OU president describes 'headwinds' preventing growth in state education system
The president of the University of Oklahoma said we have a ways to go in making sure high school students are prepared for college at the State of the Schools event hosted by the Greater OKC Chamber on Wednesday.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The president of the University of Oklahoma said we have a ways to go in making sure Oklahoma high school students are prepared for college at the State of the Schools event hosted by the Greater OKC Chamber on Wednesday.
"We're trying to attract world class talent to come to O.U. and faculty and staff, they look at the education system here in K through 12 for their families, and they don't want to see drama and they don't want to see an education system that doesn't give their kid the best opportunity to be successful,” Joseph Harroz said.
Harroz also said Oklahoma ranks 43rd in the country for students deemed college ready in all four ACT subjects.
"The percent of the adults in that state that have a have a bachelor's degree or higher nationwide is 35.7 percent,” he said. "In Oklahoma, it's 28.5 percent,” he said.
Harroz used the term "headwinds" to describe issues that he said prevent improvement in the state’s total education system and beyond. Being closer to that national average, he said, would help the state economically.
“In attracting those companies and those enterprises, we have got to be closer to the national average,” he said.
In the past 11 years, Harroz said the number of students in Oklahoma Higher Education has dropped by about 65,000. That’s despite OU’s classes getting incrementally bigger recently with the 2027 class being their largest ever at more than 5,100 students. He said togetherness is what will bring about positive trends going forward.
"Taking each of these major enterprises, putting our strategic plans together and focusing on those outcomes to make us everything we know we can be,” he said.
We reached out to the State Department of Education for a response regarding some of the comments made and received the following statement.
Superintendent Walters agrees that the drama caused by years of teachers unions’ dominance of our education system has set our state back. That’s why he will not bow to the woke mob, and is rapidly getting Oklahoma schools Back to Basics and back on track. The liberal media shouldn’t create drama by sensationalizing common sense reforms that benefit our schools and our students.
Dan Isett, OSDE Communications Director