Oklahoma City Schools have ridden a roller coaster of ups and downs for the past decade. The district was labeled as “in need of improvement” under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). That federal mandate led to major overhauls which included a district improvement plan, a comprehensive local education plan (CLEP) and numerous initiatives by then superintendent Bob Moore. The changes have seen marked improvements.
Following Moore's resignation, interim superintendent Linda S. Brown and the Oklahoma City Schools' Board instituted four major tools to help meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as required by the NCLB act. These tools are: district restructuring, the Instructional Facilitator Program, the Organizational Health Inventory, and the High Performance Model. The major concern of Oklahoma City Schools during the previous academic year was finding someone capable of continuing the upward progress of these initiatives.
That search came to an end in April when Oklahoma City Schools announced the selection of John Q. Porter as the next Superintendent of Schools. Porter is currently Deputy Superintendent of the highly ranked Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Rockville, Maryland. Porter is nationally recognized for his work in improving both accountability and academics in the MCPS. He also has had success in integrating technology with student learning. This is one of the reasons that Oklahoma City Schools think he might be the right man for the job.
Oklahoma City Schools have received acclaim for its MAPS (Metropolitan Area Public Schools) for kids program. MAPS for kids is an “historic bond initiative” created in 2001 that has earmarked $512 million for new or renovated school buildings for all Oklahoma City Schools. Other funds in the initiative include $52 million for computer and technological resources for Oklahoma City Schools. The plan draws on sales tax increases over the coming years, as well as bond funds to feed the aggressive changes. Board members and administrators in the Oklahoma City Schools believe that Porter, coming from a district that manages an operating budget of $1.85 billion fairly successfully, will be able to use district funding to institute the needed AYP improvements.
The nearly year long search for the new Oklahoma City Schools Superintendent seems to have board members breathing a sigh of relief. Oklahoma City Schools have gone over 10 months without a permanent leader in the superintendent's position. Chairman of the Oklahoma City Schools Board, Cliff Hudson said, “While it has taken us some time to find a new leader, I can say it was worth the wait because we have found an exceptional person to lead the Oklahoma City Public Schools District.”
While politics dictate that this sunny outlook will face challenges during the actual interactions over the next school year, the fact that Porter is positively embraced by most of the Oklahoma City Schools administrators is encouraging. Hudson implied that the community investment made by MAPS for kids was partly responsible for the high quality of applicants who applied for the superintendent's position. Porter will officially assume the title of Oklahoma City Schools newest superintendent on July 1st.
Oklahoma City Public Schools
Parents in the Oklahoma City Schools face similar challenge to parents around the nation. Preparing children for high stakes testing, trying to balance home and work, and preparing students for independence in a global economy are not small tasks for parents or teachers. What the children of Oklahoma City Schools have in their favor is a local community that is unusually supportive of public education. In 2001 residents voted in an historic bond initiate that used future taxes to provide new and renovated school buildings for all Oklahoma City Schools. Such a wide margin of public support is sadly unusual.
But give the community involvement the parents of Oklahoma City Public Schools really seem interested in what they can do to give their own children, and local schools, the best chance possible. As a former teacher and parent of school-age learners, here's my advice on the three critical steps parents can take for their children's success.
Read Together
Reading is the single most important skill for students in the Oklahoma City Schools. Until the third grade your child is learning how to read. But after that, he or she will be reading to learn. In essence, the success in every other subject depends on the ability to read. Yes- it is that important that you and your child set aside 15 minutes a day for reading. It doesn't matter who does the reading, it matters that it happens.
The Oklahoma City Schools have a great library system. If you're not a reader by nature ask the librarian at your Oklahoma City Schools? librarian for family read-aloud recommendations. There are books that you will enjoy reading to your child. And hey- turn off the TV on school days. Is it more important that you child is successful in school or that she learns the critiquing techniques of Simon Cowell?
Keep Showing Up
The Oklahoma City Schools are generally very encouraging of parents and others who want to volunteer in the schools. The biggest challenge for parents is usually finding the time. But again, a large measure of your child's success in the Oklahoma City Schools will be your amount of involvement. This may take some creativity if you work a job or two outside the home, or are a single parent. Some Oklahoma City Schools have elementary packets that they send home with parents to help assemble, cut, or color. The key is to let your children know what you're doing, and to deliver it to the teacher so you have more face to face time. Or just stop by and have lunch with your child.
Support Your Child's Teacher
The teachers of Oklahoma City Schools need parental support. Involvement, encouragement, volunteers, and backup with getting homework done?.Your child's age will factor into the ways you can support the teachers and Oklahoma City Schools. But the end result is the same. It will help your child to succeed.
Patricia Hawke has sinced written about articles on various topics from Education, Food And Drink and Education Toys. Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit. Patricia Hawke's top article generates over 246000 views. Bookmark Patricia Hawke to your Favourites.
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