The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a $58.9 million grant to the Oklahoma State Department of Education to improve literacy rates for children over the next five years. This announcement was made on Wednesday, with Oklahoma state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters following up on Thursday with an event at a Tulsa elementary school to explain how the funds will be used.
This grant comes at a time when there are concerns about how the state Education Department has managed federal funds. Walters used this opportunity to highlight a positive development for his agency. The event was attended by Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Ebony Johnson and several state lawmakers, including state Rep. Chris Banning, who recently criticized Walters.
Walters announced that $9 million of the grant will be distributed to qualifying public schools through a competitive process in the coming weeks. Twenty-five Oklahoma districts will receive sub-grants to support their literacy programs.
Walters emphasized his commitment to focusing on basic education and removing political influences from the classroom. He views this grant as a valuable resource for enhancing literacy instruction in reading, writing, and math.
The grant will support four main objectives: early language development, literacy proficiency in elementary and middle school, and teacher training. Teachers will receive training in the “science of reading,” a research-based approach to literacy instruction.
The federal agency emphasized the importance of reading proficiency by third grade and has awarded grants to 23 state educational agencies, including Oklahoma. This is the largest number of awards ever given under this program.
However, the federal agency has recently questioned the state agency’s management of $2.72 billion in federal funds. A report from July 25 highlighted deficiencies in fiscal and program monitoring, with Oklahoma receiving low ratings in many areas. Walters has attributed these issues to his predecessor, Joy Hofmeister, but has expressed confidence in addressing the concerns.
In response, Republican state Rep. Mark McBride has requested a federal investigation into the state agency’s management of federal programs and funds.
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