Innovation Many schools have found new ways to increase student achievement and better serve the needs of parents and teachers through deregulation of state rules. Local control and innovation are encouraged by Superintendent Garrett and the State Board of Education which have approved more than a thousand deregulation requests since the process was initiated 1992. The process was a result of the recommendations of the State Deregulation Committee created by HB 1017. As one example, deregulation has been used by schools to adjust the school calendar to accommodate professional development at times more convenient for teachers.
Charter schools are public schools established by contract with a public sponsor.
They often promote a specific curriculum and learning style and are operated by parents, teachers and other interested community members. Bartlesville, Broken Arrow, Edmond, Jenks, Midwest City- Del City, Moore, Mustang, Oklahoma City, Owasso, Putnam City, Sand Springs, Tulsa and Union Public Schools. Only these districts' boards of education or the area vocational-technical school boards serving them may sponsor a charter school. The State Department of Education has been working with local boards on establishing policies for handling charter applications and also has provided technical assistance, information and resources to potential developers. Innovation in Oklahoma schools and programs has come down a number of local, state and federal avenues and helped drive the state toward increased academic success.