The AHA has sent a letter to members of the Oklahoma State Legislature urging them to return the newly revised state social studies standards to the State Board of Education for further review. An amended draft published at the last legally permissible moment included a series of alarming changes to standards addressing tribal sovereignty, as well as two entire elective courses not part of the materials circulated for public comment. We are urging legislators to use their oversight powers to return the standards to the Board of Education.
The full statement appears below.
May 7, 2026
Oklahoma State Legislature
Oklahoma State Capitol
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Dear Members of the Oklahoma Legislature,
The American Historical Association (AHA) strongly urges you to return the newly revised 2026 Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies to the State Board of Education for further review.
The process of revising Oklahoma’s social studies standards has been marked by controversy. In December 2025, the Oklahoma Supreme Court set aside recently adopted social studies standards because they were approved in violation of the state’s open meeting laws. Although the Oklahoma State Department of Education technically met a statutory deadline for posting agenda items in March, it waited until the last legally permissible moment to release an amended draft, failed to identify the hundreds of changes scattered across a 137-page document, and downplayed both the scope and significance of the revisions being pushed through.
When presenting to the State Board of Education on March 26, 2026, State Superintendent Lindel Fields provided reassurances that the final draft presented for adoption included only “minor” modifications. “You’ll see some changes,” he added, “but none that will surprise you.” The board subsequently approved a draft with major revisions, including two entire elective courses not part of the materials circulated for public comment.
Among the most alarming changes is an apparent systematic marginalization of tribal sovereignty and its history. In grades 4, 5, and 6, standards introducing and defining this concept (4.C.1.2; 5.C.6.4; 6.C.5.1) have been replaced with new language focused on the “historical development of American Indian citizenship” in the United States, even when doing so serves no clear educational purpose. Instead of learning that tribes are self-governing nations with real legal authority over land, courts, and public services, students are now asked to study the causes and consequences of a single piece of federal legislation—the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Citizenship and sovereignty are not interchangeable. Stripping out opportunities to understand tribal sovereignty will leave students ill-equipped for civic life in Oklahoma, home to 38 federally recognized tribal governments.
The decision to restore deeply flawed, new elective courses on Ancient and Medieval World History (AWH) and Twentieth Century Totalitarianism is cause for major concern. The AHA warned during previous rounds of public comment that these courses incorporate content copied without attribution from untested model standards published by the overtly ideological Civics Alliance. Neither course is ready for classroom use. The first (AWH) is unreasonably narrow in its geographic focus and ignores insights from the last century of historical scholarship. The second misrepresents Nazism as a descendant of Communist ideology, while neglecting to mention fascism. These egregious errors make it particularly troubling that the Department of Education failed to solicit public comments on these poorly considered courses in its most recent review.
Furthermore, the sloppiness of the many hurried changes in the 2026 standards raises concerns about whether those directing this process have met the public’s trust. The March draft introduces numerous typos, including four instances of the “United States of America of America,” and replaces references to democracy and representative democracy with constitutional republic in ways that undermine educational coherence.
Earlier this year, the AHA contributed extensive notes and suggestions to the State Board of Education as part of the public comment process. In our assessment, the State Department of Education had made substantive improvements over the invalidated 2025 framework, further honing strong content in state and local history.
In finalizing the new 2026 academic standards, the State Board of Education made some changes based on input from historians and educators, including the AHA. But there are serious flaws that significantly diminish what might otherwise provide a solid foundation for history education in Oklahoma public schools. We urge you to return the 2026 academic standards to the State Board of Education for additional review based on the issues outlined above.
Founded in 1884 and chartered by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the American Historical Association is the largest membership association of professional historians in the world. As part of its mission, the AHA monitors and offers guidance on state academic standards. As outlined in the AHA’s Criteria for Standards in History/Social Studies/Social Sciences, our approach starts from the premise that every student has the right to a history-rich education.
Sincerely,
Sarah Weicksel
Executive Director