Oklahoma has just adopted science and social studies standards informed by The Franklin Standards: Model K-12 State Science Standards (jointly created by Freedom in Education and the National Association of Scholars [NAS]) and by American Birthright: The Civics Alliance’s Model K-12 State Standards and History of Communism: Model State Academic Standards for Social Studies (jointly created by the Civics Alliance and NAS). The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) has done excellent work to improve Oklahoma’s science and social studies standards, which are significantly strengthened from the previous version. Secretary Ryan Walters has accomplished a substantial service for Oklahoma citizens by championing these standards.

Oklahomans should distinguish, however, between Oklahoma’s science standards and Oklahoma’s social studies standards. As the NAS indicated in its comments when OSDE submitted the draft science and draft social studies standards, Oklahoma’s science standards largely preserve the poor model of science content standards previously imposed on Oklahoma by educators who adhere to the lax, politicized Next Generation Science Standards. While these science standards include some small improvements, they combine bureaucratic unreadability with substandard content that will not prepare Oklahoma students for college, career, or informed citizenry.

The one bright spot in these revised science standards is that OSDE has included a section on “Scientific Literacy,” which includes several scientific principles championed by Freedom in Education and NAS in the Franklin Standards. It is indeed an improvement that Oklahoma teachers and students will learn that “Scientific inquiry is characterized by a common set of values that include: logical thinking, precision, open-mindedness, objectivity, skepticism, replicability of results, and honest and ethical reporting of findings.” They will also learn that “Most scientific knowledge is quite durable, but is, in principle, subject to change based on new evidence and/or reinterpretation of existing evidence.” 

These are important truths—and truths which we have championed. Oklahomans should be glad that OSDE has improved Oklahoma students’ science education by incorporating these statements.

OSDE can improve its curriculum frameworks and other resources, even when the standards are not fully improved. Oklahoma citizens and policymakers should urge OSDE to reform these other materials. They also should urge OSDE to undertake a thorough revision of its science standards, along the lines of the Franklin Standards, during Oklahoma’s next science standards revision.

OSDE has made far greater reforms to its social studies standards. They do, alas, retain a framework which itself is ultimately informed by the National Council for the Social Studies’ counterproductive College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. It is a pity that OSDE has, for the present, foregone an opportunity to implement the best possible social studies standards. But the social studies standards do include very substantial improvements.

NAS described these improvements in detail in its previous comment on the 2024 Draft Standards. The revised social studies standards, generally, increase detailed content knowledge, strengthen knowledge of Western Civilization and American history, and strengthen coverage of the histories and the nature of America’s ideals and institutions of liberty, faith, civic virtue, and self-government—as well as of the challenges posed to these ideals and institutions by tyrannies such as Nazism and Communism. They include dedicated high school electives in Ancient and Medieval World History and History of 20th Century Totalitarianism. Above all, they include the extraordinary influence of the Bible and Judeo-Christian belief on Western Civilization and on America’s ideals and institutions of liberty, republican self-government, and civic virtue.

The changes it has made are excellent and far-reaching, but Oklahoma should make even greater reforms in its next round of social studies revision. OSDE’s next challenge will be to make sure that it reforms its social studies curriculum frameworks and other materials to complement the reforms carried out in the standards. Oklahoma citizens and policymakers should urge OSDE to reform these other materials.

Oklahoma’s education reform work is not done. Nevertheless, it has positioned itself to accomplish the pioneering science and social studies reform of this generation.