Corey DeAngelis to receive OCPA’s Citizen of the Year Award

Corey DeAngelis to receive OCPA’s Citizen of the Year Award

OKLAHOMA CITY (February 25, 2022)—Corey DeAngelis, national director of research at the American Federation for Children, will be the recipient of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affair’s 2022 Citizenship Award.

“Corey DeAngelis is a leading national voice for school choice and an unflinching warrior for the cause of children who deserve greater opportunity,” said Jonathan Small, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. “His knowledge of facts and data on school choice is unsurpassed, as is his willingness to debate anyone, anywhere—and win.”

“Corey DeAngelis is well known in the world of free-market policy because he does not allow any falsehood to go unchallenged in school-choice debates,” said OCPA Board Chairman Larry Parman. “Time and again, he has shown that facts matter more than volume, even in online debates, and he is a true champion for the right of children to access the best education possible by funding students, not systems.”

DeAngelis was selected as this year’s recipient by a vote of OCPA’s Board of Directors.

“The solution to many education problems in our nation is simple: Fund students, not systems,” said DeAngelis.  “Empowering parents and guardians to use education funds at any provider, based on the needs of a specific child, will result in millions of children collectively receiving a better education and achieving better outcomes that improve their lives. It’s time we gave that power to all families, not just the wealthy.” 

DeAngelis’ research primarily focuses on the effects of school-choice programs on non‐academic outcomes such as criminal activity, character skills, mental health, and political participation. He has authored or co‐authored over 40 journal articles, book chapters, and reports on education policy, and he is the co‐editor of School Choice Myths: Setting the Record Straight on Education Freedom.

His research has been published in peer‐reviewed academic journals such as Social Science Quarterly, School Effectiveness and School Improvement, Educational Review, Educational Research and Evaluation, and Peabody Journal of Education. He is a regular on Fox News and his work has also been published in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, and National Review.

DeAngelis received his Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Arkansas. He additionally holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Oklahoma’s Equal Opportunity Scholarship Program, the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program, and the Stay in Schools Program—which have helped numerous Oklahoma children obtain a quality education through school choice—are examples of the types of school-choice programs DeAngelis has championed.

DeAngelis has been a prominent national voice in the debate over Senate Bill 1647, which would create the Oklahoma Empowerment Account (OEA) Program. Under the program, any student eligible to enroll in a public school would be eligible for an OEA, which could be used to pay for a range of education services, including private-school tuition. Money deposited into the account comes from the per-pupil allotment of state funding already dedicated for education of a child.

SB 1647 is authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat and has been endorsed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Prior Citizenship Award recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; John Walton, son of Sam Walton and an avid champion and philanthropist for school choice; Dr. Tom Coburn; and former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

“This is our most prestigious award,” Small said. “It is given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to advancing free markets, limited government, individual initiative and personal responsibility.”

OCPA will present DeAngelis with the Citizenship Award at OCPA’s Citizenship Award Dinner on Wednesday, April 21 in Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) is a free market think tank committed to advancing principles and policies that support free enterprise, limited government, individual initiative, and personal responsibility.