The Oklahoma Center for Education Policy (OCEP) produces and disseminates policy-relevant research on critical topics in PK-12 education in Oklahoma. Focus areas are teacher quality, school choice, early literacy, rural education, family engagement, and college and career pathways. OCEP is also committed to supporting state lawmakers, school leaders, educators, and local officials by providing timely Oklahoma-based research. Our ultimate aim is to contribute to effective decision-making in Oklahoma’s PK–12 education system.
Presidential Professor, University of Oklahoma
Daniel Hamlin is Presidential Professor in education policy and Faculty Director of the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy (OCEP) at the University of Oklahoma. He is the founding director of OCEPI, Editor-in-Chief of the Oklahoma Education Journal, and Research Affiliate at the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University.
Hamlin has authored 50 peer-reviewed studies, book chapters, and research reports. His work appears in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the American Educational Research Journal, Sociology of Education, the Journal of Criminal Justice, Educational Policy, and Urban Education. His research has also received coverage in the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Forbes, Marginal Revolution, The 74, and Chalkbeat.
Hamlin is the recipient of research grants from the National Science Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Randall and Lenise Stephenson Family Foundation, and the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems organization. Hamlin serves on the editorial boards of three peer reviewed scholarly journals.
At the University of Oklahoma, Hamlin received the College of Education’s Research and Scholarship Award in 2022 and Pre-tenure Faculty Award in 2021. In 2024, the University of Oklahoma awarded him a Presidential Professorship, and in the same year, he received the College of Education’s Graduate Student Mentoring Award. Hamlin was also awarded the Derek Bok Award for Excellence in Teaching as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. Prior to joining OU, Hamlin earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto where he received the Ken Leithwood Outstanding Thesis of the Year Award for his dissertation.
Adam Tyner is Executive Director of the Oklahoma Center for Education Policy (OCEP) at the University of Oklahoma. He oversees the Center’s research initiatives, public engagement, and strategy to strengthen evidence-based policymaking in Oklahoma. Tyner also serves as Executive Editor of the Oklahoma Education Journal.
Prior to joining OCEP, Tyner was National Research Director at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he led studies on issues ranging from student achievement gaps to school discipline reform and advanced coursework. His research has been published in outlets such as Economics of Education Review, Contemporary Economic Policy, and the Journal of Advanced Academics. His commentary and scholarship have been featured in major media including The Economist, The New York Times, BBC, Education Week, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Tyner earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, San Diego, where his doctoral dissertation examined rural-to-urban migration in China. Before that, he attended Rose State College and then completed a B.A. in international studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Sam Naab is a doctoral student in Education Administration at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on student safety, adolescent development, Catholic schools, and school choice. He also brings experience in both classroom teaching and school-level leadership and currently serves as the director of middle school athletics for the Diocese of Tulsa. His current academic and professional work explores how formation and service shape the student experience.
To strengthen OCEP’s impact on education policymaking in Oklahoma, the Center established an Advisory Committee in 2025. With leaders from academia, government, and the business community, the Advisory Committee guides the Center’s statewide research priorities, communication strategies, and events.
Retired Executive Chairman and CEO, AT&T Inc.
Speaker, Oklahoma House of Representatives
President and CEO, Tulsa Community College
Superintendent, Tulsa Public Schools
Professor, Oklahoma State University
CEO, Fuel OKC
