From the Desk of Janet Barresi
Welcome to my website, and thank you for your interest in my campaign! I have been very encouraged that so many Oklahomans are eager to embrace this cause and join me to improve the lives of our children.
I believe our schools should be as great as our state, but that goal cannot be achieved without solid leadership in the Department of Education, which is why I have chosen to run for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
My platform is very simple. I want to ensure that parents are always encouraged to be involved in the education of their children and that they have the ability to choose the correct education for their child. I want to create a State Department of Education that is a resource for local districts, and I want to ensure that our testing of students is a byproduct of good teaching that enables us to truly understand how effective we are being, while empowering teachers to do what they do best: teach.
I know we can do better than we are today. Through my experiences in launching what is now Independence Charter Middle School, as well as Harding Charter Preparatory High School (which was recently recognized as one of the top high schools in America by Newsweek), I have seen that high expectations, a rigorous curriculum and an involved staff can be successful, regardless of the socio-economic background of the students.
Thank you for your interest and support. Please join our team!
Thank You!
I am humbled to be your new State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Now I’m getting to work. I’m not interested in boasting about media coverage, but I do want to keep you up to date on the latest news. So in case you missed it, Oklahoma media outlets over the last few weeks have outlined …
read more...No Forced Consolidation
As I approach my first day in office next week, I’m excited about getting to work for our state’s children. During this time, I think it’s worth it to continue to have a conversation about the big issues our state’s education system faces. For the record, as I’ve said in the past, I’m against forced …
read more...A Preview of Our Reform Agenda
In recent weeks, local media outlets have offered previews of the reform agenda that I will move forward when I take office next week. This evening, Oklahoma City CBS affiliate KWTV featured our efforts in a 10 p.m. report: News 9′s story this evening was generated in part by a comprehensive round-up bylined by The …
read more...Doing the Right Thing in Bixby & Owasso
Late last week, we learned that the Owasso and Bixby school boards reversed an earlier decision and decided to comply with Oklahoma’s new special needs Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program, implementing the program in their districts: I’m pleased to hear that the Owasso and Bixby school boards have seen the wisdom of obeying the law. …
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