Tag Archives: Education Tulsa

Supreme Court: OK Religious Freedom

By Jared Buswell

Late Friday afternoon, January 24, the US Supreme Court approved hearing the St. Isidore Catholic virtual charter school case, Statewide Charter School Board vs. Drummond.

The case contains several constitutional review questions with significant, national implications, including:

  • Does the First Amendment require states to never allow public funds to support charter schools run by religiously-affiliated organizations, or does it require states to not prohibit the religious activity of organizations that meet all state requirements to provide schools?
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Lawsuit to Recoup Millions for Schools

By David Arnett

Tuesday January 14, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced a $474 million lawsuit against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Peter Flores. The lawsuit seeks compensation for the severe financial and operational strain that their failed border policies have placed on Oklahoma’s public schools.

Sup. Ryan Walters meeting with parents.
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Bad Instruction Prompts Lawsuit

By Jonathan Small

One of the lower-key victories of the 2024 Oklahoma legislative session was passage of Senate Bill 362, which stated that Oklahoma public-school teachers “shall be prohibited from using the three-cueing system model of teaching students to read” starting in the 2025-2026 school year.

Under the three-cueing method, students are encouraged to guess words based on associated pictures and context, and to memorize entire words, rather than learn to sound them out phonetically.

APMreports has noted “that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked” three-cueing, while ExcelinEd in Action noted the three-cueing system “can be boiled down to this: Teachers using this method instruct students to guess.”

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National Summit on Education

By Staff Report

Oklahoma State Senator Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, chair of the Senate Education Committee, welcomed Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders today at the National Summit on Education, hosted by ExcelinEd in Oklahoma City. 

The event, running from Nov. 13 to 15, brought together policymakers, educators and thought leaders to discuss transformative strategies for improving education nationwide.

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Sup. Walters Forms Trump Edu. Advisory

By David Arnett

State Superintendent Ryan Walters today announced the formation of an education advisory committee within the State Department of Education (SDE) to oversee federal public education policy changes that are anticipated under the incoming Trump Administration.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters, speaking with constituents
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