We are in the middle of interim studies at the Capitol, many that focus on different aspects of educating our children.
I attended a study last week sponsored by the chair of the House Common Education Committee in which I and other lawmakers heard from experts on Work Based Learning opportunities.
Those attending the study heard details about connecting internships or work study options with students and businesses in the hope of providing more training and certifications opportunities to students with the overall goal of graduating students who are better prepared with the skills needed to enter the workforce.
Some school districts and counselors are forging ahead in this area, so we heard from a few who shared their models of operation and their success rates. We also examined the partnership between CareerTech and higher education in training students in high-demand workforce areas such as nursing and other health-related fields, engineering, aerospace, digital electronics and others.
Another study focused on classroom discipline. Many of our teachers deal with the need to discipline students on a daily basis, yet they are tasked with ensuring the safety and integrity of both the student they are disciplining and all the other students in their classroom. We heard from public school teachers, mental and behavioral health experts, the director of education at the Office of Juvenile Affairs and the deputy superintendent of student support at the state Department of Education. We also received information from the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.
This gave us a well-rounded look at all areas of discipline. Practices have changed significantly from when I was a child. We are looking for new techniques and approaches to address these challenging issues. We want all of our children to be in a safe environment to learn when they come to school. For those that cause discipline problems, we want to find positive approaches to help them and assess the root causes of their behavior so we can put them on track to learn alongside their peers. We also want to ensure our teachers have the support they need to maintain control in their classrooms. Hearing from all of these experts gives us a good start on how to frame any potential legislation to address some of the issues.
As always, I serve you – my constituents of District 55 - first. Next in line is our great state. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent you at the Capitol. God bless you and God bless Oklahoma!
Rep. Todd Russ represents District 55 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.