
September 2020 |
![]() State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister has accepted the “video challenge” to urge others to complete their Census questionnaire by Sept. 30 — now it’s your turn. School Funding Dependent on Census CountDear Teachers, With less than a month remaining, Oklahoma ranks 40th nationally for participation in the 2020 Census. For every uncounted resident, an estimated $17,000 in funding is lost each decade. For a family of four, that's a staggering loss of $68,000, much of it federal education funding that our kids so desperately rely on. Please share with your families how critical it is to be counted and encourage them to involve their students in this historic activity. Post this flyer in your classroom and/or virtual classroom, and send it home with students. Take it a step further. Accept the challenge to incorporate kid-friendly Census data and fun facts into your lessons this month. You can help students examine data about kids their age and learn more about Oklahoma as they collect, organize, analyze, map and graph information with free teacher-designed lessons from the U.S. Census Bureau. Older students can gain early exposure to statistical literacy and their data-driven world. Explore Statistics in Schools for free, engaging PK-12 resources and activities in social studies, math, English, geography, sociology and more. The Census questionnaire only takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. Go to 2020census.gov to get started. Oklahoma’s window to respond closes Sept. 30. With respect and gratitude, ![]() Joy Hofmeister, State Superintendent of Public Instruction ![]() |