Oklahoma

Fields floats extending Oklahoma’s school year by 15 days

Published

2 months ago

November 18, 2025

Fields floats extending Oklahoma’s school year by 15 days

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Oklahoma’s new State Superintendent is considering whether extending the school year could help boost student performance, saying students in other states are already spending more time in the classroom.

Some teachers say they’re open to the idea—but want to know whether it would actually make a difference.

State Superintendent Lindel Fields brought up the idea during a Nov. 9 appearance on News 4’s FlashPoint.

“Imagine if the Thunder practiced 15 days less than the Nuggets every year,” Fields said. “That’s what we’re doing in Oklahoma.”

He said Oklahoma students spend about 15 fewer days in school each year than those in surrounding states.

“Over a kid’s lifetime that’s an entire year less,” Fields said.

He argued that increasing classroom time could improve student outcomes.

“When you think about, maybe where we rank and how much we go to school, maybe there’s a correlation there,” Fields said. “So I think it’s a conversation worth having.”

Oklahoma special education teacher Delana Whitfield told News 4 she thought the idea was well-intentioned.

“I was like, oh, that’s interesting,” Whitfield said.

But she said she wants to see data.

“My biggest question is, is this going to make a substantial difference for these students? And if we can’t support that and provide evidence that it’s actual causation, that the 15 additional days actually provides better outcome for students and there’s not other factors, then I think we need to go back to the drawing board,” Whitfield said.

She and other educators say Oklahoma’s low test scores—especially in reading and math—may be caused by deeper issues than just the number of school days.

“I can think of other ways off the top of my head that I think could have a larger impact on student outcomes for those students,” Whitfield said. “If we had more interventionists in those areas, that we’re spending more specialized time with students that were struggling. If we were to offer more remedial classes for students that are struggling in those areas.”

A spokesperson for Fields told News 4 this week the idea is still in the very early stages—and Fields does not believe it’s the only solution that might be needed to turn around educational outcomes in Oklahoma.

“We recognize that our students currently spend fewer days in school compared to neighboring states,” the spokesperson said. “This is a very preliminary conversation about what adding days could look like.”

Fields acknowledged there would be practical challenges.

“I think most people are on board with that,” Fields said. “But like most things, it comes down to, how do we pay for that?”

Whitfield said she hopes this discussion leads to a broader plan to support students.

“If 15 days additional does show that there is a benefit to it, I think it should be a part of a larger plan because I don’t think there’s one single thing that anybody could do in any position with education that is going to make a substantial change,” Whitfield said.

Oklahoma currently requires a minimum of 165 instructional days per year.

That’s fewer than every bordering state except Colorado.

If the school year were extended by 15 days—up to 180—it would bring Oklahoma closer to the requirements already in place in Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Kansas.

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Oklahoma

Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder’s Blowout Loss to Hornets

Published

11 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder’s Blowout Loss to Hornets

The Oklahoma City Thunder were shocked by the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in Paycom Center, losing 124-97. This is OKC’s second loss in as many days, losing last night in Phoenix to the Suns 108-105.

The Thunder’s record is now 30-7 and they are 6-6 in their last 12 games. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference is playing its worst stretch of basketball in over two years.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting to keep his 20-point streak alive. OKC shot a rough 28.2% from three-point range and 66.7% from the charity stripe.

Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s 27-point home loss.

Jan 5, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots a three point basket as Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) defends during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

1. Inability to Make Shots

The glaring struggle for the Thunder tonight was on offense, with the team shooting 36.6% from the floor and 28.2% from three-point range. It’s difficult for any team to win shooting that poorly in a game.

The Thunder found open look after open look across the perimeter, but were unable to convert at a high rate. The Hornets were able to consistently help off of perimeter shooters to bring more defensive attention around Gilgeous-Alexander and inside the paint.

Poor shooting creates poor spacing and poor spacing creates ugly offensive execution. Poor spacing and shooting defined OKC’s woes against Charlotte.

Jan 5, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) shoots from under the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

2. Young and Hungry Hornets

Charlotte was by far the more energetic team in its win, amped up on both ends from start to finish, flying in for every loose ball. The young team came in looking to send Loud City home unhappy and they succeeded.

The Thunder were on the back end of an away/home back-to-back, having to quickly fly in from Phoenix to prepare for the game. The Hornets smelt blood in the water early, taking the game from their very first run.

After the game was tied at 33 at the end of the first quarter, Charlotte blazed into a 23-7 run throughout a large part of the second quarter to grasp a firm control of the flow of the game. The Thunder’s struggling offense could not find any momentum to claw back into the hole they fell into.

Charlotte’s shooting performance was remarkable from distance. With a plethora of shots taken with great difficulty, the Hornets managed to shoot 51.4% from three-point range.

The Hornets came in hungry and caught the reigning champions by surprise.

Jan 5, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends Charlotte Hornets guard Sion James (4) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

3. Gilgeous-Alexander Keeps Streak Alive Amid Struggles

Gilgeous-Alexander scoring above 20 points, with 21, to keep his historic 20-point streak alive, is the lone positive from a rough loss. Despite struggling through constant full-court pressure and double teams from the Hornets, the reigning MVP was able to muster just enough to keep his hunt for the record alive.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 7-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-6 from three in the loss, adding six assists to his totals. He was OKC’s only 20-point scorer on the night.

The Canadian’s streak of scoring 20-or-more points now sits at 108 games, 18 behind Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 126.

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Oklahoma

Former Colorado State RB Lloyd Avant headed to Oklahoma

Published

23 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Former Colorado State RB Lloyd Avant headed to Oklahoma

The Sooners have added reinforcement to their backfield for the 2026 season in the form of Colorado State transfer Lloyd Avant.

The rising junior has committed to Oklahoma, and will join the program with two years of eligibility remaining. He’ll add explosiveness and versatility to an OU running back corps headlined by returning workhorses Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock.

It’s a return to the Sooner State for Avant, who spent his freshman season at Tulsa in 2024. He signed with the Golden Hurricane out of high school as a three-star recruit. At the time, TU’s head coach was Kevin Wilson, who’s now on staff with Oklahoma as an offensive analyst.

Avant made an immediate impact at Tulsa as a true freshman, rushing for 259 yards and a TD and adding a kick return touchdown. But after Wilson’s dismissal, the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder elected to enter the transfer portal and eventually landed at CSU. There, he became a weapon in several facets for the program during his lone season with the Rams. He totaled over 900 all-purpose yards, 417 of which came on the ground and 261 of which came via pass reception. He scored six total TD’s and averaged nearly six yards per touch.

Upon Avant’s second portal entry, the Sooners quickly emerged as the team to watch in his recruitment. He visited campus Sunday and didn’t take long to lock in his decision.

A native of Humble, Texas, Avant gives Oklahoma six scholarship running backs heading into the new season. He joins Robinson, Blaylock, Andy Bass, and a pair of incoming freshmen in Jonathan Hatton and DeZephen Walker. It’ll also be of some intrigue to see whether OU offers him the chance to return kicks. As a team, the Sooners attempted just two kickoff returns in 2025, opting almost exclusively for fair catches. That philosophy could change with a proven special teams weapon like Avant in the stable.

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Oklahoma City takes on Charlotte, looks for 4th straight home win

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma City takes on Charlotte, looks for 4th straight home win

Charlotte Hornets (12-23, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6, first in the Western Conference)

Oklahoma City; Monday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -15.5; over/under is 232.5

BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma City hosts Charlotte looking to continue its three-game home winning streak.

The Thunder have gone 17-2 at home. Oklahoma City scores 121.9 points while outscoring opponents by 14.7 points per game.

The Hornets have gone 5-13 away from home. Charlotte ranks fourth in the league averaging 15.1 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.7% from downtown. Kon Knueppel leads the team averaging 3.6 makes while shooting 42.8% from 3-point range.

The Thunder’s 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season are the same per game average that the Hornets allow. The Hornets are shooting 45.6% from the field, 2.5% higher than the 43.1% the Thunder’s opponents have shot this season.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Thunder won 109-96 in the last meeting on Nov. 16. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points, and Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 15 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Chet Holmgren is averaging 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25.0 points over the last 10 games.

Bridges is averaging 20.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Hornets. Brandon Miller is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 6-4, averaging 118.9 points, 42.5 rebounds, 24.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.3 points per game.

Hornets: 5-5, averaging 118.7 points, 45.6 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.8 points.

INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out (groin), Thomas Sorber: out for season (knee), Ousmane Dieng: out (calf), Jaylin Williams: out (heel), Isaiah Hartenstein: out (calf).

Hornets: Mason Plumlee: out (groin), Grant Williams: out (acl), Ryan Kalkbrenner: day to day (elbow), Tidjane Salaun: day to day (ankle), Moussa Diabate: day to day (wrist).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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