Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to LinkedIn Share to Pinterest Share to Email Print this page

Pathways TO opportunity

2022-2027 Strategic Plan for tulsa Public schools

Pathways to Opportunity is the culmination of many candid community conversations, insights and suggestions from every corner of our city, and the very best thinking of our system’s educators, school leaders, support professionals, parents, students, partners, and advocates. This plan represents our promises to the people of Tulsa:

Our schools will be places in which students can find and grow into the best version of themselves.
Our students will become powerful readers, writers, speakers, and thinkers for whom language is a life-long asset.
Our high schools will prepare young adults for a rich, choice-filled life.

Schools have always been the beating heart of vital communities, and Pathways to Opportunity is designed to create robust foundations for children to learn, grow, thrive, and achieve their greatest potential in college, careers, skilled trades, or military service.

Click below to read about our strategies

Powerful literacy that provides a lifetime of opportunity

Read this news post about Powerful literacy that provides a lifetime of opportunity

A rich, personalized, and real-world ready high school experience

Read this news post about A rich, personalized, and real-world ready high school experience

Tulsa as a city of learning and opportunity

Read this news post about Tulsa as a city of learning and opportunity

Healthy schools in which students develop, achieve, and thrive

Read this news post about Healthy schools in which students develop, achieve, and thrive

Orange box with text that reads strategy 5

A skilled team that reflects our community and is deeply valued for their contributions

Read this news post about A skilled team that reflects our community and is deeply valued for their contributions

Red square with text that reads strategy 6

Welcome and value every family as their child’s first, most important, and lifelong teachers

Read this news post about Welcome and value every family as their child’s first, most important, and lifelong teachers

board goals and guardrails

The letters “X” and “Y” indicate placeholders for the targets and baselines that the Tulsa Board of Education will be set before the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

Follow our Progress icon

Goals

The Tulsa Board of Education established three broad goals that represent the most important expectations our community holds for our school system. Between 2022-2027, these goals will be the measurable accomplishments upon which we will focus and that will serve as our collective North Star.

Goal 1

The percentage of grade 3-5 students who score Basic or above on Spring OSTP ELA assessment will increase from 37% in May 2023 to 53% by May 2027.

Interim Goal 1.1: The percentage of grade 3-5 economically disadvantaged students who are projected to score Basic or above on Spring OSTP ELA assessment based on MAP scores will increase from 36% in May 2023 to 51% by May 2027.

Interim Goal 1.2: The percentage of grade K-2 economically disadvantaged students who are at/above the national 50th percentile in reading on MAP will increase from 30% in May 2023 to 44% by May 2027.

Note: We will begin to report on Interim Goal 1.2: MAP Fluency once NWEA has developed an aggregate measure.

Interim Goal 1.3: The percentage of grade K-5 multilingual learner students meeting their annual English language proficiency growth targets on the ACCESS 2.0 language proficiency assessment will increase from 32% in May 2021 to 45% by May 2026.

Click here to view our progress

Goal 2

The percentage of grade 6-8 students who score Basic or above on Spring OSTP ELA assessment will increase from 38% in May 2023 to 53% by May 2027.

Interim Goal 2.1: The percentage of grade 6-8 economically disadvantaged students who are projected to score Basic or above on Spring OSTP ELA assessment based on MAP scores will increase from 38% in May 2023 to 54% by May 2027.

Interim Goal 2.2: The percentage of grade 6-8 multilingual learner students meeting their annual English language proficiency growth targets on the ACCESS 2.0 language proficiency assessment will increase from 19% in May 2021 to 25% by May 2026.

Click here to view our progress

Goal 3

The percentage of graduates earning post secondary credits and qualifying credentials will increase from 43% in May 2022 to 54% by May 2027.

Interim Goal 3.1: The percentage of 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders on track for College and Career Readiness diploma will increase from 39% in May 2022 to 49% in May 2027.

Interim Goal 3.2: Percentage of 10th-12th graders who meet the assessment requirements for enrolling concurrently in college and career tech courses from postsecondary institutions will increase from 19% in May 2022 to 32% in May 2027.

Interim Goal 3.3: The percentage of current senior cohort who are on track to complete their academic requirements for their assigned diploma by May will increase from 55% in May 2023 to 71% in May 2027.

Click here to view our progress

Guardrails

Our guardrails are the community values - expressed as strong statements of protection - that Tulsa Public Schools will uphold and respect. Guardrails complement our goals: goals establish our strategic direction and guardrails set boundaries on the methods we use to achieve those goals.

Guardrail 1
Guardrail 2

Guardrail 1

The superintendent will not cause or allow conditions, practices, or procedures that are inequitable for students. Interim

Interim Guardrail 1.1: The percentage of bilingual or multilingual staff and staff of color will increase from 49% in June 2022 to 52% in May 2027.

Interim Guardrail 1.2: Disproportionate suspension rates for black students will decrease from 1.89X higher than the overall average suspension rate for all students in May 2022 to no more than 1.65X higher in May 2027.

Interim Guardrail 1.3: The percentage of transitional grade students (5th and 8th graders) who participate in the school choice process will increase from 60% in February 2022 to 75% in February 2027.

Click here to view our progress

Guardrail 2

The superintendent will not allow the district to be in state corrective action regarding services to students with disabilities, including proper and timely identification.

Interim Guardrail 2.1: The percentage of children who are evaluated and whose eligibility for special education services is determined within 45 school days of parent consent will increase from 89% in June 2021 to 95% in June 2026.

Interim Guardrail 2.2: Long-term suspensions or expulsions (10 days or longer) of students with disabilities will decrease from 2.1x higher than the statewide average in June 2020 to no more than 1.5x higher in June 2026.

Interim Guardrail 2.3: Families acknowledging receipt of accessible and timely information about special education rights, process, and services will increase from 40% in August 2021 to 75% in August 2027.

Click here to view our progress

Our Schools

45

Elementary Schools

10

Middle Schools

9

High Schools

7

Alternative Schools

6

District-Authorized Charter Schools

1

Virtual School

21

School sites offering 46 career and technology education programs including broadcasting, culinary arts, cybersecurity, web design, construction, and engineering

1

international baccalaureate school

Booker T. Washington High School

1

Middle years programme school

Carver Middle School

11

Dual language schools

2 One-Way Dual Language Schools:
- Sequoyah Elementary School and Skelly Elementary School
7 Two-Way Dual Language Schools:
- Celia Clinton Elementary School, Cooper Elementary School, Disney Elementary School, Felicitas Mendez International School, Kendall-Whittier Elementary, Springdale Elementary School, and Will Rogers College Middle School
2 Immersion Dual Language Schools:
- Eisenhower International School and Zarrow International School

3

public montessori programs

Emerson Elementary
Eugene Field Elementary
Grissom Elementary

12

HIGH SCHOOLS offering concurrent enrollment through our local higher education institutions

4

HIGH SCHOOLS with embedded Tulsa Tech career-ready programs

3

SCHOOLS offering early college high school programs

McLain High School
Memorial High School
Will Rogers College High School

Our 5,272 Team Members*

Racial/Ethnic
Distribution of Our Team*

26% Black
5% American Indian or Alaska Native
2% Asian/Pacific Islander
12% Hispanic/Latinx
54% White

*As of January 18, 2024

3rd Largest Employer
in the Tulsa Area*

Total enrollment: 33,572 students

84% economically disadvantaged

Student demographics

36% Multilingual learners*
13% students with disabilities
13% gifted and talented

Student Race/ethnicity

38% Hispanic/Latinx
22% Black
21% white
11% multiracial
4% American Indian or Alaska Native
3% Asian/Pacific islander

As of Oct. 2023

*Represents both current and former multilingual learners

MISSION

Our students lead through literacy, are empowered through experience, and contribute to their community.

VISION

Tulsa Public Schools honors the diversity, creativity, and passion of our students, elevating every student to be designers of their destiny.

Thoreau Middle School students at all district track meet

The development of this plan

April 2021

Tulsa Board of Education begins community engagement, completing 35 listening sessions to understand our community's expectations for Tulsa Public Schools.

June 2021

30-person community committee created to guide the development of Pathways to Opportunity.

July 2021

Tulsa Board of Education votes to adopt a mission, vision, goals, and a measurement plan for Pathways of Opportunity.

August 2021

30-person community committee approves six core strategies.

September 2021

Tulsa Public Schools hosts more than a dozen community engagement sessions to share the draft strategic plan and collect feedback.

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMUNITY COMMITTEE

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMUNITY COMMITTEE

Our community committee included students, teachers, support professionals, school leaders, parents, community and business leaders and advocates, and district team members. During the summer of 2021, the committee members and Tulsa Public Schools co-developed Pathways to Opportunity. The committee selected and wrote the six core strategies in our plan.

Ashley Philippsen, Chair

Teresa Aguayo
Elfreda Austin
Mark Cole
Marilyn Ezell
Laura Grisham
Payton Guillory
Charles Harper
Tara Henderson
Jahaziel Hiriart
Jeff Jaynes
LeeAnne Jimenez
Delia Kimbrel
Maria Elena Kuykendall
Nancy Leonard

Jessica Lozano-Alvarez
Joyce McClellan
Kylah McKinney
Kiaro Miller
Isaiah Morehead
Greg Robinson
Donna Ross
Irma Sandoval
Anhna Vuong
Rose Washington-Jones
Lindsay White
Joey Wignarajah
LaVerne Ford Wimberly

Pathways TO opportunity

2022-2027 Strategic Plan for tulsa Public schools

board goals and guardrails

The letters “X” and “Y” indicate placeholders for the targets and baselines that the Tulsa Board of Education will be set before the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

Goals

Guardrails

45

10

9

7

6

1

21

School sites offering 46 career and technology education programs including broadcasting, culinary arts, cybersecurity, web design, construction, and engineering

1

international baccalaureate school

1

Middle years programme school

11

3

public montessori programs

12

HIGH SCHOOLS offering concurrent enrollment through our local higher education institutions

4

HIGH SCHOOLS with embedded Tulsa Tech career-ready programs

3

SCHOOLS offering early college high school programs

Our 5,272 Team Members*

Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Our Team*

*As of January 18, 2024

3rd Largest Employer in the Tulsa Area*

Student demographics

Student Race/ethnicity

As of Oct. 2023

*Represents both current and former multilingual learners

MISSION

VISION

The development of this plan

Racial/Ethnic
Distribution of Our Team*

3rd Largest Employer
in the Tulsa Area*