Featured Read

Recent Posts

Join our team as a Regional Organizer for Central Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Policy Institute is currently hiring for:  Regional Organizer, Central Oklahoma Our Regional Organizer supports OK Policy by providing structured leadership in the development and implementation of community-based advocacy actions that further policy goals identified by OK Policy, and… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s overreliance on incarceration is increasing prison population (Capitol Update)

Oklahoma's justice system remains heavily tilted toward overincarceration. Even unnecessarily lengthy deferred and suspended sentences are often only a precursor to a lengthy prison sentence. As the prison numbers are now beginning to go back up, other essential state services are being shortchanged to support overincarceration. [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Attracting a new generation of teachers | Help Oklahoma get covered, stay covered | The value of shopping local | More

What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

Attracting a new generation of teachers (Capitol Update)

If a blue ribbon study were conducted today, it’s likely the most urgent threats to America’s schools would be (1) not enough people want to be a teacher, and (2) too many students are chronically absent from school. Solutions would be difficult both to agree upon and to implement.  [More...]

Weekly Wonk: A look at tribal-state policy issues | No Oklahoman should go hungry | Capitol Update | More

What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

Updated youth justice campus in Tecumseh provides opportunities for Oklahoma kids (Capitol Update)

It was recently announced by the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) that the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center (COJC), located in Tecumseh, completed its American Correctional Association (ACA) audit and received a 100 percent compliance score of the 38 mandatory files… Read more [More...]

The 2023 legislative session included significant tribal-state bills and a respect for tribal sovereignty from state lawmakers

Oklahoma has the second-highest share of tribal citizens of any state, which helps shape the fabric of our state’s culture and communities. This year, the Oklahoma legislature demonstrated this influence by including and valuing Native Oklahomans and tribal leaders in… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Minding the gap for youth justice | Churn in state agency leadership | Tribal-state compacts | More

Weekly Wonk, Nov. 18, 2023: Minding the gap for youth justice | Churn in state agency leadership | Tribal-state compacts | More [More...]

State experiencing churn in agency directors (Capitol Update)

With the change giving the governor the hiring and firing of agency directors, the state will continue to see more turnover in agency leadership. Political appointees will come and go rather than seeing their job as a career. In the five agencies above, a majority of the boards are appointed by the governor and serve at the pleasure of the governor so, in effect, the governor can control both the boards and the directors. [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma still reeling from decades of budget cuts | Respecting tribal sovereignty starts at the top | Youth justice

Weekly Wonk, Nov. 12, 2023: Oklahoma still reeling from decades of budget cuts | Respecting tribal sovereignty starts at the top | Youth justice [More...]

Search the Blog