The superintendent of Lawton Public Schools said the district's latest statewide report card reflects academic measures alongside outside factors such as poverty, single-parent households and student attendance, and urged community and policy attention to those drivers.

"If you take our students who enroll here, who come to school, and attend over 90 of the time, and they've been in our buildings for 4 or 5 years at our schools, they do really well on the test," the superintendent said, summarizing the district's view of what drives stronger performance.

The superintendent and the podcast host outlined specific district efforts intended to raise achievement. Early-grade literacy supports cited by the superintendent include the Waterford program and increased use of Lexia; the superintendent also emphasized staff development for teachers as a major lever. "Train our teachers and work with us and help prepare them and give them the tools they need to be successful," the superintendent said.

To boost engagement and attendance, the district pointed to Makerspace activities and after-school offerings that act as "hooks" for students. The superintendent said Makerspace days show particularly high attendance, and encouraged development of similar hands-on activities to keep students in class.

Program and pathway changes were also detailed. Counselors will pursue pre-enrollment work at the secondary level, and the superintendent said concurrent enrollment for grades 10'12 is available to qualifying students at no cost to families, with books and fees covered. The district has moved Algebra 1 into eighth grade for most students and provided pre-algebra in seventh grade to prepare them for higher-level math.

On policy discussions in the statehouse, the superintendent warned against a simple return to third-grade retention as a one-size-fits-all solution, saying research shows retention does not work as a lone remedy and urging legislators to consult classroom practitioners before finalizing policy.

The superintendent repeatedly framed improvements as a mixture of classroom practice, family engagement and community supports. He also highlighted district resources for students in need, noting counselors can confidentially help secure coats, cap-and-gown assistance and other basics.

The episode directed families to lawtonps.org and the district's information email for questions and follow-up. The superintendent closed by urging community collaboration as the district pursues incremental gains in student outcomes.