Debra Herlihy State Superintendent for Public Instruction in Oklahoma On The Issues
List of Services
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What are some innovative ways to enhance early literacy education and improve reading proficiency by third grade?What are some innovative ways to enhance early literacy education and improve reading proficiency by third grade?
Enhancing early literacy to meet the critical third-grade proficiency milestone requires a blend of evidence-based instruction, personalized technology, and deep community integration. Missing this goal leaves children four times more likely to drop out of high school, making innovation in this area an economic and equity priority. Use a vocabulary journal to enhance fluency by having students read the same passage and improve their vocabulary usage.
The use of AI-Powered Reading Coaches and adaptive formative assessments can identify specific skill gaps rather than waiting until end-of-year testing. Strengthen home-to-school partnerships with interactive read-alouds and the use of whiteboards at home to leave notes. Parental involvement is extremely important, especially since 1.6 million single-family households live in Oklahoma as of the 2026 Census Data.
https://www.tauw.org/2025/10/01/nearly-half-of-oklahomas-1-6-million-households-struggled-to-afford-basics-in-2023/
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What ways can student attendance in Oklahoma public schools improve?What ways can student attendance in Oklahoma public schools improve?
Post-pandemic, many students are missing 10% or more of the school year, and a decline of over 10,000 students compared to previous years places financial pressure on districts that rely on per-pupil funding. Oklahoma public school enrollment fell to 686,718 for the 2025-2026 school year, a decrease of over 1.5% from the 2024-2025 enrollment of 697,358. As a community, Oklahoma has 20% of students who are chronically absent from school.
https://oklahoma.gov/education/services/family-community-engagement/chronic-absenteeism/chronic-absenteeism-for-schools.html
Key strategies for increasing attendance in Oklahoma schools include removing barriers and offering mental health support and counseling to address chronic absenteeism. Provide clean clothes and address basic health needs to keep students attending and to support their self-efficacy by leveraging state and external resources, the Ready Together Oklahoma resources hub to help students return to normalcy.
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How can Oklahoma actively retain teachers?How can Oklahoma actively retain teachers?
Keep funding available for on-the-job training initiatives for educators. The Ready Together Oklahoma initiative provides up to $3,250 to eligible student teachers, with funding ranging from $4,000 to $5,000. Also, the Teacher Shortage Employment Incentive Program (TSEIP), administered by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, can help recruit mathematics and science teachers for public instruction.
Increase the percentage of Oklahoma school budgets spent directly in the classroom to 60%. The national average is 62%, and Oklahoma currently spends 58%, though recent initiatives to increase this funding failed in 2025 HB 1280. With the increase, this will help fund STREAM programs instead of STEM programs. Increase Artificial Intelligence in Education to 85%. Currently, Oklahoma uses Artificial Intelligence in 250 school districts, which is roughly 45.5% of its school districts (approximately school districts 516-549), according to, based on 549 total school districts.
https://oklahoma.gov/education/resources/state-school-directory.html
https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20250327_10
Instructional_Expenditures_2025_4d9ff515db.pdf