How This Small Oklahoma School District Became One Of The State’s Top Performers The 74
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WARNER — The banners stretch along the top of Warner Public Schools’ Event Center wall, each with the letter A as the centerpiece.
Every banner celebrates the 16 overall A grades that schools in the rural eastern Oklahoma district have received since 2013 on state report cards. A fresh one printed in 2025 signifies Warner’s high school and K-8 school were again among the top 5% highest-performing public schools in the state.
The A grades, though a heavy focus in the 800-student district, aren’t the point, Warner Superintendent David Vinson said. They’re a byproduct of students’ and teachers’ hard work. And if Warner can do it, he said, any district can.
the و A و in – تفاصيل مهمة
“You have to make sure your students understand the why,” Vinson said. “It’s about their education. It’s about bettering their lives.
It’s not about getting an A on the report card or about getting high marks as a school district. That’s a result or a fallout of them being high achievers individually.”
Public schools across Oklahoma are now implementing strategies Warner has been employing for years — a cellphone ban throughout the school day, frequent benchmark testing and tracking of students’ individual scores. The district changed its culture and policies than a decade ago after receiving disappointing results on state report cards.
The town of Warner, home to 1,500 residents and Connors State College, doesn’t have a wealth of industry to keep its school district flush with local tax revenue, Vinson said. State funding and community support for bond issues fill in the gap.
a و of و and – تفاصيل مهمة
About 60% of Warner students come from households at or near the federal poverty line, state records show. Many district students — 42% of whom are Native American, 31% white and 20% two or races — have parents who work in farming and ranching in the area or drive 20 minutes north to Muskogee for industry jobs, Vinson said.
Not that he particularly pays attention to demographics. Those details, Vinson said, “tend to be used as excuses.”
High academic expectations and strict discipline are core to the district’s success, he said. Principals are quick to handle behavioral issues, leaving teachers free to teach and students better able to learn without disruptions.
The principal’s office is not a “revolving door,” he said. Any student sent in must leave with a consequence.
to و he و and – تفاصيل مهمة
“I think education in general across the board has lost sight of that mentality, has lost sight of that philosophy,” Vinson said. “And that’s why you have schools that are in chaos, and you have entire schools scoring 0% proficient on assessments because the school has become so chaotic that teachers can’t teach and kids can’t learn.
And there are just as smart of kids in those schools as there are in my school. They’re just not being afforded that opportunity to learn like our kids are.”
Small behavioral problems are addressed consistently, and big incidents are punished “severely,” he said.
In Warner, that includes the rare use of corporal punishment, a method of discipline that than 100 Oklahoma districts still permit. Simply having it on the table as an option, Vinson said, usually is enough to discourage most students from bad behavior.
are و as و of – تفاصيل مهمة
While administrators handle discipline, teachers are expected to maximize every minute of their class time, a concept known in Warner as “bell-to-bell teaching.” That means no movies and no downtime, said Charla Jackson, the district’s curriculum director and elementary counselor.
Middle and high school students are discouraged from mingling in the hallways during passing periods. Instead they’re expected to hustle to their lockers and then to their next class, where a bellringer assignment is usually waiting. They’re expected to read a book if they finish their classwork early.
Literacy is a major emphasis in Warner, Jackson said. Several Warner Elementary teachers have completed in-depth training on the science of reading, and the school provides reading interventionists and tutoring for students who need extra help.
“They are the experts,” Jackson said of Warner’s teachers. “They are the ones making the difference. We just try to support them and allow them to do their job. So, that’s first and foremost.”
and و the و to – تفاصيل مهمة
High morale keeps teacher turnover low, Jackson said. Class sizes, though increasing with Warner’s enrollment growth, max out at about 24 students per classroom.
But, Warner isn’t immune from the teacher shortage impacting public schools across Oklahoma.
About half of the teachers at Warner High School entered the classroom through non-traditional means, like adjunct teaching and alternative or emergency certification, Vinson said. The district tries to support those educators with training, pre-written curriculum plans and co-teaching hours with a veteran teacher.
Having fewer classroom disruptions, too, “just makes everybody a better teacher,” he said.
the و Warner و classroom – تفاصيل مهمة
Several district teachers told Oklahoma Voice that behavioral issues are rarely a problem in their classrooms, but when they do occur, school administrators readily step in.
When asked what sets Warner apart, kindergarten teacher Lisa Lee pointed to elementary Principal Alan Gordon’s desk.
“This man right here, he’s great,” Lee said. “The administration here, it just makes you feel good. You know what I mean?
Like they’re backing us. They believe in us. They push us, and that makes a huge difference.”
what و Lee و here, – تفاصيل مهمة
Fourth-grade math teacher Pam White said she was ready to quit teaching before she came to Warner Elementary five years ago. White, 65, is eligible to retire but has chosen not to “because I love this school so much.”
She said the supportive administration has been “huge.”
“They’re in our classrooms,” she said. “They’ll take care of problems immediately.”
During a visit to White’s classroom, students in her afternoon math class were equally enthusiastic about their school, complimenting the quality of their teachers, school staff and principal.
the و in و of – تفاصيل مهمة
But, Warner didn’t always have this culture of success. The turning point was 2012. That year, the district scored straight C’s on state report cards.
Vinson, then in his first year as superintendent, sent an email to Warner families to inform them “we are not pleased with the overall grade on these report cards for our schools.” The district’s administrators and teachers were already implementing changes, he wrote in the email. He still keeps a copy.
That’s when Warner adopted a structured and disciplined culture, banned cellphones, started adhering to bell-to-bell teaching and aimed to have 90% of students make a proficient score on state tests.
The following year, the district met or exceeded the statewide average on nearly every state exam.
a و to و on – تفاصيل مهمة
That trajectory continued over the following decade, despite state test scoring becoming rigorous in 2017 and COVID-19 interrupting schooling in 2020. In 2025, Warner students scored above the state average in every tested grade level, the district’s report card shows.
Families in the area have taken notice. While the town of Warner has experienced little population change, its school district has grown from 600 students at the start of the turnaround to than 800 today. Student transfers are a major source of the spike.
“I think a big thing is we established a culture here where kids want to succeed,” middle and high school counselor Misty Durrett said. “It’s something they take pride in.
“They know our ranking. They know where we stand. They want to maintain that.”
the و of و to – تفاصيل مهمة
It’s not all structure and discipline, Vinson said. School still needs to be fun.
That’s why Warner has expanded extracurricular activities, electives and class options available to students. It’s added a competition choir, an art program, boys and girls wrestling, and a high school construction class, where students are building a house that should be ready to sell this spring.
Students on the high school racing team design and build a dirt-track racing car that Vinson drives in competitions on the team’s behalf.
School spirit events, like Homecoming, consume entire school days. With the winter holidays approaching, the interior of every Warner school is decorated for Christmas with lights, trees and door decals.
and و a و the – تفاصيل مهمة
“You have to create those opportunities for kids to enjoy school,” Vinson said. “It can’t be structure, discipline, learning, structure, discipline, learning 170 days a year.”
Oklahoma Voicice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions:(email protected).
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We’d love to hear how The 74’s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.Tell us how
a و Oklahoma و is – تفاصيل مهمة
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author:Nuria Martinez-Keel
Published on:2026-01-03 17:30:00
Source: www.the74million.org
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); // 626037510879173 fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);{“@context”:”http:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”NewsArticle”,”dateCreated”:”2026-01-04T00:22:25+04:00″,”datePublished”:”2026-01-04T00:22:25+04:00″,”dateModified”:”2026-01-04T00:22:25+04:00″,”headline”:”How This Small Oklahoma School District Became One of the State\u2019s Top Performers The 74″,”name”:”How This Small Oklahoma School District Became One of the State\u2019s Top Performers The 74″,”keywords”:[],”url”:”https:\/\/uaetodaynews.com\/1000280702\/”,”description”:”Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter WARNER \u2014\u00a0 The banners stretch along the top of Warner Public Schools\u2019 Event Center wall, each with the letter A as”,”copyrightYear”:”2026″,”articleSection”:”Education”,”articleBody”:”\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n \n Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter\n \n \n \n \nWARNER \u2014\u00a0 The banners stretch along the top of Warner Public Schools\u2019 Event Center wall, each with the letter A as the centerpiece.\n\n\n\nEvery banner celebrates the 16 overall A grades that schools in the rural eastern Oklahoma district have received since 2013 on state report cards. A fresh one printed in 2025 signifies Warner\u2019s high school and K-8 school were again among the top 5% highest-performing public schools in the state.\n\n\n\nThe A grades, though a heavy focus in the 800-student district, aren\u2019t the point, Warner Superintendent David Vinson said. They\u2019re a byproduct of students\u2019 and teachers\u2019 hard work. And if Warner can do it, he said, any district can.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u201cYou have to make sure your students understand the why,\u201d Vinson said. \u201cIt\u2019s about their education. It\u2019s about bettering their lives. It\u2019s not about getting an A on the report card or about getting high marks as a school district. That\u2019s a result or a fallout of them being high achievers individually.\u201d\n\n\n\nPublic schools across Oklahoma are now implementing strategies Warner has been employing for years \u2014 a cellphone ban throughout the school day, frequent benchmark testing and tracking of students\u2019 individual scores. The district changed its culture and policies more than a decade ago after receiving disappointing results on state report cards.\n\n\n\nThe town of Warner, home to 1,500 residents and Connors State College, doesn\u2019t have a wealth of industry to keep its school district flush with local tax revenue, Vinson said. State funding and community support for bond issues fill in the gap.\n\n\n\nAbout 60% of Warner students come from households at or near the federal poverty line, state records show. Many district students \u2014 42% of whom are Native American, 31% white and 20% two or more races \u2014 have parents who work in farming and ranching in the area or drive 20 minutes north to Muskogee for industry jobs, Vinson said.\n\n\n\nNot that he particularly pays attention to demographics. Those details, Vinson said, \u201ctend to be used as excuses.\u201d\n\n\n\nHigh academic expectations and strict discipline are core to the district\u2019s success, he said. Principals are quick to handle behavioral issues, leaving teachers free to teach and students better able to learn without disruptions.\n\n\n\nThe principal\u2019s office is not a \u201crevolving door,\u201d he said. Any student sent in must leave with a consequence.\n\n\n\n\u201cI think education in general across the board has lost sight of that mentality, has lost sight of that philosophy,\u201d Vinson said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why you have schools that are in chaos, and you have entire schools scoring 0% proficient on assessments because the school has become so chaotic that teachers can\u2019t teach and kids can\u2019t learn. And there are just as smart of kids in those schools as there are in my school. They\u2019re just not being afforded that opportunity to learn like our kids are.\u201d\n\n\n\nSmall behavioral problems are addressed consistently, and big incidents are punished \u201cseverely,\u201d he said. \n\n\n\nIn Warner, that includes the rare use of corporal punishment, a method of discipline that more than 100 Oklahoma districts still permit. Simply having it on the table as an option, Vinson said, usually is enough to discourage most students from bad behavior.\n\n\n\nWhile administrators handle discipline, teachers are expected to maximize every minute of their class time, a concept known in Warner as \u201cbell-to-bell teaching.\u201d That means no movies and no downtime, said Charla Jackson, the district\u2019s curriculum director and elementary counselor.\n\n\n\nMiddle and high school students are discouraged from mingling in the hallways during passing periods. Instead they\u2019re expected to hustle to their lockers and then to their next class, where a bellringer assignment is usually waiting. They\u2019re expected to read a book if they finish their classwork early.\n\n\n\nLiteracy is a major emphasis in Warner, Jackson said. Several Warner Elementary teachers have completed in-depth training on the science of reading, and the school provides reading interventionists and tutoring for students who need extra help.\n\n\n\n\u201cThey are the experts,\u201d Jackson said of Warner\u2019s teachers. \u201cThey are the ones making the difference. We just try to support them and allow them to do their job. So, that\u2019s first and foremost.\u201d\n\n\n\nHigh morale keeps teacher turnover low, Jackson said. Class sizes, though increasing with Warner\u2019s enrollment growth, max out at about 24 students per classroom.\n\n\n\nBut, Warner isn\u2019t immune from the teacher shortage impacting public schools across Oklahoma.\n\n\n\nAbout half of the teachers at Warner High School entered the classroom through non-traditional means, like adjunct teaching and alternative or emergency certification, Vinson said. The district tries to support those educators with training, pre-written curriculum plans and co-teaching hours with a veteran teacher.\n\n\n\nHaving fewer classroom disruptions, too, \u201cjust makes everybody a better teacher,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\nSeveral district teachers told Oklahoma Voice that behavioral issues are rarely a problem in their classrooms, but when they do occur, school administrators readily step in.\n\n\n\nWhen asked what sets Warner apart, kindergarten teacher Lisa Lee pointed to elementary Principal Alan Gordon\u2019s desk. \n\n\n\n\u201cThis man right here, he\u2019s great,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThe administration here, it just makes you feel good. You know what I mean? Like they\u2019re backing us. They believe in us. They push us, and that makes a huge difference.\u201d\n\n\n\nFourth-grade math teacher Pam White said she was ready to quit teaching before she came to Warner Elementary five years ago. White, 65, is eligible to retire but has chosen not to \u201cbecause I love this school so much.\u201d\n\n\n\nShe said the supportive administration has been \u201chuge.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cThey\u2019re in our classrooms,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ll take care of problems immediately.\u201d\n\n\n\nDuring a visit to White\u2019s classroom, students in her afternoon math class were equally enthusiastic about their school, complimenting the quality of their teachers, school staff and principal.\n\n\n\nBut, Warner didn\u2019t always have this culture of success. The turning point was 2012. That year, the district scored straight C\u2019s on state report cards.\n\n\n\nWarner Elementary teacher Pam White selects a student to answer a math question in her fourth-grade class on Dec. 10. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel\/Oklahoma Voice)\n\n\n\nVinson, then in his first year as superintendent, sent an email to Warner families to inform them \u201cwe are not pleased with the overall grade on these report cards for our schools.\u201d The district\u2019s administrators and teachers were already implementing changes, he wrote in the email. He still keeps a copy.\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s when Warner adopted a more structured and disciplined culture, banned cellphones, started adhering to bell-to-bell teaching and aimed to have 90% of students make a proficient score on state tests. \n\n\n\nThe following year, the district met or exceeded the statewide average on nearly every state exam.\n\n\n\nThat trajectory continued over the following decade, despite state test scoring becoming more rigorous in 2017 and COVID-19 interrupting schooling in 2020. In 2025, Warner students scored above the state average in every tested grade level, the district\u2019s report card shows.\n\n\n\nFamilies in the area have taken notice. While the town of Warner has experienced little population change, its school district has grown from 600 students at the start of the turnaround to more than 800 today. Student transfers are a major source of the spike. \n\n\n\n\u201cI think a big thing is we established a culture here where kids want to succeed,\u201d middle and high school counselor Misty Durrett said. \u201cIt\u2019s something they take pride in.\n\n\n\n\u201cThey know our ranking. They know where we stand. They want to maintain that.\u201d\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s not all structure and discipline, Vinson said. School still needs to be fun.\n\n\n\nThat\u2019s why Warner has expanded extracurricular activities, electives and class options available to students. It\u2019s added a competition choir, an art program, boys and girls wrestling, and a high school construction class, where students are building a house that should be ready to sell this spring. \n\n\n\nWarner Public Schools Superintendent David Vinson on Dec. 10 points out the components of a dirt-track racing car built by Warner High School\u2019s racing team. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel\/Oklahoma Voice)\n\n\n\nStudents on the high school racing team design and build a dirt-track racing car that Vinson drives in competitions on the team\u2019s behalf.\n\n\n\nSchool spirit events, like Homecoming, consume entire school days. With the winter holidays approaching, the interior of every Warner school is decorated for Christmas with lights, trees and door decals.\n\n\n\n\u201cYou have to create those opportunities for kids to enjoy school,\u201d Vinson said. \u201cIt can\u2019t be structure, discipline, learning, structure, discipline, learning 170 days a year.\u201d\n\n\n\nOklahoma Voicice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: (email\u00a0protected).\n\n \n \n \n Did you use this article in your work?
\nWe\u2019d love to hear how The 74\u2019s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us how\n \n \n !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\n n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\n document,’script’,’https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js’);\n fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); \/\/ 626037510879173\n fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDisclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. \r\nWe do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAuthor: Nuria Martinez-Keel\r\nPublished on: 2026-01-03 17:30:00\r\nSource: www.the74million.org\r\n\r\n”,”publisher”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”,”@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https:\/\/uaetodaynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/images-e1759081190269.png”},”sameAs”:[“https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uaetodaynewscom”,”https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uaetodaynews\/”,”https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uaetoday_news_com\/”]},”sourceOrganization”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”copyrightHolder”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”mainEntityOfPage”:{“@type”:”WebPage”,”@id”:”https:\/\/uaetodaynews.com\/1000280702\/”,”breadcrumb”:{“@id”:”#Breadcrumb”}},”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”url”:”https:\/\/uaetodaynews.com\/author\/arabsongmedia-net\/”},”image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https:\/\/uaetodaynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/oklahoma-academic-excellence-825×495.png”,”width”:1200,”height”:495}}
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2026-01-03 20:22:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
