State Chamber unveils major education reform plan aimed at lifting Oklahoma out of 50th place
By Ben Morgan – KRMG News11/18/2025 10:20am OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Oklahoma State Chamber is pushing a sweeping new education reform package designed to boost student performance and improve Oklahoma’s long-term economic outlook. The plan, called Oklahoma Competes, was presented Tuesday at the State Capitol to lawmakers, state officials, and education leaders. According to the Chamber, Oklahoma’s current ranking — 50th in the nation for overall education outcomes — is holding back the state’s workforce and economic competitiveness.The Chamber says Oklahoma Competes is modeled after a strategy used in Mississippi, which moved from 46th to 9th in national education rankings in about a decade. The proposal includes:
- Hiring hundreds of literacy coaches to support teachers
- Adding AI-based reading and math programs for students
- Creating student improvement plans tied to teacher instruction
- Increasing accountability measures, including retention for students who do not meet reading and math benchmarks
Rick Nagel, chairman of the Oklahoma State Chamber, said other states have already proven the approach works.“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here in Oklahoma — we just have to put the ones already spinning on the track and go fast,” Nagel said.Chamber official Chad Williams said Mississippi’s success was built on intensive support for teachers. “They brought in a whole phalanx of literacy coaches every year to ensure teachers were up to speed on the science of reading,” he said.The plan has strong support from Republican lawmakers, with some already working on legislation that would pair with the Chamber’s proposal.But Democrats say the state has already tried parts of this approach — especially 3rd-grade retention — and it didn’t work. Rep. John Waldron (D-Tulsa) argued the state abandoned a similar retention policy after widespread backlash.“Ten years ago, we tried 3rd grade retention and it was a horrible failure,” Waldron said. “Now the Chamber is bringing up data from Mississippi to advocate for doing the same thing again and expecting a different result.” Lawmakers across both parties say the real challenge will be funding.Mississippi’s plan cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and it’s currently unclear whether Oklahoma would reallocate existing funds — or consider a tax increase. Sen. Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City) said Oklahoma has discussed many of these ideas for years without sustained investment. “We need money to reduce class sizes and focus on literacy,” Kirt said. “We’ve got to make sure we have those resources in the classroom.”State lawmakers will now decide which elements of Oklahoma Competes could become legislation in the upcoming session. Budget decisions — including whether to shift funds or raise new revenue — will play a major role in what the plan ultimately looks like. You can read the full Oklahoma Competes plan from the State Chamber by clicking here.
