Oklahoma’s Teacher Pipeline Has Shrunk 40% Since 2013
The number of graduates completing Oklahoma teacher preparation programs has fallen by about 40% since 2013, state officials told the Oklahoma State Board of Education on July 17, 2026. The drop has left districts scrambling to staff classrooms with educators who lack traditional credentials.
Traditionally certified teachers have represented less than half of all first-year public school teachers in Oklahoma every year since 2018. That means the majority of new hires entering Oklahoma classrooms each year have not completed a standard college teacher preparation program.
40% decline in Oklahoma teacher preparation program graduates since 2013, per state officials
That number matters because research consistently links teacher credentials to student academic outcomes. Oklahoma already ranks near the bottom of national education rankings, and board member Becky Carson, a retired teacher, said the credential gap is part of why.
Emergency Certifications Have Become a Routine Workaround
Oklahoma issued 3,928 emergency certifications for the 2025-26 school year, according to state data. Emergency-certified teachers may have no traditional classroom training; districts use them when no credentialed candidate is available.
The state has already approved 1,392 emergency certifications for 2026-27, with more applications pending. More than 470 of those teachers are renewing past emergency certifications, some after failing to pass certification tests or not completing required coursework.
“I’m not against it. I just want to make sure that the educators that we’re putting there are supported and we’re giving them the right training and being able to remove those that might not be (in) the best place for them.”
Becky Carson, Oklahoma State Board of Education member, July 2026
An Oklahoma Voice analysis of state records found that 60 of the 638 applicants approved at the July meeting have been issued an emergency certificate more than three times. Some have renewed as many as eight times.
What This Means for Oklahoma Students and Policy
Emergency certifications were rare in Oklahoma 15 years ago. Their normalization reflects a structural failure in teacher recruitment and retention, not a short-term staffing gap. Oklahoma also employs uncertified adjunct instructors, who must have relevant career experience but no college degree, in a growing number of classroom roles.
The state board reviews and votes on emergency certification batches monthly. That vote is now a recurring policy decision with direct consequences for whether Oklahoma students have access to trained teachers.
What You Can Do Now
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Contact the Oklahoma State Board of Education at (405) 521-3301 and ask what specific benchmarks they require before renewing an emergency certificate more than three times. Renewals with no progress on credentialing are a documented pattern.
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Call your Oklahoma state legislators through the Oklahoma Legislature’s main line at (405) 521-2711 and ask them to fund expanded teacher pipeline programs. The 40% decline since 2013 spans multiple legislative sessions with no reversal.
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Attend a local school board meeting and ask your district how many emergency-certified teachers are currently in classrooms, what support they receive, and what the district’s plan is to replace those positions with traditionally credentialed hires. Find your district’s board calendar at sde.ok.gov.
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Submit a public comment to the Oklahoma State Department of Education at (405) 521-3301 or via the contact form at sde.ok.gov requesting that the department publish monthly emergency certification renewal data, including how many applicants have failed certification tests, in a publicly accessible format.
Sources
- Oklahoma Voice: Oklahoma Data Shows Lack of Fully Trained Teachers Entering the Classroom
- Oklahoma State Department of Education: Teacher Certification Division
- National Council on Teacher Quality: State Teacher Pipeline Reports
- Learning Policy Institute: Research on Teacher Credentials and Student Outcomes
[Quote: “I’m not against it. I just want to make sure that the educators that we’re putting there are supported and we’re giving them the right training and being able to remove those that might not be (in) the best place for them.”, Becky Carson, Oklahoma State Board of Education member.
Oklahoma Voice]