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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Ed Sec. McMahon touts Trump reforms in Oklahoma visit; Walters left off the agenda
WARR ACRES — U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon touted school choice and workforce development in Oklahoma as she made the state the latest stop on what she says will be a tour of all 50 states with the announced goal to "return education to the states." Since President Donald Trump took office in January, McMahon has led a massive overhaul of the U.S. Department of Education, aimed at dismantling the agency and funneling federal schools funding directly to states instead. McMahon announced plans in August to visit every state to hear from students and teachers about innovative ideas in education. McMahon joined Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on a tour of Dove Science Academy's new high school and middle school campus on the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 19. She then made a quick stop at the Oklahoma Capitol for a ceremonial bill signing with Stitt before heading to the visit another school site, Vanguard Academy, which is a part of Broken Arrow Public Schools.. Republican state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters was noticeably absent from the events. Walters often touts his support of Trump's education policies and says the Oklahoma State Department of Education, which he leads, is working closely with the federal agency run by McMahon. Asked if she planned to meet with Walters while in Oklahoma, McMahon said, "I don't believe that's on my schedule today." The Oklahoman asked two spokespeople for Walters about his absence. Spokesman Quinton Hitchcock said in an email received at 7 p.m., hours after this story published with McMahon's comment, that Walters was "out of the state today on previously scheduled travel." McMahon said the goal of her tour is to compile a "toolkit" of the best practices she sees in each state as she helps Trump achieve his pledge of "sending education back to the states." "I think Oklahoma should be very proud of what I've seen this morning," McMahon said. "It was just one charter school, but it's (emblematic) of a lot of the really great programs that the governor has talked about. I think his open policy (supporting) charter schools, and being able to go to any ZIP-code school where there's vacancies, I think that's incredibly important. The president is a big supporter of school choice, and so is the governor. I just think a rising tide lifts all boats." Stitt said he's supportive of Trump's efforts to move more responsibility for education to individual states. "When you think about education, it belongs at the state level," Stitt said. "There's 50 different laboratories of democracy. We're closer to the workforce than they are in Washington, DC. I like to remind people that what the president is trying to do is return it to the states. It's the states that hire teachers, build schools, educate kids." Dove Science Academy, led by Superintendent Abidin Erez, is one of Oklahoma's top-performing charter schools, which are public schools that are typically subject to fewer restrictions than traditional public schools, but also face different forms of accountability. "It's just amazing what's happening there," Stitt said of the school. "That's just more competition, more options for parents, and we met with some of the parents there that were saying, 'Hey, this is the best option for my kids.'" McMahon and Stitt visited English, math and biology classrooms and listened to students explain how they had built robots. As Stitt watched, she took the controller for one of the robots and maneuvered it around the classroom. Former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, who is running for the Republican bid for governor, also joined the tour. McMahon and Stitt later took part in a roundtable discussion at the school about workforce development and school choice. "Workforce development, I think that's really key, as we start to change and look at education differently," she said. McMahon's appearance in Oklahoma comes as Stitt and Walters feud over the future of state's education system, which consistently ranks among the worst nationwide. Stitt disagreed with Walters' proposal in February to require schools to track the immigration status of students. The governor then revamped the Oklahoma State Board of Education with four new members, who routinely push back against Walters' agenda. Most recently, Walters claimed, without citing evidence, that two of the new board members lied at the behest of Stitt about seeing images of naked women on his office television. Walters once was thought to be a candidate to become Trump's education secretary, though the president later picked McMahon. Walters did not post anything on social media about McMahon's visit. McMahon's visit to Oklahoma comes during the second week of her tour, which started with stops in Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee. (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ed. Sec. McMahon touts Trump reforms, school choice in Oklahoma Solve the daily Crossword
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Why Linda McMahon wants Oklahoma to move away from federal testing rules
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon's visit to Oklahoma on Tuesday offered a glimpse into how the Trump administration plans to rewire America's public school system: By dismantling federal oversight and returning control to the states. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now At the heart of the conversation was a proposal to replace statewide standardized testing with locally chosen assessments, a plan advanced by Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters. While McMahon acknowledged the idea had 'not gone through all the different steps' for approval, she signaled openness to rethinking the decades-old system that ties federal funding to uniform student exams. 'We want to give them the most flexibility that we can give them to operate within their state,' McMahon said while speaking with reporters at the state Capitol. A tour with political undertones McMahon's schedule underscored the political theater surrounding education policy. She appeared alongside Gov. Kevin Stitt and former House Speaker Charles McCall, now running for governor, but not with Walters — despite his vocal support for the Trump administration. The absence reflected a deepening rift between Oklahoma's top education officials, who have sparred publicly for months. Her tour of Dove Science Academy, a high-performing charter school in Warr Acres, doubled as a showcase for the administration's vision. Students flew drones, coded robots, and even programmed a robot dog to shake McMahon's hand. That same day, U.S. News & World Report ranked the academy as the third-best high school in Oklahoma. Later, she joined Stitt at the Capitol as he signed a bill banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from higher education institutions — a priority that mirrors the Trump administration's broader agenda. Cutting Washington down to size McMahon's trip is part of her 50-state 'Returning Education to the States Tour,' a campaign launched after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for mass downsizing at the Department of Education. President Trump has tasked McMahon with nothing less than dismantling the agency itself. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The administration's proposal envisions funneling federal dollars into large block grants, giving states discretion over spending. In theory, it would free schools from the maze of compliance paperwork that governors like Stitt argue drains resources. But any major restructuring would require congressional approval, where questions of accountability and equity loom large. Oklahoma's paradox Stitt pointed to his state's recent moves to expand charter funding, offer tax credits for private-school families, and boost overall education spending as evidence of progress. Yet national assessments still rank Oklahoma near the bottom in student outcomes, exposing the tension between expanding choice and improving academic performance. McMahon avoided commenting directly on whether she trusts Walters's leadership, even as his department faces persistent turmoil. Instead, she emphasized flexibility and deregulation as the north stars of federal policy. The bigger picture The debate in Oklahoma captures a larger national moment: the push to redefine what role, if any, Washington should play in American classrooms. By sidelining standardized tests and federal regulations, the Trump administration is seeking to place the burden, and opportunity, squarely on states. For supporters, it is a long-overdue chance to strip away bureaucracy and focus on students. For critics, it risks deepening inequalities between districts and undermining efforts to measure progress on a common scale. What is clear is that McMahon's tour is not just symbolic. It is a preview of the classroom battles ahead, where the fight is less about robots and rankings and more about who gets to decide what education looks like in the 21st century. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Education Secretary Linda McMahon visits Oklahoma on tour to 'return education to states'
President Donald Trump's top schools official is making Oklahoma the latest stop in her 50-state tour to "return education to the states." U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has led a massive overhaul of the U.S. Department of Education, aimed at dismantling the agency and funneling federal schools funding directly to states instead. McMahon said earlier in August that she planned to visit every state to hear from students and teachers about innovative ideas in education. McMahon's first public appearance in Oklahoma on Tuesday, Aug. 19, was at an Oklahoma City-area charter school, Dove Science Academy. She toured the school with Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and former House Speaker Charles McCall, who is running for the Republican bid for governor in 2026. McMahon visited English, math and biology classrooms and listened to students explain how they had built robots. She also took part in a roundtable discussion about workforce development and school choice. "Workforce development, I think that's really key, as we start to change and look at education differently," she said. McMahon's appearance in Oklahoma comes as two top Republican state officials — Stitt and state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters — feud over the future of state's education system, which consistently ranks among the worst nationwide. Stitt disagreed with Walters' proposal in February to require schools to track the immigration status of students. The governor then revamped the State Board of Education with four new members, who routinely push back against Walters' agenda. Most recently, Walters claimed without citing evidence that two new board members lied about seeing images of naked women on his office TV at the behest of Stitt. Walters has said he is working closely with McMahon and the Trump administration as he rolls out many of his proposals. He was not at Thursday morning's school tour with McMahon. McMahon's visit to Oklahoma comes during the second week of her tour, which started with stops in Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee. (This developing story will be updated.) This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: In OKC, Ed Secretary Linda McMahon touts workforce development in schools Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local nonprofit creates one-stop shop for Oklahoma City schools statistics, deadlines
The priority application deadline for Oklahoma City public charter and applications schools is approaching soon, and one local nonprofit organization created a one-stop shop for families to research their options. is a bilingual, user-friendly website where families can weigh their free public school options in Oklahoma City, including charter, application and neighborhood schools before the Feb. 21 priority application deadline for the 2025-26 academic year. 'Navigating public school options and multiple application deadlines can be overwhelming for families,' said Brent Bushey, CEO of Fuel OKC, the nonprofit behind in a news release. 'For the first time, families have access to comprehensive school data, direct application links and enrollment information for Oklahoma City public schools on one website, as well as one common priority application deadline for the 2025-26 school year.' More: School cellphone ban passes Oklahoma House as lawmakers debate library book bans, policies Fuel OKC is a nonprofit organization seeking to expand high-quality education options in Oklahoma City. offers families the ability to compare school profiles, academic performance data, demographics and enrollment statistics. 'Enroll OKC is an incredibly helpful tool for parents,' said Martha Paz, a parent whose child attends Dove Science Academy. 'We can search for nearby schools, both in English and Spanish, and find ones that offer specific programs — like sports, arts or science — that align with our child's interests. It makes the process of choosing the best school fit so much easier.' More: Bill to raise pay for starting teachers clears first hurdles in Oklahoma Legislature In its release, Fuel OKC cited the 2023-24 Oklahoma School Report Card data that shows 18 out of 79 public schools in Oklahoma City earned an A or B rating, classifying them as high-quality schools. 'The data is concerning,' Bushey said in the release. 'Especially considering research shows students who haven't learned to read by third grade are significantly less likely to graduate high school and struggle throughout their education. We believe that when families are empowered with knowledge, they can make informed decisions that best support their children's educational success.' The nonprofit encouraged Oklahoma City families seeking a public school option that best fits their child's learning needs to explore 'Every child deserves a great education, and we know that students learn in different ways,' Bushey said. 'By making school options and academic performance data easily accessible, we empower families to find the best fit for their child — no matter their zip code.' This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: compiles OKC schools data ahead of application deadline
