Tag Archives: Education Tulsa

Walters Enforces DEI Mandate

By David Arnett

Today, State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced in a release that the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) will begin withholding federal education funds on April 25 from school districts that fail to sign the required federal Title VI assurance. This assurance, mandated by the U.S. Department of Education, confirms that schools will not engage in discriminatory practices under the guise of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This may be a horrific shock to the Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) System.

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Officials on TPS Audit Release Delay

By David Arnett

Patrick B. McGuigan of City News Tulsa posted a story today on local representatives questioning delay of the Tulsa Public Schools System audit. McGuigan reported from a release issued by the State House of Representatives and referenced previous stories crafted by this writer and Education Editor Susan Phillips.

McGuigan reports, Representatives Chris Banning of Bixby and Rob Hall of Tulsa, and Mark Tedford, R-Jenks, commented on the recent delay in releasing the state audit of Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) and management of federal relief funds.

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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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