Oklahoma Is Leading

[SlugSlinger]

Oklahoma teachers are not controlled by a Union, that is true for other states, but not in Oklahoma. You cannot teach without a degree. I know you have an agenda, which maybe explained by your statement of "she replied in her broken English."

Nice diversion, you can get your political correct BS out of here. My statement about broken English was to reinforce the professors lack of communication skills needed to be a good educator. Not only could this person not speak with correct grammar or where they could be understood, they wrote and tested with the same very poor grammar skill and lack of attention to detail.

Maybe you should research all the teaching waivers that have been awarded. Last I heard there were over 400 in the state. This gives the ability for non-degreed or certified individuals to teach in Oklahoma.

Here's the waiver if you are interested: http://sde.ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/documents/files/OSDE_Statutory_Waiver_04_2014.pdf

 

[SlugSlinger]

More Oklahoma Teachers Enter Classrooms Without Certification

Oklahoma has seen an explosion in the number of teachers applying for emergency classroom certification, meaning more districts are relying on teachers to teach subjects they are not fully trained for.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education has received 280 applications for emergency certifications, also called exemptions, since July. That’s up from 198 last year and 99 in 2012.

Teachers applying for the exemption must be working toward receiving their regular teaching certification in the given subject. Many already have a certification in another content area, such as English, but are being asked to fill a hole in another class, such as math.

Department of Education spokesman Phil Bacharach said most of this year’s emergency requests were accepted, but he did not immediately know the exact number.

The growth in applications was not unexpected because average and starting teacher salaries remain lower than those of most other states.

“It is a pretty dramatic spike,” Bacharach said of the applications. “Just on the face of it, after three years, it looks like it’s a continuing trend.”

The shortage and growth in emergency certification requests prompted Superintendent Janet Barresi on Wednesday to advise districts to make sure teachers and administrators are properly certified.

A review this summer by the education department found one teacher and an administrator were working without proper certification, which puts districts in jeopardy when approving contracts for positions that require certification.

The biggest issues in Oklahoma for hiring and retaining teachers are poor pay and a lack of mentoring and professional development, Bacharach said.

In 2012-2013, Oklahoma’s average teacher salary ranked 49th nationally and the lowest in the region. Districts in states such as Texas have used their higher pay to attract teachers from other states, including Oklahoma.

An Oklahoma State School Boards Association survey released on Aug. 19 found districts were reporting 800 vacancies across the state as school started.

Surveyed districts said they were turning to emergency certifications or substitute teachers.

While many states have reported difficulties in recruiting math or science teachers, Oklahoma’s shortage has been reported at all grade levels and in all content areas.

“It’s in English, it’s in elementary schools – it’s across the board,” Bacharach said.

 

[SlugSlinger]

And another:

“People who have never trained a day as a teacher are now responsible for teaching elementary school students how to read and do math.”

https://www.ossba.org/2016/08/22/oklahoma-schools-struggle-with-teacher-shortage-despite-cutbacks/

 

[SMS]

Yup, I almost did it via "Troops to Teachers" when I retired and decided not to go through with OHP.

Have an Associates and a B.S....neither related to child education. They were ready to put me in the system and grant me "alternative certification" or some such thing.

 

[Pokinfun]

Nice diversion, you can get your political correct BS out of here. My statement about broken English was to reinforce the professors lack of communication skills needed to be a good educator. Not only could this person not speak with correct grammar or where they could be understood, they wrote and tested with the same very poor grammar skill and lack of attention to detail.

Maybe you should research all the teaching waivers that have been awarded. Last I heard there were over 400 in the state. This gives the ability for non-degreed or certified individuals to teach in Oklahoma.

Here's the waiver if you are interested: http://sde.ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/documents/files/OSDE_Statutory_Waiver_04_2014.pdf

where does it say that you can teach without a degree?

 

[dlbleak]

When you get to your regular computer to respond, please note my comment also included info that sales tax is not part of regular school funding. It has been part of special funding in certain circumstances, ref. the MAPS tax in the OKC area. Also, millage and bonds are related in that the millage assessment for a school district directly determines the amount of bonding capacity for construction and capital expenditures.

Again, i was only pointing out another limitation that schools have. I just didn't separate them for you. And you are correct that if a school is maxed out, it's going to be tough to get a bond issue/election passed.

 

[YukonGlocker]

The problem with the bad teachers in an industry controlled by unions, is again, as I mentioned before, the lack of accountability. A teacher basically has to molest a kid before they will be fired. In a business where there are poor performers, the poor performer can be removed and replaced with a quality replacement, this does not happen in the public schools or universities after tenure.

When a professor cannot write or speak with correct grammar, there is a major problem. When assignments are given out with directions to follow, and the information the student is directed to use or follow is consistently not available as listed in the directions, there is a problem. When a professor cancels class because of 'technical issues' there is a problem. These types of issues are common place now.

Another example: My first advance finance exam was a multiple choice finance equation. I worked the problem and my answer didn't match any of the available choices. I approached the professor and asked about it, she replied in her broken English that we were to choose the closest answer. This is completely unacceptable. The answer is either right or wrong, not close.

And an advance degree will get you a job teaching at a university. These universities (as well as public schools; Hell, in Oklahoma and other states, you can teach a class even without a degree or teaching certifications.) are looking for warm bodies to stick in front of a class. I have been asked multiple times for help with advanced accounting and finance courses at a local university since I received my advanced degree.



Connect the dots YG, public education problems are not an anomaly for Oklahoma. Funding is not the primary issue. Its just easy for liberals to blame funding instead of the underlying mechanics of the school. Let's throw more money at it, that will fix it; that is pure ignorance.

This mindset reminds me of an old saying when I was an analyst in the telecommunications world:
Who cares if we are losing a penny for every minute of service we sell, we will make it up on volume.

So, you had a bad finance professor, therefore all professors are bad? Nope.

Which university hires professors *only* based on advanced degree? I work with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and know this isn't the case. If you have examples of this, I would like to know who it is.

Oklahoma is inhabited and controlled by a vast majority of Republicans. Why is it that they don't value and prioritize education for our kids?

 

[YukonGlocker]

Common cost of living calculators:

Overall 16% higher in DFW area.

Housing: 23%

Transportation: 23%

Entertainment: 16%

Healthcare: 16%

Food: 9%

Then add the commute, traffic, congestion etc....it would take more than 50k to make me move

First, most teachers moving from OK to TX don't move to DFW--they move to smaller cities/towns with lower COL. Second, COL is misleading because it doesn't represent the actual difference people see (e.g., after deducting no state income tax, better public facilities, better education for their own kids, better economy/job-market and better paying jobs for their spouses)--as others that live in Texas have explained, it's mostly a wash in cost difference with everything considered (which those COL calculators don't do). In short, teachers moving from OK to TX make significantly more money with the same cost of living, move into a flourishing economy, and their families benefit as well--Oklahoma is losing a great deal in this regard.

 

[Rooster1971]

Yeah but was the post votech training another course, did they have to have the votech prerequisite? Again not trying to be down on it but from my experiences it was just a little fun thing to do. It had no real value. That is just me though and the courses I took. I know there is some there of great value Im just trying to learn about some more real world applications after learning votechs get our property taxes.

Certainly not a prerequisite to work in my field. I think it helps to get the fundemantals of thermodynamics, psychometrics, electrical theory, and a grasp of the refrigerant cycle and heat transfer before entering the field. The kids are required to apprentice for 3 years before testing for journeyman status.

Heck, my daughter applied and attended the bioscience and medical academy at Francis Tuttle in high school. She just got her Bachelors in Micro biology from OU a couple weeks ago and going for her master's.

They also have an Engineering academy for kids heading towards that degree.

I've made a decent living in my trade. I've made more than some degreed friends even before I started my own business. We need good tradesman

 

[D. Hargrove]

We need good tradesman

I could not agree more.