Of every 100 educators in Oklahoma, only 47 are teachers. The remaining 53 come from the ranks of state bureaucrats, district administrators, instructional coordinators, school administrators, counselors, etc. You won't find accountability there because it's been fractured and scattered in hundreds of different offices and titles. We're left with a system where no one is held responsible for our kids. According to a recent Associated Press report, a dozen Oklahoma school superintendents recently said student achievement can not be measured by test scores alone, but that things like socialization skills and self-esteem had to be considered.
More people lose their jobs over interpersonal skills than academics in the real world.
Brandon Dutcher is research director for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Inc., an independent think tank promoting free enterprise and limited government.