Oklahoma Board of Education diploma waiver votes
I plan to keep a running total of how the ACE/EOI appeals process votes have turned out. Here’s a list of how the vote has gone by district.
- Broken Arrow: 2 granted, 4 denied, 15 dismissed
- Catoosa: 1 dismissed
- Choctow: 1 denied
- Lawton: 1 denied
- Mannford: 1 denied
- Marlow: 1 denied
- Norman: 1 denied
- Oklahoma City: 1 granted, 1 denied
- Schulter: 1 dismissed
- Strother: 1 denied
- Tahlequah: 1 denied
- Tulsa: 2 denied
- Tulsa Union: 2 granted, 1 denied
- Wagoner: 1 denied
And here’s a list of how the vote has gone by meeting.
Results from the June 5, 2012 Oklahoma Board of Education Meeting
Granted, Extenuating Circumstances: 1 (Broken Arrow)
Granted, Accepted into a University: 1 (Broken Arrow)
Postponed until June 28: 1 (Oklahoma City)
Denied: 7 (four from Broken Arrow, two from Tulsa, one from Wagoner)
Dismissed: 16 (one from Catoosa, 15 from Broken Arrow)
Results from the June 28, 2012 Oklahoma Board of Education Meeting
Granted, Extenuating Circumstances: 2 (Tulsa Union)
Granted, Accepted into a University: 1 (Oklahoma City)
Denied: 9 (Choctaw, Lawton, Mannford, Marlow, Norman, Oklahoma City, Strother, Tahlequah, Union)
Dismissed: 1 (Schulter)
Total Results from Oklahoma Board of Education for 2012
Granted, Extenuating Circumstances: 3 (one from Broken Arrow, two from Tulsa Union)
Granted, Accepted into a University: 2 (one from Broken Arrow, one from Oklahoma City)
Denied: 16 (four from Broken Arrow, one from Choctaw, one from Lawton, one from Mannford, one from Marlow, one from Norman, one from Oklahoma City, one from Strother, one from Tahlequah, two from Tulsa, one from Union, one from Wagoner)
Dismissed: 17 (one from Catoosa, 15 from Broken Arrow, one from Shulter)
Nader to speak in Tulsa
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will speak about Oklahoma’s ballot access law and the current presidential campaign at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa on Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Auditorium.
“Open the Debates” is the theme of Nader’s remarks, which reflect the Nader and vice presidential candidate Matt Gonzalez campaign’s call for inclusive, democratic presidential debates.
Nader will also address
OSU-Tulsa is located at 700 North Greenwood Avenue, near I-244 and Detroit Avenue. For more information, contact the Nader campaign at 202-471-5833.
Lessons in leaving
First day of school Lesson No. 1:
Be mindful where you park. In the rush of parents walking their children into school this morning, my car was blocked by another vehicle. Thanks to the kind dad that helped me maneuver out of the tight spot!
Lesson No. 2: No photos please! My daughter was not at all interested in having her picture taken. How will I scrapbook this momentous day? I’ll try again tomorrow.
Lesson No. 3: Don’t forget the ice pack in the sack lunch. I did and then had to remove an item that needed to be kept cool. Luckily that still left a cookie and a peanut butter sandwich (crusts removed.)
Lesson No. 4: Take a deep breath. Smile big when you wave goodbye. Don’t cry until you get to the car. You’ll be stuck there for a while anyway.
Susan Simpson, Mom of a KINDERGARTENER! (Can you believe it?)
Message to superintendents: Shape up or ship out
Mississippi legislators want to bring greater accountability to their superintendents, telling those in underperforming districts to bring them up to par or leave the course altogether.
The legislation — which must first garner federal approval because election rules are affected — would terminate superintendents whose districts fail to meet academic standards for two consecutive years.
The governor would removed elected superintendents and bar them from running for re-election, while appointed superintendents would be automatically fired.
The proposal has stirred up controversy in Mississippi. I’d like to know what you think.
Should students test scores be used to hold superintendents accountable? Is two years enough time to bring meaningful change? Is it right for a law to require a superintendent’s departure?
Share your thoughts here on NewsOK’s Education Station.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Which way is best to slim down, shape up?
Gov. Brad Henry recently signed a bill raising the amount of physical education required for schoolchildren.
Students in California are facing a different approach under a law that went into effect this year: the amount of P.E. students must take depends on how fit they are.
In California, high school freshmen who fail more than one of six fitness tests must repeat P.E. classes until they can muscle through the assessment. The results don’t impact their graduation.
There is a notable difference between the state actions — Oklahoma’s applies to elementary and middle schools; California’s to high schools.
But both states’ approaches could be applied to any grade level, so which do you think will turn out to be more effective in helping kids slim down and shape up?
Share your thoughts on the education blog at http://blog.newsok.com/educationstation.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Back to school, back to court
Two weeks ago, I talked to families in Oklahoma for a national basketball tournament who defended their decision to take part in homeschooling. They were on the defense because of a California court’s ruling that parents without teacher certification cannot constitutionally teach their children at home.
But homeschooling families also went on the offense after the ruling was handed down, and the appellate court has agreed to rehear the case.
The court this time also asked for opinions from the union and state board of education for California, and the union and school district for the city of Los Angeles. Other interested parties were invited to file so-called “friend of the court” briefs.
Judges are scheduled to hear the case again in June.
What do you think the ruling should say this time around? Share your thoughts here at http://blog.newsok.com/educationstation.
Wendy K. Kleinman
Education Reporter
Your thoughts on homeschooling
The Oklahoman published a package of stories and video clips today about homeschooling — why parents choose it, how they feel about recent judicial and legislative moves, what they do to ensure a quality education for their children, how they join together for athletic competitions, and what recent research shows, among other issues.
We’ve shared information with you. Now, we want you to share your thoughts with us. Post your comments here to get a discussion going about these homeschool topics.
(Back)packing heat
Should college students be allowed to carry guns on campus? And would that make them any safer?
It’s a debate that renews after each senseless shooting on a college campus, the most recent being the tragedy at Northern Illinois University in which five students and the gunman died.
Utah is the only state that allows persons with concealed gun permits to pack heat on campus. But several other states have passed or are considering legislation to allow it.
Oklahoma bans weapons on public campuses, and I haven’t heard any talk from administrators about changing that. But what do students, faculty and campus police think about changing the law? It will be hot topic if shootings ever occur on a campus here.
Let’s hope that day never comes.
E-mail me your comments at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Leaping Lawyers!
If you graduated from law school in 2006, then you probably are too busy working to read this post.
That’s because nearly 91 percent of grads gained employment within the first year.
The Association for Legal Career Professions says the employment market for new lawyers has remained relatively strong and stable for about a decade. (I’ll let you decide why that is … more lawsuits, more crime, more politicians?)
But not all the new attorneys are making big bucks. Only 14 percent were making more than $135,000 a year. Four in ten were earning $55,000 or less.
Here’s more:
* 75 percent got jobs for which passage of the bar was required.
* Just 2 percent were pursuing an advanced degree like an LLM
* The most common employment setting was private practice within a law firm.
* Public service employment, like public defenders and government jobs, accounted for 27 percent of jobs.
* Women were more likely to take government, judicial clerkship and public interest jobs.
What do you think? Do we need more lawyers, and do they get the respect they deserve?
Let me know at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Study Break
It’s time to study. For lawmakers, at least.
The Oklahoma Senate has announced 35 interim legislative studies, and several are tied directly to education.
Here are the topics — some rather broad — along with the Senator who requested the study and committee it was assigned to:
Graduation and drop out rates; GED requirements and rules; Thunderbird Youth Academy; Sen. Kathleen Wilcoxson; Education committee
Academic Performance Index; Sen.Kathleen Wilcoxson; Education committee
“Weighted” students, “at risk” students, and the proportion of funding schools receive; Sen. Judy Eason-McIntyre; Education committee
Funding mechanism for (OSU) Extension Services; Sen. Jeff Rabon; Appropriations committee
Review of the higher education funding formula as it relates to two year and regional institutions; Sen. Kenneth Corn; Appropriations committee
Higher Education funding formula with respect to institutional peer groupings; Sen. Susan Paddack; Appropriations committee
Review the constitutional and statutory requirements for serving on the Oklahoma State Board of Regents for the Agricultural and Mechanical
Colleges; Sen. Patrick Anderson; Education committee
What are your thoughts on this list? Do you think anything will come of the committee studies?
E-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
