Public Education in Oklahoma

[mr.jaynes]

As a mid-year sophomore in Broken Arrow, and having parents who were concerned about my educational situation, we saw that the quality of education, the quality of life and the overall professionalism that Broken Arrow had to offer left much to be desired (read: I did NOT want to go back there after Christmas vacation). So by contrivance and connivance and a few technicalities, we managed to get me enrolled in Tulsa Public Schools, where I ultimately graduated from East Central High School. I dare say that the quality of education and overall atmosphere trumped Broken Arrow in so many respects, that I'm thankful to my parents for what they were able to pull together for me.

I'm the only member of my family to have done this, the rest of my siblings having graduated High School from Broken Arrow (it's among the very few topics we actually bicker about), but it goes to show that if we really care about our childrens' educations, we'll go to whatever lenghts the law allows to see that their education is the best we can get for them.

That being said, I've recently examined statistics about Oklahoma's public school systems and where they stand in comparison to others. Let's just say for now that I can understand why my younger brother teaches High School in another state. What's everyone else's opinion about Oklahoma education?

[TheArtist]

Nice to hear your take on things.  The only personal experience I can give on the matter is when I started college at Syracuse University in upstate NY.  One of the professors asked me one day where I was from.  I said I was from Oklahoma and he said, "Aaah I thought so, your smarter than most of the students from around here, I thought you might be from that area." This was in 1991.

Of course I must confess that my mother was a college professor, education was emphasized in my home, and both my parents emphasized discipline and hard work. I remember getting my first set of encyclopedias at 10 years old. And there were always books of all kinds around the home.  

However another experience was with my much younger sister who lived with her mom, my step mother, in BA.  She was doing horribly in school and was basically "uncontrollable" according to her mom.  I remember visiting her  when she was at her boyfriends house one day. I remember walking in the door, seeing his parents in the living room watching TV, I was utterly suprised when I wasnt introduced and they didn't even seem to care who was coming or going in the house.  I went upstairs and there were a couple of other high school age kids there as well and I saw a couple of beer cans in the trash in her bf's room.  This was in an average middle class suburban neighborhood and home.

My sister got shipped off to live with my mom and dad in Eureka Springs. She hated it and the discipline and chores my parents put on her and their questions about, where are you going, when are you getting back, who are you going to be with, etc.  But her grades promptly got better.

In some respects schools may be better here.  But even if they are or are not, its the parents that can have the most influence.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

Nice to hear your take on things.  The only personal experience I can give on the matter is when I started college at Syracuse University in upstate NY.  One of the professors asked me one day where I was from.  I said I was from Oklahoma and he said, "Aaah I thought so, your smarter than most of the students from around here, I thought you might be from that area." This was in 1991.

Of course I must confess that my mother was a college professor, education was emphasized in my home, and both my parents emphasized discipline and hard work. I remember getting my first set of encyclopedias at 10 years old. And there were always books of all kinds around the home.  

However another experience was with my much younger sister who lived with her mom, my step mother, in BA.  She was doing horribly in school and was basically "uncontrollable" according to her mom.  I remember visiting her  when she was at her boyfriends house one day. I remember walking in the door, seeing his parents in the living room watching TV, I was utterly suprised when I wasnt introduced and they didn't even seem to care who was coming or going in the house.  I went upstairs and there were a couple of other high school age kids there as well and I saw a couple of beer cans in the trash in her bf's room.  This was in an average middle class suburban neighborhood and home.

My sister got shipped off to live with my mom and dad in Eureka Springs. She hated it and the discipline and chores my parents put on her and their questions about, where are you going, when are you getting back, who are you going to be with, etc.  But her grades promptly got better.

In some respects schools may be better here.  But even if they are or are not, its the parents that can have the most influence.

ES is one of the best schools in Arkansas, and probably THE most liberal thinking school in Arkansas, if not the region.  She should thank her lucky stars she gets to go there.

[RecycleMichael]

I are a graduate of Okrahoma schools.

[cannon_fodder]

I moved from son from the TU School to TPS and am thus far happy with the result.  The school he is at is just fine, better than the private schools I went to growing up.  I'm considering pushing for enrollment at EIS (about 1 block from my front door) but I'm not sure he would WANT to change schools at this point.

I'm glad to hear that TPS has some good news at the top, good review anyway.  If need be, I will spare no expense putting him in the best school.  However, if TPS can educate him just as well I'm happy to see him there.

(reinsert my comment from previous posts that the schools with the best reputations are the ones with the best football teams/newest stadiums: Jenks, Owasso, Union...

[mr.jaynes]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder


I'm glad to hear that TPS has some good news at the top, good review anyway.  

The difference was night and day for me. The education in BA was sanitary, lifeless, dull, and not conducive with my own ambitions or that of my parents when it came to what we wanted for me and my life; I was unable to grow much while in that environment. It took alot of conversation, and my parents were not the easiest sell when it came to my desire to transfer out of there. Obviously, my other siblings stayed and graduated from in BA, because they were able to get something from the experience-I couldn't. But once they saw that I thrived in another district, they wondered why they hadn't done it sooner.

GO EAST CENTRAL!

[USRufnex]

I think the problem with suburban schools in general is their focus on athletics over what's best for the kids... it's possible to do both -- just make sure your sports coaches aren't also teaching history...    

I think BA should have been divided into two different high schools years ago... and probably should have three different high schools today.

Don't they have a separate "school" for every grade now?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7723397/site/newsweek/
from Newsweek...The Top of the Class
The complete list of the 1,200 top U.S. schools

#63 -- Classen School of Advanced Studies  Oklahoma City Okla.
#75 -- Booker T. Washington  Tulsa Okla.
#310 -- Edison Preparatory  Tulsa Okla.  
#448 -- Edmond North  Edmond Okla.
#834 -- Jenks  Jenks Okla.
#1098 -- Santa Fe  Edmond Okla.
#1253 -- Chickasha  Chichasha Okla.


Oh, Hale grad here...

[mr.jaynes]

quote:Originally posted by USRufnex

I think the problem with suburban schools in general is their focus on athletics over what's best for the kids... it's possible to do both -- just make sure your sports coaches aren't also teaching history...    

I agree, there is a difference between a teacher who coaches, from a coach that teaches. The former is primarily focused on education while doing a little coaching on the side, while for the latter, he's primarily a coach who does a little teaching here and there. But I also believe that a teacher should stick with teaching, and a coach should stick with coasching, and when it comes down to having to choose between education and sports, the school systems should remember that sports is an extracurricular concept: it's education that's the reason for the school's existence in the first place.