OKPOLICY.ORG
It’s been a busy year for Oklahoma Policy Institute. We celebrated our 5th Anniversary with a packed crowd at Cain’s Ballroom and the release of our anniversary video. We convened the first Summer Policy Institute with more than 50 of Oklahoma’s future leaders from across the state. We put out a steady stream of resources and information: CountySTATS 2013 data sheets, the 2013 Legislative Primer, our Action Items for Oklahoma series of policy recommendations, In The Know daily news updates, and many other reports and fact sheets to help keep Oklahomans informed about state government and what we can do to ensure broad-based prosperity in Oklahoma.
We also posted on our blog almost every weekday throughout the year. Here’s a rundown of our most popular blog posts in 2013:
Ten…
Poll shows Oklahomans oppose tax cut plan after hearing the facts: Our tenth most popular post shared the results of a poll that found majorities of Oklahomans opposed an income tax cut after learning what it would cost in reduced funding for state services. A large majority also agreed that an educated and well-trained workforce is more important for attracting business than low personal income tax rates. The Legislature approved the tax cut anyway, but then Oklahoma’s Supreme Court said not so fast.
Nine…
Proposed education budget leaves schools in a hole: Ninth most popular was our post showing how education funding has not kept up with rising enrollment since at least 2008, and the share of the budget going to common education reached a new low in 2014. This was just one of several of our most visited posts on the collapse of education funding.
Eight…
Watch This: Wealth Inequality in America: This post shared a video illustrating new research on Americans’ beliefs about wealth inequality. The short, animated video effectively shows that Americans think the wealth distribution in America should be less unequal, even as they dramatically underestimate how unequal it already is.
OK Policy has researched steps we can take as a state to close the opportunity gap for those left out in today’s economy. We pushed back against attempts by state lawmakers and by The Oklahoman newspaper to squelch discussion of these issues.
Seven…
Punishment & Profits: A cost-benefit analysis of private prisons: This post by OK Policy intern Matt Simmons looks at what the research says about the costs and benefits of private prisons. He finds that short-term cost savings from private prisons may be countered by greater expense in the long run, due to higher recidivism of inmates, dangerous environments within prisons, and the negative influence of lobbying by an industry that profits from crime and incarceration.
Six…
Leavitt or Leave It: Consultant’s report suggests path for expanding health insurance coverage: A report contracted by Governor Fallin on how to reduce the number of uninsured in Oklahoma said we should accept federal Medicaid expansion funds through Insure Oklahoma. The Governor made favorable comments about the report’s findings, but we’ve yet to act on them, leaving billions in federal funds on the table.
Five…
Flawed A-F school grading system won’t help to improve schools (Guest Post: Ryan Miskell): Coming in 5th was OK Policy Research Fellow Ryan Miskell’s post outlining why Oklahoma’s controversial A-F grades aren’t providing accurate and timely information for schools and parents.
Four…
Five reasons not to drug-test welfare applicants: Kate Richey’s post on misguided attempts to force welfare applicants to undergo drug testing was published in 2012, but it was still the 4th most popular blog post in 2013. That’s staying power!
Three…
New third-grade reading law could block thousands of special ed student from advancing to fourth grade: Coming in at number 3 was our warning about how Oklahoma’s new third-grade retention law could adversely affect thousands of students with learning disabilities. We also published an in-depth report on the law, which showed that Oklahoma has invested far less on reading remediation than what was spent in other states that adopted this policy.
Two…
Policing for profit in Oklahoma: Our second most popular post of the year exposed how Oklahoma law enforcement was allowing a private contractor to make roadside stops and seizures, and even get a cut from confiscated property.
One!
Report: Oklahoma has made the deepest school funding cuts in the nation: Noticing a theme? In our most viewed post of the year, we discussed how Oklahoma had made the deepest school funding cuts in the nation since 2008, with per pupil funding plummeting by more than 22.8 percent.
Thank you for reading in 2013! We resolve to keep working hard in 2014 to spread quality information, promote good ideas for our state, and join with all of you in creating a fairer, more prosperous Oklahoma. Click here to help us do our work in the coming year.
