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Students reap many positive aspects from Oklahoma Schools. According to the 2002-2004 Census, there are 1,816 schools, 619,226 students, and 38,983 teachers. With a 16:1 ratio of students to teachers, its no wonder that factors are much more than OK for Oklahoma Schools students. The dropout rate for Oklahoma Schools is a low 3.2% and the state boasts high good results for its students on assessment tests. Oklahoma also gives a exclusive plan that addresses an issue on the minds of most of the nation: childhood obesity. This system is named the Farm-to-School system.
The Education Oversight Board for Oklahoma Schools reports that many schools successfully reached the boards Benchmark of 70% on standardized tests for the 04-05 school year. In total that year, the EOB recognized 688 Elementary Schools for 4th grade results, 404 for 5th grade outcomes, 476 K-8 Elementary, Middle, and Junior High schools for 7th grade results, and 176 of the identical sorts of schools for efficiency on the 8th grade tests. The board reserved its highest accolades for the 40 Elementary and two Middle Oklahoma Schools that have reached this benchmark for every of the past 5 years.
On the other hand, the Office of Accountability, which also evaluates Oklahoma Schools, states, [we] have been reporting for many years now that Oklahomas students, while occasionally making minor gains in some areas, are at the identical time losing ground to their national counterparts. Other agencies report that Oklahoma Schools score beneath the nation in most categories.
What Oklahoma Schools students are not gaining is much more weight. An impressive move to combat this dilemma inside the Oklahoma Schools is the Farm-to-School system. The profitable two-year pilot plan was organized by the Oklahoma Food Policy Council, which is a joint project of the Kerr Center and the Oklahoma Division of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. The program educates kids about agriculture and nutrition and can incorporate field trips to local farms. Not only does the program help kids learn about wellness and nutrition, its also excellent for rural economic development. Researchers say that farm-to-school programs in fact increase childrens nutrition, which can only benefit all those involved.
Plan objectives are to offer fresh, high-quality, locally grown fruits and vegetables to Oklahoma Schools cafeterias, and to get youngsters excited about consuming healthy through nutrition lessons. Other successful activities contain cooking classes, farm visits, school gardens, and Ag-in-the-Classroom. State Representative Winchester states students diets could be drastically improved [by] adding fresh fruits and vegetables into [Oklahoma Schools] menus. Lack of healthful fruits and vegetables in a childs daily diet program contributes to the enormous youth obesity and juvenile diabetes epidemics in our state. In 2004, nomac [http://www.nomacdrilling.com/ nomac drilling corporation] Oklahoma Schools had 11.1% of high school students deemed overweight, with an extra 14.2% at threat. And, when it comes to meeting the FDA recommendations of five or more fruits or veggies a day, Oklahomans rank last in the nation. Fortunately, this generation of Oklahoma Schools students could turn that nomac drilling application statistic about.
