Author: Rebecca Hollis

As the political dust settles on 3rd grade reading, what’s happening in schools?

This post is by Rebecca Hollis, who worked with OK Policy during the summer as a Southern Education Leadership Initiative Fellow. Rebecca attends Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH and is part of the Philosophy, Politics, and the Public Honors Program.… Read more [More...]

Initiative seeks to bring together the puzzle pieces for improving Tulsa schools

This post is by Rebecca Hollis, who is working with OK Policy during the summer as a Southern Education Leadership Initiative Fellow. Rebecca attends Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH and is part of the Philosophy, Politics, and the Public Honors… Read more [More...]

Health-Care Access, Medicaid Expansion Among Key Issues in Oklahoma Gubernatorial Race (RH Reality Check)

By Teddy Wilson On November 4, Oklahoma residents will make a choice for governor between incumbent Republican Gov. Mary Fallin and Democratic nominee Rep. Joe Dorman (Rush Springs). Fallin has focused her campaign on her record as governor, including her… Read more [More...]

Voting for our priorities (The Norman Transcript)

By Molly Roberts Ok, let me see if I’ve got this straight. When the federal government ended its program of providing $13-$16 million in surplus equipment each year to fire departments, our state and congressional leaders immediately began working on… Read more [More...]

Definition of a ‘public’ college continues to change in Oklahoma, nationally (The Oklahoman)

By The Oklahoman Editorial Board WHAT does it mean to be a “public” college? Once upon a time, it meant that states provided significant financial support, which kept a cap of sorts on tuition and fees paid by students and… Read more [More...]

Think Globally, Innovate Locally (Dissent Magazine)

By Amy Hanauer Denial and indifference are two of the main congressional responses to the inequality, economic stagnation, and climate change that threaten America. But progressives can take heart in the creative, often inspiring initiatives flourishing in patches across the… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma is winning its Medicaid standoff with the feds — for now (The Washington Post)

By Jason Millman Oklahoma is one of about two dozen states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid — and it’s tangled in a unique standoff of sorts with the Obama administration. Oklahoma and the federal agency overseeing Medicaid are still wrestling with… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma Health Care Authority board leaders make tough choices over where to cut Medicaid services for some of the poorest residents (The Oklahoman)

By Jaclyn Cosgrove The word “difficult” was used throughout Thursday’s board meeting of the state’s Medicaid agency, as leaders discussed millions of dollars in cuts that had to be made to balance the agency’s budget for the coming fiscal year.… Read more [More...]

Recipe for Disaster: The high cost of ‘tough on crime’ (Red Dirt Report)

By Mindy Ragan Wood SHAWNEE, Okla. — Oklahoma appears to be racing towards a disaster. With overcrowded and understaffed prisons, questions are being raised that may lead to judicial and prison reform. From the “tough on crime” laws that win… Read more [More...]

Schools alone can’t overcome poverty. They need a community.

We need a whole community to meet the needs of the whole child.The community school model is a cost-effective, national reform strategy that seeks to do just that. [More...]