Articles
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Budget & Tax, Education
Oklahoma schools got $3 billion more. Much of it is sitting in the bank.
A new report raises questions about whether Oklahoma’s education system has a funding problem or a spending problem, particularly as school districts accumulate large reserves while teacher hiring lags behind overall staffing growth.Ray Carter | August 13, 2026
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Education
Third-grade retention law reaps results in Indiana
Indiana’s improving literacy rates offer Oklahoma another example of how early intervention and third-grade retention can help struggling readers while underscoring the depth of Oklahoma’s own reading crisis.Ray Carter | August 13, 2026
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Higher Education
New study finds college faculty lean heavily left
A new analysis of university faculty political contributions finds that college professors nationwide are overwhelmingly concentrated on the political left, including at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.Ray Carter | August 12, 2026
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Budget & Tax
As OKC Streetcar struggles, officials push for new rail system and higher taxes
Oklahoma City’s struggling streetcar system raises important questions about the proposed ONE Transit passenger rail system connecting Edmond, Oklahoma City, and Norman.Ray Carter | August 11, 2026
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Education
New research finds school-choice students outperform peers
New research from Wisconsin and Arkansas provides fresh evidence that students using school-choice programs can achieve stronger academic outcomes than comparable students in traditional public schools.Ray Carter | August 10, 2026
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Higher Education
Employers treat community college bachelor’s like university degrees, study finds
A new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper suggests employers place similar value on bachelor's degrees earned at community colleges and those earned at traditional four-year universities.Ray Carter | August 6, 2026
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Budget & Tax
As taxes fall, revenue climbs in Oklahoma
New state revenue figures show Oklahoma collected more tax revenue in fiscal year 2026 than it did the year before, despite significant tax cuts enacted under Gov. Kevin Stitt.Ray Carter | August 5, 2026
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Education
Researchers find reading retention threat boosts learning
A new study from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University provides fresh evidence supporting Oklahoma’s renewed third-grade reading reforms, finding that Ohio’s similar reading law produced significant and lasting academic gains that extended into middle school.Ray Carter | August 4, 2026
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Health Care
Arkansas Medicaid expansion program headed for ash heap
Arkansas' long-running "private option" version of Medicaid expansion is nearing its end after federal officials declined to extend the state's waiver, prompting renewed scrutiny of a program critics say produced soaring costs without meaningful improvements in health outcomes.Ray Carter | August 3, 2026
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Education
Socialists claim key role in 2018 Oklahoma teacher walkout
A Democratic Socialists of America publication credits socialist teachers with helping inspire the 2018 Oklahoma teacher walkout, while prominent figures in the Oklahoma protests openly embraced socialism or coordinated with socialist organizations.Ray Carter | August 3, 2026