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Saturday, November 2, 2019

John Thompson: This year's OKCPS to-do list has at least 30 big items

This year's OKCPS to-do list has at least 30 big items

This year’s OKCPS to-do list has at least 30 big items

As students and teachers come out of fall break and wait anxiously for Thanksgiving break, perhaps it is a good time to remember that Oklahoma City Public Schools started this academic year facing a formidable “To Do” list. While the district anticipated many challenges, some tasks it now faces could not have been foreseen. Other problems were predicted by educators and patrons.
Let’s take a look at the OKCPS to-do list and ponder how we all — students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members — can support the tough tasks facing Oklahoma’s largest school district.

Since January, OKCPS has had to …

  1. Plan and implement EmbraceOKC, a “collaborative initiative with a focus on mental health,” which involves partnerships with the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health, Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, the United Way of Central Oklahoma, and the City of Oklahoma City.
  2. The related effort of planning and implementing trauma-informed instruction.
  3. Implement the reorganized Vision of Equity, “so all students receive a high-quality education.”
  4. Progress toward meeting new state standards on chronic absenteeism.
  5. Plan and implement the new Innovative Transformation Schools program.
  6. Plan and implement a new transfer policy.
  7. Tackle the teacher shortage which results in large numbers of inexperienced and CONTINUE READING: This year's OKCPS to-do list has at least 30 big items