“We are left with a tiny fraction of the graduating class staying in Oklahoma. This happens year after year as we don’t provide a compelling reason for them to stay. Absolutely, hands down, the teacher shortage is the most important issue that affects student learning. If it is not solved, there is no way to increase student outcomes.”

– State Superintendent of schools Joy Hofmeister, arguing that most education majors in Oklahoma leave after graduation to work in states with better teacher pay (Source)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carly Putnam joined OK Policy in 2013. As Policy Director, she supervises policy research and strategy. She previously worked as an OK Policy intern, and she was OK Policy's health care policy analyst through July 2020. She graduated from the University of Tulsa in 2013. As a student, she was a participant in the National Education for Women (N.E.W.) Leadership Institute and interned with Planned Parenthood. Carly is a graduate of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits Nonprofit Management Certification; the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council’s Partners in Policymaking; The Mine, a social entrepreneurship fellowship in Tulsa; and Leadership Tulsa Class 62. She currently serves on the boards of Restore Hope Ministries and The Arc of Oklahoma. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and doing battle with her hundred year-old house.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.