than 43 other states on the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the Nation’s Report Card.  Achievement levels in math and reading for 8th grade students plummeted to levels not seen in over 25 years. On state assessments, only about one-third of Oklahoma’s students scored at proficiency levels in reading and mathematics

 

Students graduating with poor academic skills are expected to have reduced opportunities in higher education and the workforce. Similarly, students remaining in the K-12 education system are ill-equipped for advanced coursework that can prepare them for high-demand college majors in health, science, engineering, and technology.

 

Oklahoma's K-12 public education system is not delivering the results we need nor want. And most Oklahoman’s believe that improvements are needed. In a statewide poll in 2024, Oklahoman’s offered the following information:

 

41%

of respondents gave their local school(s) a C grade; 19% gave their local school(s) a D or F grade.

76%

say teacher salaries need to increase or greatly increase.

73%

say school funding should increase or greatly increase.

Democrats and Republicans alike showed substantial agreement on issues such as teacher salaries and school funding.

90%

of Democrats support increases in school funding and teachers’ salaries.

64%

of Republicans support increased funding for schools.

72%

of Republicans support increasing teachers’ salaries.

Oklahomans across party lines seem to acknowledge that our state’s public education system is not performing at optimal levels. And while increasing teacher salaries and school funding may help improve outcomes, there are many other issues affecting Oklahoma’s public education system that are hindering student achievement.

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Why are students in Oklahoma’s public education system underperforming?

And what can be done about it? 

See what Oklahomans and Oklahoma public school educators think.

About OKEII

The Oklahoma Education Impact Initiative is a non-profit organization dedicated to rapidly transforming Oklahoma's public education system. The initiative is undertaking a comprehensive research effort conducted by an independent team of leading scholars from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. This research team is surveying representative samples of Oklahomans, including:

  • School Principals

  • School Board Members

  • Teachers

  • Staff

  • Parents and Family of Students

  • General Public


See the research highlights here.

The primary research objective is to understand what the groups above consider to be the main problems – and solutions – affecting the K-12 public education in the state.

Primary Research

The secondary objective is to elicit information on potential solutions (i.e., resources, practices, and policies) to these problems.
 

Secondary Research

The Initiative

This data will be analyzed by leading minds in education in Oklahoma and will result in the creation and formulation of OEII’s comprehensive education initiative. The results of the initiative will be brought before the Oklahoma Legislature in the 2025 session. OEII will work to lobby for the adoption of policies that Oklahomans themselves have identified.

 

Oklahoma must have a systemic transformation of its public education system if we’re ever to climb out of the bottom of the barrel nationwide.

For any questions or comments, please contact the Oklahoma Educational Impact Initiative at:


 info@okeii.com

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