Janet Barresi (R), new superintendent of public instruction in Oklahoma, is a former school speech pathologist, dentist, and founder of a charter school. She opposed a ballot question that would have increased funding for Oklahoma schools, saying it would require big cuts to other agencies and that schools should instead be run with more efficiency.
Her agenda includes increasing the rigor of the state curriculum to ensure that students are ready for both college and careers. Ms. Barresi also wants to revise testing requirements.
“We should be looking at using a handful of reliable and proven instruments, like the ACT and the Iowa tests, and not the mishmash of standardized tests ... the state now has,” she told CapitorlBeatOK, a news service at the Oklahoma capitol.
