From NewsOK:

Terminated Oklahoma City teacher Joe Quigley is on his way back to the classroom. He’s awaiting word on where he’ll be assigned to teach, his attorney said.

Oklahoma County District Judge Barbara Swinton ruled Tuesday that Quigley was wrongfully terminated and did not neglect his duties, attorney Timothy Melton said Wednesday.

Oklahoma City School Board members voted in May to dismiss Quigley, an English teacher, on grounds that he repeatedly neglected his duties and didn’t follow school policies like posting of zeros in his grade book and sending mass e-mails. Quigley’s attorneys said that his advocacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students was the reason Northwest Classen High School administrators singled him out.

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From NewsOK:

A huge increase in fall enrollment at Oklahoma City Community College is attributed to low tuition and more workers seeking training in a poor economy.

The two-year college in south Oklahoma City saw a record 18 percent increase in enrollment, a boost of more than 2,000 students. About 14,000 students are enrolled there now, making OCCC the fifth-largest higher education campus in Oklahoma.

OCCC hired more part-time instructors and added 160 course sections to meet the demand, but leaders worry that further increases aren’t possible if state budget woes continue.

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From The Tulsa World:

An education task force on Tuesday got some alarming numbers about how many students don’t graduate in four years from the state’s two largest districts.

For 2007, only 58.2 percent of Tulsa Public Schools students graduated in four years. For Oklahoma City, the figure was 56.2 percent.

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From NewsOK:

More than 600 people have inquired about Oklahoma’s newest way to become a teacher.

After sessions in the state and online this summer, 650 people have requested more information from the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, said Mike Holden, director of public relations for the group. So far, 36 candidates have enrolled in the online program.

With the passage of Senate Bill 582, Oklahomans are now allowed to use the program to obtain a teaching certificate.

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From OETA:

The only Oklahoma woman ever elected to five consecutive terms in statewide public office has announced she will not extend the record to a sixth term as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Sandy Garrett, the second longest serving state superintendent in America, will not seek re-election in the 2010 elections.

“There’s an old saying in politics that ‘nothing is ever over’. That’s certainly true in education,” Garrett said. “The fight for education excellence is never ending, and I plan to continue to be involved. It just won’t be from the position of state superintendent. The challenges and rewards of this job are beyond belief. I want to continue to be of service where and when I can, even after I leave office in January 2011.”

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From NewsOK:

New and different ideas are needed to help Oklahoma City Public Schools students reach their educational potential, speakers said Thursday at the State of the Schools luncheon of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

“Too many of our children are simply not learning,” school board Chairman Angela Monson said. “Their quest to learn has simply been squashed. We know when our kids fail, we too fail.”

Ify Offor, vice president of new site development of Teach For America, told business and city leaders that “educational inequity is a problem that we can and must solve.” The Oklahoma City district is a candidate to join the Teach for America project, which recruits, trains and places top college graduates into underserved schools. Tulsa Public Schools was added to the program this year.

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