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Oklahoma
State Senate
For Immediate Release: February 9, 2009 Ford Urges Education Improvement The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) recently released a new education report, ranking states based on nationally recognized test results. The ALEC Report Card on American Education ranks all 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, in student proficiency with one being the best and 51 being the worst—Oklahoma ranked 35th. According to the ALEC report, a majority of Oklahoma students were unable to meet proficiency levels in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and mathematics, and the scores in SAT and ACT testing were unmoved, even with the decades-long increases in per-pupil spending. Senator John Ford, R-Bartlesville, recognizes the need for improvement and cites positive ways to reform our education system. “The children of Oklahoma and their individual educational needs vary greatly,” said Sen. John Ford. “For our state to provide the best possible educational opportunities to all our children, we need to be innovative in how best to deliver a quality education product. This includes giving the locally elected school boards more control by removing burdensome state mandates. It also includes allowing parents more input into their children’s education, which should include easier access to charter schools, private schools, and home schooling.” “States across the country have proved that through education reforms rooted in freedom and accountability, more can be done with less,” said Jeff W. Reed, director of ALEC’s Education Task Force. “But it is up to state lawmakers to give taxpayers a break and parents and students the opportunity to choose what works best for them.” The report included other data such as state and federal funding, graduation rates, GED completion rates, school resources, and school-choice initiatives, including scholarship, tax credit, and charter school programs. For more information
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