Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, has been appointed by House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, to serve as a member of the Oklahoma Education Commission.
Created through House Bill 2693, authored by Williams, the 17-member commission will research ways to improve the quality of remote learning. It will exist through Nov. 1, 2027.
“Students need educational options, whether in the traditional classroom setting or virtually through online or distance learning, or even through the blended-learning model where part of the instruction is in person and part online,” Williams said. “This commission will help us explore opportunities to advance educational achievement for all students in our state to help them reach their highest level of success and to better prepare them for their future.”
Williams held an interim study last fall to examine the issue of remote learning after multiple challenges were exposed during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In March 2020, schools and colleges statewide shut down, and student learning came to a near stop,” Williams said. “While many tried to resume instruction by transitioning to virtual learning, many difficulties were encountered on both the part of schools and students. We formed this commission in part to examine those challenges and find ways to support students in all learning environments. “
Oklahoma Education Commission members are to be appointed by the speaker, the president pro tempore of the State Senate, the state chancellor of higher education, the state superintendent of public instruction, and the director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. Additional members will consist of the directors of the Department of Corrections, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority or their designees.
Members are to have expertise in online and educational innovation, effective approaches to classroom instruction and learning, and effective approaches in career and technology instruction and learning.
The commission is to hold its first meeting no later than 90 days after the bill’s effective date, Nov. 1.
