Interim Study: Community Schools
This study, run by Rep. Tammy West, was an in-depth look on the potential impact of Community Schools in Oklahoma. Community Schools are public schools that integrate existing community resources through community partnerships into the school campus for families.
Many resources that exist outside of schools are inaccessible to families due to transportation, language, and time barriers and this model seeks to remedy that.
The four pillars of the Community Schools philosophy are:
1. Collaborative leadership
2. Family engagement
3. Expanded learning opportunities
4. Integrated student support
Several parents and community partners representing church groups and local businesses echoed their appreciation for and positive experiences with the Community Schools model. Parents highlighted their need for counseling and mental health care and tutoring specifically.
Theresa Kiger, Sandi Calvin, and Kulsum Siddiqui, coordinators and leaders from Union schools, shared how their school has adapted to the Community Schools model.
Dr. Kathy Dodd, from the Oklahoma State Department of Education chimed in on this discussion with ways to measure success and spoke to the role of the SDE in Community Schools reporting. Tahlequah Superintendent, Tanya Jones, joined virtually to describe the many programs their community school has spearheaded in order to get more resources to students and families in need. They have been providing a clothing closet, an on-site food pantry, direct to home food delivery, physical and mental healthcare, and more which has led to positive outcomes in student achievement and parent engagement.
Dr. Chan Hellman, a professor and researcher from Hope Rising, reinforced these talking points by presenting information on the power and science of hope in children and spoke to positive strategies often utilized in the Community Schools model.
Interim Study: Effectively Addressing a Major Barrier to Reading Success in Oklahoma Children
This study was conducted by Rep. Meloyde Blancett to discuss how hearing loss and auditory disorders can lead to reading issues within children.
Due to limited hearing screening in our schools, there are undiagnosed and untreated auditory pathway disorders and hearing loss. Children are unable to achieve phonemic awareness if there is a problem at any point along the auditory pathway. It is important to understand that we hear with our brain. If there is too much noise in our environment, then some students don’t know how to turn off the noise resulting in an inability to learn.
In Oklahoma, the only time that a child is required to have a hearing screen test is when they are newborn. There are almost no systematic methods to screen for hearing loss and no screening standard for auditory pathway disorders.
The goal of the interim study was to raise awareness of the need to gather additional data by screening in a representative number of school districts across Oklahoma. The data can be used to establish screening ages and appropriate disability categories.
Soundwrx is a nonprofit organization whose executive director, Dr. Jacqueline Scholl, is an audiologist and mother of a deaf daughter. After selling her award-winning speech and hearing clinic several years ago, Dr. Scholl organized Soundwrx to identify children in the state with auditory pathway disorders. She is conducting research in Oklahoma public schools and is looking for more schools to participate.
For more information, please see How Does Your District Hear, email Dr. Jacqueline Scholl, or call 918-600-2525.
Interim Study: The Role of Education Prep Programs and Grow-Your-Own Programs in School Districts
This study was overseen by Rep. John Waldron with the hope of addressing the on-going educator shortage crisis.
Over the past 10 years, there has been a steady decline in the number of aspiring educators choosing to go through a traditional teacher preparation college program and an increase in schools hiring emergency certified teachers. This year, Oklahoma has again set a record for the number of emergency certified teachers. This interim study looked at how to support all educators in our schools no matter what pathway and how to increase the number of individuals choosing to go into education.
The Grow Your Own (GYO) programs are not teacher preparation programs; instead, they are approaches to recruitment and supports for community-based teacher candidates. GYO programs are not standardized and vary in how they are operated and funded.
Several Grow Your Own programs were highlighted in the interim study. They included Tulsa Teacher Corps, OKCPS Teacher Pipeline Program, and Northeastern Smart Choice Program.
Interim Study: School Security in the State
This study is being conducted by Rep. Jacob Rosecrants to address concerns over school safety across the state.
School security is top of mind for many students, parents, and school staff after several tragic events have occurred on school campuses over the years. This interim study examined what the state and local districts are already doing to ensure our schools remain safe and sought stakeholder input concerning what needs still exist to guarantee our schools are as secure as possible. Representatives from the Oklahoma School Security Institute (OSSI), Oklahoma City Public Schools, Norman Public Schools, Okay Public Schools, as well as other districts and stakeholders spoke of their efforts regarding school security. Three themes emerged from their testimony: training for administrators and staff, the “hardening” of schools, and the desperate need for access to mental health professionals.
Most, if not all, presenters pleaded with the committee for more funding to enhance and expand their efforts so keep schools safe. Many of the districts said they were using general fund money for school security and that if the legislature would provide funds specifically for school security they would be able to hire more teachers. The districts all wanted to expand their school safety programs, whether that was purchasing more cameras, growing their SRO program, or adding mental health professionals, but funding was a barrier to doing so.
Interim Study: Four-Day School Weeks
Rep. Danny Sterling’s interim study on four-day school weeks was filled with data concerning the model.
It began with testimony from Carolyn Thompson concerning the rules associated with SB 441, which was meant to provide oversight of districts moving to the four-day week. She testified about the rules process and explained to the committee how the State Board of Education denied the waivers for 7 schools seeking to be in session fewer that 165 days earlier this year.
The committee then heard from Christina Monaco from the Colorado State Department of Education. She shared data concerning the large number of four-day school week districts they have in Colorado. She testified that most were rural, between 80%-90% of the people in those communities approve of the model and provided a study from 2011 showing no differentiation in student academic growth between traditional five-day week districts and four-day week districts. She then offered her perspective on the positives of the model including increased time for activities, easier to hire high-quality staff, and improved morale.
The next speaker was Dr. Emily Morton from the Northwest Evaluation Association. She testified that four-day weeks are growing nationwide, and that historically the model is adopted for financial reasons. She affirmed Ms. Monaco’s claim that parents support the four-day week. Lastly, she presented the effects and tradeoffs of the model, according to her research. The benefits were: a decrease in bullying and fighting, small average decreases in spending (~2%), and communities like the model. The drawbacks were: small declines in student achievement, no effects on attendance rates.
Finally, Rep. Eddy Dempsey offered the perspective of a school board member from SE Oklahoma where most districts that adopted four-day weeks were located. He testified that the model saved his district money, it helped with recruiting staff, and that absences for students and teachers alike dropped.
Interim Study: Rule 8 in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Manual and Title 7
This study was conducted by Rep. Ty Burns. It examined Rule 8 in the OSSAA manual which concerns eligibility for athletic events, specifically related to eligibility after a transfer.
According to testimony given throughout the interim study, if an athlete transfers to another school after the beginning of their freshman year, they are by rule ineligible to compete in varsity athletics for a year. Within the rules, there also exists a hardship waiver process that athletes can utilize in certain circumstances. Most of the interim study concerned testimony about the waiver process.
The committee first heard from Kevin Sain, a lawyer who does a lot of pro bono legal work for parents who are trying to get their children granted the hardship waiver from the OSSAA. He questioned OSSAA’s impartiality in matters of eligibility and made the point that there were different rules for sports than other activities (such as band, drama, etc., which OSSAA also oversees). Finally, he testified that because people with money have the ability to move their kids to the school district they want to attend, the OSSAA’s rules disproportionately effect those with less income.
The next speaker was David Jackson, the executive director of OSSAA. He first walked the committee through the waiver process and assured the committee that his staff, as well as their board of directors always want kids participating. He presented data to that effect, pointing out that between 60% to 75% of hardship waivers are granted each year. Additionally, he argued that the rules are set by his 482 member schools, and that school leaders are the best positioned to make these difficult decisions. Lastly, he testified that OSSAA’s eligibility rules are in line with other states’ rules.
The committee also heard from concerned parents, as well as from superintendents supportive of OSSBA’s current rules. One issues that was prevalent throughout the study was the impact that the open transfer law has had on Rule 8.
Interim Study: Sex Education of Minors
Disclaimer: Not all speakers who presented during this interim study spoke to the stated purpose. While there was some discussion concerning sex education in Oklahoma schools, there was also discussion concerning “pornography and obscenity” in school libraries, as well as fringe science shared concerning transgender, homosexual, and gender diverse students. This is concerning because these topics are not widely reported as being especially concerning statewide. Additionally, if these topics were of concern, there are already procedures in place to address such sensitive topics at the local level.
This study was conducted by Rep. Danny Williams and Sen. David Bullard to investigate the effect of sex education in schools for minors.
According to testimony in this study, sex education, while not being state mandated, is taught in many public schools throughout the state. The goal of this study was to examine if sex education is producing positive results for the students of Oklahoma. Additionally, the authors wanted to consider if there are any unintended consequences related to sex education in Oklahoma public schools.
The committee first heard from David Pickup, a licensed marriage and family therapist based out of Houston, Texas. He presented polling concerning “pornography & obscenity” in public school libraries and warned that parents were fleeing public schools because of the presence of these books. He then testified about what causes people to identify as either transgender or homosexual. He presented nothing concerning sex education in schools and he was pressed by members about potentially practicing conversion therapy.
The next speaker, Jenni White, presented data about successes and failures of sex education in Oklahoma schools. She pointed out that teen pregnancy rates are down 57% over the last 25 years, but that STI rates are slightly up for teenagers over the same time period. She then presented information about sex education curricula. She had serious concerns with the content of the curricula, asserting that it was “sexualizing” students. It was unclear if the curricula she was presenting on were actually being utilized in Oklahoma schools.
Finally, Audrey Werner from Matthew XVIII ministries testified that sex education is bad for kids, arguing that the more we talk about sex, the more we are sexualizing students. She claimed that sex education was a form of indoctrination.
