Education

New Oklahoma social studies standards restore patriotism, civic foundations

April 6, 2026

David Randall, Ph.D.

Oklahoma has revised its social studies standards once again, and this time in a good direction.

The National Association of Scholars (NAS) and the Civics Alliance congratulate Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Lindel Fields, the members of Oklahoma’s State Board of Education, and Governor Kevin Stitt for their work to improve Oklahoma’s social studies standards. Oklahoma’s social studies standards adoption process has been unusually tangled, but the end result has been a substantial improvement.

There’s been an unusual amount of political drama surrounding Oklahoma’s social studies standards over the last two years. A great deal of this drama resulted from the unfortunate decision to engage in procedural irregularities between the publication of the Draft Standards in 2024 and the final promulgation of the final standards in 2025. Events that followed included a court challenge to the final standards and the resignation of then-Superintendent Ryan Walters. 

Social studies standards published earlier in 2026 were, unfortunately and unnecessarily, shorn of good content from the 2024 and 2025 versions of Oklahoma’s social studies standards. Now, finally, Oklahoma has promulgated final (we hope!) social studies standards that include substantial reform.

A great amount of the change between the previous standards and this consists of small restorations of previously deleted material. For example:

• Examine ways citizens can demonstrate patriotism, including military service, honoring veteran cemeteries, and celebrating Independence Day. [Grade 1] 
• Describe influences of early English tradition related to the principles of limited government and individual rights, such as found in the Magna Carta and established by the English Bill of Rights. [Grade 7] 
• Examine the purpose of government, including its responsibilities to citizens, as expressed in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America. [Grade 8] 
• Describe how humanism furthered the values of republicanism, liberty, and individualism. [Modern World History] 
• Describe the transition from wartime to peace under the Harding Administration, including the demobilization of drafted soldiers, federal budget cuts, and amnesty for political prisoners. [United States History] 
• Describe the growth of federal agencies during the 20th century, analyzing the constitutional and statutory bases for the delegation of powers to departments or agencies of the executive branch. [United States Government] 

The pervasive re-insertions of deleted material improve Oklahoma’s standards throughout. The Standards also include large, discrete improvements: the re-insertion of the high school electives in Ancient and Medieval History and History of 20th Century Totalitarianism. The first elective makes it possible for Oklahoma high school students to learn in greater depth about the foundations of Western civilization. The second elective makes it possible for them to learn about the twin horrors of Nazism and Communism. These improvements by themselves bring Oklahoma toward the top of the social studies standards in the 50 states. 

More work remains to be done in Oklahoma. Bureaucrats in the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) have removed substantial amounts of good material from earlier drafts, which have not been restored; Oklahoma would benefit from future rounds of standard revision. The improved standards still need to be translated into curriculum frameworks, model lesson plans, textbook selection, professional development, and more.

But to say that work needs to be done does not take away from Oklahoma’s accomplishment. OSDE, at the end of a long and winding route, has produced good standards, of which Oklahomans can be proud.

NAS and the Civics Alliance are pleased and honored that our American Birthright: The Civics Alliance’s Model K-12 Social Studies Standards informed Oklahoma’s new social studies standards. But the successful conclusion of this campaign to improve Oklahoma’s social studies standards owes far more to Oklahomans—to Superintendent Lindel Fields, to the members of the Board of Education, and to Governor Kevin Stitt.