Timeline – How Education Became About Building Students Into Cogs In A Planned Economy Instead Of Educating Them – Understanding SB224

Timeline – How Education Became About Building Students Into Cogs In A Planned Economy Instead Of Educating Them – Understanding SB224

May 4, 2025 0 By Jenni White - Managing Editor

This is a post that will go with several other posts to come, but because we’ll be going live on Monday morning at 9am to talk about this specific issue (5.5.25), I wanted to be able to get this timeline I constructed out into the public view so the discussion was easier to follow.

The information below is just in a raw format, but it was information I collected via internet searches and using the AI research tool, GROK on X. I have saved all that information, so if you have questions, I can help answer those with the saved information.

Also, I’ve included URL linkages wherever I can so that you can see where the information came from and how to get their yourself.

The BOTTOM LINE?

Oklahoma is pushing federal Workforce policy as education and has been THROUGHOUT the years since the 1990’s assuredly. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, this timeline makes it very easy to see how the Powers That Be, direct policy statewide (regardless of the 10th Amendment) through the carrot and string approach of federal grants to be used to create federal programming.

There is NOTHING good about tracking students across the years of their lives while saying that we’re doing it for them. WE’RE NOT! We’re doing it because the Powers That Be want a PLANNED ECONOMY which will enrich their toady friends and the useful idiots that carry their water, while making the poor poorer, decimating the middle class and turning our children into cogs to fit into the planned economy jobs machine.

SB224 was about using DASH – OMES new data sharing hub – to fit the State Longitudinal Database System holding educational data together with the Data Quality Workforce Initiative holding employment and workforce data – TOGETHER to create a seamless way of sharing data on kids from cradle to the grave. It sounds crazy, but I’ve put enough of the policy below for you to determine whether that assertion is crazy or not.

The worst part is that our STATE GOVERNOR is selling this as something good for kids. IT’S NOT! It’s good for business. Kids should be educated classically in as many subjects as we can stuff into their little heads and then they can use that information to INFORM THEIR OWN DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. We don’t need the government MINIMALLY educating our students (What? Proficiency ratings are above 50% in reading and math? No.) so they know just enough to think that they’re deciding what they want to be when they grow up when the counselor at school gives them ‘suggestions’. We need WELL-EDUCATED kids.

If the repeal of Common Core from state law and the inability to secure an NCLB waiver caused the state an inability to secure a completed SLDS (to create widgets of Oklahoma kids that are only educated to fill the need for jobs), WHY WOULD WE WANT TO HOOK THESE TOGETHER NOW? Oklahomans didn’t like it in 2014, but they’re going to want that now? Not only that, but if we did that back then, what could we do NOW if we unite against this?

Help us STOP SB224. Share this. Share the video from Monday morning. Let your senators know they’ll be primaried if they vote for this nonsense. Educate others about what is going on in this state. We made a difference with Common Core – we can do it again!

1965 – President Lyndon Banes Johnson creates the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to dovetail with his War On Poverty. It has been reauthorized every 5 years since.

1990 – President George H.W. Bush created Goals 2000 after he signed an international agreement entitled, “World Declaration on Education for All” 42 (EFA), the result of a summit sponsored by the United Nations, called “The World Conference on Education for All”

  • Included the call for the nation’s FIRST State Longitudinal Database to track student progress

1990 – Oklahoma legislature creates the Office of Accountability

  • Tasked with overseeing school performance through the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program (OEIP) and the Oklahoma School Performance Review program (OSPR)
  • OEIP developed standards to gauge performance of schools
  • Required by Goals 2000 legislation

1994 – Bill Clinton’s ESEA called, “Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994. Also created School-To-Work Opportunities Act and the Goals 2000 Act in conjunction with the ESEA

  • School boards and elected legislators would be bypassed as applications would be made and federal funds received by state Governors and their appointees on workforce development boards.  
  • A computer database (aka Labor Market information System) would be used into which school personnel would scan information about students and their family including medical and psychological data that could be shared from the school to others deemed important in the student’s education

1995 – Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP) created by legislature (HB1549)

  • Created teacher preparation system
  • The non-profit, Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (OWIB) was formed in1998 and established under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), which required states to establish state workforce investment boards to oversee workforce development programs.

2001 – George W. Bush – renames Clinton’s ESEA, “The No Child Left Behind Act”

  • Included Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) required testing public school students in 3rd, 8th and twice in high school. State set benchmarks they then had to meet with 100% proficiency. Schools missing target two years in a row were put on a “needs improvement list”. If schools didn’t make AYP, funding could be removed.
  • Needed database to collect test scores at a minimum
  • 1st slds undertaken in Florida as a pilot project
  • 2002 the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program, authorized under the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 and launched in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES). This program provided grants to states to design, develop, and implement longitudinal data systems, starting with the first round of funding in fiscal year 2005, which awarded $265 million to 41 states and the District of Columbia by 2009.

2006 – Created the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development (GCWED – codified by Senate Bill 1397 (2006) to comply with federal and state workforce development priorities – especially the WIA (1998)

2007 – National Chamber of Commerce “Leaders and Laggards” report gave Oklahoma an “F” in accountability, academic achievement and data quality

  • Oklahoma received an A for its teaching force
  • Oklahoma had no alignment between educational outcomes and workforce needs

2009 – Barrack Obama – did not reauthorize NCLB, but created a grant process called Race To The Top. States competed for funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for 4 reforms

  • Including “building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction”
  • RTT Early Learning Challenge began to collect testing data on infants, toddlers and preschoolers enrolled in preK programs

2009 – Governor Brad Henry, takes State Fiscal Stabilization Funds from the Obama Administration including to create STATEWIDE P–16 EDUCATION DATA SYSTEMS.— (A) ESTABLISHMENT OF SYSTEM.—Each State that receives a grant under subsection (c)(2) shall establish a statewide P–16 education longitudinal data system. https://www.congress.gov/110/plaws/publ69/PLAW-110publ69.pdf

2009 – Educational Accountability Reform Act created by SB111 (Republican legislators) and signed into law by Governor Brad Henry

  • Created in part due to Chamber of Commerce F grades in their “leaders and laggers” report
  • Transferred management of student data, determination of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP from NCLB), cut scores for tests, and oversight for academic standards and testing to the Office Of Accountability created in 1990
  • Centralized data

2010 – Workforce Data Quality Initiative (WDQI) grant for 1 million dollars from the Department of Labor  to “support the creation of data systems linking workforce and education data to evaluate training and employment outcomes

2012 – Oklahoma applied for an NCLB Waiver under Republican Chief For Change, State Superintendent Janet Barresi and Republican Governor Mary Fallin, Chair of the National Governor’s Association – we did NOT get a waiver

2012 – Oklahoma granted a Statewide Longitudinal Database Grant ($4,997,082) to run from 2012 through 2017

2012 – Oklahoma Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) created

  • Governor Mary Fallin signed SB1797 which consolidated the Office of Accountability and Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation into the Oklahoma Office of Educational Quality And Accountability
  • Now under supervision of the State Secretary of Education
  • 7-member Board created to govern the office (Commission For Educational Quality and Accountability
  • Implements the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act
  • Develops the measures for the Oklahoma School Report Card to help get an NCLB Waiver https://reclaimoklahomaparentempowerment.blogspot.com/search?q=nclb+waiver&updated-max=2014-05-07T07:18:00-05:00&max-results=20&start=8&by-date=false
  • The OEQA uses the SLDS and National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) to create the school report cards

2013 – Governor Mary Fallin, announces through her position as the Chair for the National Governor’s Association, creates the America Works: Education and Training for Tomorrow’s Jobs, which spotlights improving education and workforce training systems and aligning those systems with the needs of individual state economies.

2014 – Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) – replaced Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998

  • States required to strengthen their workforce systems by aligning them with economic development goals, emphasizing business-led strategies and improving data-driven decision making

2014 – Governor Mary Fallin creates Oklahoma Works

  • “Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Governor of each State must submit a Unified or Combined State Plan to the U.S. Secretary of Labor that outlines a four-year workforce development strategy for the State’s workforce development system.
  • This linked WDQI and SLDS to track education plus workforce outcomes
  • Provided the framework for a statewide coalition to connect education, training and job opportunities
  • Five goals – one of which was to “enhance data-driven decisions by using longitudinal data systems to track outcomes and evaluate program effectiveness
  • Oklahoma Works influenced education policy, including charter school expansion (moving Oklahoma’s charter law ranking from 37th to 10th nationally) and literacy improvements via the Reading Sufficiency

 Grok

  • The initiative’s data-driven approach informed performance-based budgeting, shifting state funding to programs with proven outcomes Grok
  • The SLDS – which integrated K-12, postsecondary and workforce data gave Oklahoma Works the data to align education programs with employer needs – Grok
  • Oklahoma Works website including current information https://oklahoma.gov/workforce/partners/state-wdb.html
  • Changed the Central Oklahoma Workforce Board (COWB – 1998) to the Central Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board (COWIB) still a non-profit organization covering 9 counties in central Oklahoma
  • Board is composed of business leaders, county commissioners and representatives from education and community organizations
    • Oversees and operations and sets board policy
    • Expanded services
    • Implements Oklahoma Works
  • According to GROK the WDQI and SLDS grants are NOT CONNECTED which is a problem for implantation of its mission
  • GROK also says that the 2014 Common Core data repeal and NCLB waiver revocation “created policy turbulence, potentially disrupting COWIBs alignment with Oklahoma Works’ educational goals. Political resistance to federal mandates may have complicated WIOA implementation”.

2015 – State ‘reaffirmed’ Governors Council for Workforce and Economic Development in order to meet updated Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act federal mandates in order to receive federal workforce grants.

2021 – National Chamber of Commerce calls on states to adopt the America Works Agenda to “address the nations worker shortage”

  • Introduce 4 ‘immediate action’ items
    • Help Americans acquire the skills they need to fill today’s open jobs
    • Improve education and job training opportunities for the jobs of tomorrow
    • Remove barriers to entering the workforce
    • Expand the workforce through immigration reform
  • Under number 2 we are told that every state needs Learning and Employer Records (LERs): In addition to providing a verified and authenticated record of employment history for every American worker, support the ability of education, training, and credentialing providers to produce a digital record of learning that is based on open and available data standards and used to empower learners and workers with information about their skills and qualifications.
  • https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/the-america-works-agenda-policy-solutions-to-address-the-nations-worker-shortage

2022 – Oklahoma’s WIOA State Plan for 22-23 is filed

  • Introduces ICAP: The Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) was recently developed for the state’s PK- 12 system by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) with input from students, families, educators and other partners. The ICAP equips students with the awareness, knowledge and skills to create their own individualized, meaningful exploration of college and career opportunities. In order to reflect students’ changing passions, aptitudes, interests and growth, the ICAP is a flexible, evolving document. The ICAP incorporates labor market data into occupational exploration materials to allow students to make informed decisions about education and training for future career goals.  
  • https://wioaplans.ed.gov/node/330581

2022 – Oklahoma Public Resource Center Commissions the Office Of Educational Quality and Accountability Transformation Proposal

  • Recommendation 2 was to Provide impactful P-20 (SLDS) information
    • Recommends that OEQA become a data hub for student data
    • Recommends using the Oklahoma Data Matrix visualization tool
    • Recommends the use of the Baldrige Excellence Framework for P-20 institutions across Oklahoma
    • Must have access to the data that follows a student throughout and beyond their formal participation in the education system
    • a data hub also helps address another core desired outcome of the stakeholder engagement process by not just knowing where kids are now, but where they are six years after high school or college graduation
  • https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/oeqa/documents/annual-reports/Transformation_Proposal.pdf

2023 – Governor Stitt creates Executive Order 2023-21 to transfer the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development under the Oklahoma Employment Securities Commission

  • The Oklahoma Employment Securities Commission is designated as the single point of funding and accountability for the WIOA federal Department of Labor workforce grants
  • Aligns with federal grant application rules
  • https://www.sos.ok.gov/documents/executive/2080.pdf

2024 – Oklahoma’s WIOA required long range plan for 24-27 states the following on page 119

  • Improve Access to and Sharing of Data: Oklahoma recognizes the weaknesses it has faced in the past regarding access to and the possession of data critical for the success of the workforce system. We are committed to identifying and acting on opportunities to systematize the sharing of data among partners in the workforce system, to coordinate resources expended on data research and evaluations, and to expand tools available at both the state and local levels to include dashboards and other modern technologies. The main objective of these efforts is to strengthen the aligned efforts of the core, required, and additional workforce system partners for more effective outcomes.
  • https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/workforce/documents/2024%20WIOA%20State%20Plan.pdf

2024 – Oklahoma’s WIOA State Plan for 24-25 is filed

  • Vision includes: Becoming more data-driven, using independent and objective data to drive workforce transformation.
  • Coordinating and “braiding” WIOA funds to drive the state’s workforce strategy
  • Goals include: Preparing an educated and skilled workforce and meeting employers’ skilled workforce needs go hand in hand. Oklahoma will achieve innovation and efficiency through alignment, collaboration, and education. All entities are working together to drive collective and meaningful outcomes.
  • https://wioaplans.ed.gov/node/452081

2024 – Oklahoma Works, Governor’s Council for workforce and Economic Development votes to accept the plan: minutes of meeting January 19th, 2024

  • Discussion & Vote to approve policy informing/establishing publicly OESC’s Authority to administer the WIOA programs including policy and procedure. – this allows OESC as the agency to administer the program to DOL, standing in accordance with the Workforce Act, signed by Governor Stitt, on August 10, 2023. Chair Gray motion for a vote, Stan McCabe move the motion and David Reid seconding the motion, with all voting aye, no opposed. No further discussion.
  • https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/workforce/documents/gcwed/minutes/2024/GCWED-Minutes-2024-01-19.pdf

2024 – Governor Stitt signs Executive Order 2024-24: creating a Task Force on Human Potential for Future Industries to go through 2027

2024 – October meeting of Oklahoma Works, Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development speaker, Chad Warmington from the Oklahoma State Chamber

  • Warmington also addressed House Bill 621, which led to the creation of a new workforce commission, with its priority being the recruitment of a CEO to lead these initiatives. A secondary priority is enhancing workforce data. Warmington stressed the importance of building a strong workforce infrastructure, particularly in preparing K-12 students to be career-ready by the time they graduate. He shared Superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools’ vision that students should be ready to “Employ, Enroll, or Enlist” upon graduation, and he talked about the need for schools to align their programs with the state’s workforce requirements.
  • https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/workforce/documents/gcwed/minutes/2024/GCWED-Minutes-2024-10-25.pdf

2024 – OEQA 2024 Annual Report

2024 – December – OMES creates DASH – Data Sharing Hub in conjunction with Google (for analytical tools) and Cloudflare (for security)

  • According to GROK, DASH supports secure data sharing for Oklahoma Works and OLDS, but specific developer names are undisclosed
  • Rolled out to 6 unnamed agencies with plans for more agency use
  • According to GROK, DASH was needed to share data to align education and workforce programs according to Governor Stitt’s EO 2024-24 and Oklahoma Works

2025 – Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce 2025 Legislative Priorities states:

  • Support improving K-12 Graduation Requirements to include Career Ready,
    Advanced Placement, and concurrent academic credit options.
  • Advocate for partnerships and the integration of workforce system partners,
    resources, and strategies supported by state funding, that utilize data driven
    strategies for skill alignment and credential attainment, ensuring alignment with
    economic development goals and employer needs.
  • https://okstatechamber.com/policy/workforce-and-employment/

2025 – George W. Bush Institute – Education and Workforce Pipeline website which measures state alignment with an integrated SLDS

  • Indicates that Oklahoma is NOT aligned
    • 2 out of 4 for Coordinated Vision
    • 1 out of 4 for Capacity and Resources
    • 2 out of 4 for Data-Driven Policy
    • 3 out of 4 for Transparency and Reporting
  • https://pipeline.bushcenter.org/slds

DATA SHARING

Oklahoma has a data sharing agreement (DSA) among NINE state agencies which are unnamed according to GROK.

Oklahoma also has specific Memoranda Of Understanding (MOU) with

  • Oklahoma State Department of Education
  • Oklahoma Employment Security Commission
  • Oklahoma Department of Commerce and Local Workforce Boards including The Governor’s Council For Workforce and Economic Development
  • Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
  • Oklahoma State Department of Health
  • Oklahoma Department of Labor
  • The State Data Platform and DASH

DATA PROTECTIONS – listed

Government Transparency Act of 2019

Oklahoma Computer Data Privacy Act

Oklahoma Student Data Accessibility, Transparency and Accountability Act

MOUs are to align with HIPAA, FERPA and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

DATA CONCERNS

GROK was asked “do the Government Transparency Act of 2019, Oklahoma Computer Data Privacy Act, Oklahoma Student Data Accessibility, Transparency and Accountability Act, FERPA, and HIPPA protect individual data in Oklahoma.

The following is copied from the result

Critical Examination

  • Strengths:
    • Robust Framework: The five laws collectively cover diverse data types (student, health, consumer, government), ensuring comprehensive protection in OLDS and DASH, as seen in COWIB’s secure data use.
    • Interagency Coordination: DSA and DASH, supported by the Government Transparency Act, streamline secure data sharing, aligning with Executive Order 2024-22’s focus on personalized learning.
    • Compliance Mechanisms: Audits (Student Data Act), penalties (Computer Data Privacy Act), and public disclosures (Government Transparency Act) enhance accountability, reducing misuse risks.
  • Weaknesses:
    • Re-Identification Risks: FERPA and HIPAA exemptions allow de-identified data sharing, but indirect identifiers (e.g., ZIP code, race) could enable re-identification, especially in small Oklahoma communities.
  • Enforcement Gaps: FERPA’s rare use of funding penalties and HIPAA’s federal oversight may limit state-level accountability, while the Computer Data Privacy Act lacks a private right of action.
  • Transparency Limitations: Sensitive MOUs or audit details may remain non-public to avoid security risks, as allowed by the Student Data Act, reducing full transparency.
  • Narrative Scrutiny:
    • Oklahoma’s narrative of robust data protection is largely accurate, given the layered legal framework, but overstated due to re-identification risks and enforcement weaknesses. The 60% attainment goal’s stagnation (~30%) suggests data protection alone cannot address systemic educational barriers.
    • The business-led focus of Oklahoma Works and GCWED may prioritize employer data needs, potentially straining privacy protections, though FERPA and HIPAA compliance mitigates this.
    • Political controversies, such as Stitt’s Executive Order 2023-31 (anti-DEI) or the 2024 OMES audit citing mismanagement, may erode public trust in data systems, despite legal safeguards.

Sources and Further Inquiry

  • Primary Sources:
    • Oklahoma Statutes, Title 74, § 3122 (Government Transparency Act), Title 70, § 3-168 (Student Data Act), via www.oscn.net.
  • Secondary Sources:
    • Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (dash.ok.gov) for DASH and DSA details.
  • Central Oklahoma Workforce Innovation Board (cowib.org) for workforce metrics.
  • CaseGuard on Oklahoma’s Student Data Act (caseguard.com, April 6, 2022).
  • McAfee & Taft on HB 1030 (mcafeetaft.com, March 9, 2023).
  • Contact for Verification:
    • OMES Data Services: 405-521-2141 or data.services@omes.ok.gov (mailto:data.services@omes.ok.gov) for DASH and DSA.
    • OEQA: 405-522-5399 for OLDS and student data policies.
    • OSDH: 405-426-8000 for HIPAA MOUs.
    • Oklahoma Attorney General: 405-521-3921 for HB 1030 enforcement.
  • Accessing Details: Request MOUs or audit reports via the Oklahoma Open Records Act (51 O.S. § 24A.1 et seq.) through OMES or OSDH. Visit oklahoma.gov for transparency policies.

OSDE Data Privacy and Security

https://oklahoma.gov/education/services/student-information/privacy-and-security.html

Connect Safely; Guide to Student Data Privacy

https://connectsafely.org/student-data-privacy

Parent and Student Rights Under State and Federal Student Privacy Laws Governing Student Educational Records and Student Data

Array

STATE OF OKLAHOMA INFORMATION SECURITY POLICY, PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES (PPG)

Oklahoma State Department of Education Data Privacy Program Plan December 2022

Array

Personally Identifiable Data Disclosure

Array

OSDE Data Governance Program

https://oklahoma.gov/education/services/data-governance.html

Data Integrity and Secure Stewardship of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Policy and Procedure

https://cowib.org/knowledge-base/data-integrity-policy-and-procedure

State Data Sharing Initiative

https://www.statedatasharing.org/data-sharing/#toolkit

An Analysis of Recent Education Reforms and The Resulting Impact On Student Privacy

“Our system isn’t tapping into the potential of every student. That’s what we’re setting out to change,” Oklahoma State Secretary of Education, Nellie Sanders said. “Artificial intelligence, virtual reality and other emerging technologies can offer Oklahoma students a learning advantage. We’re going to explore ways to personalize curricula to interest, expand apprenticeship programs and define universal soft skills so our students are ready to lead us into the future.”

CategoryEducation Parental Rights Personal Liberty public school
Tagsdata quality workforce initiative Governor Kevin Stitt Governor's Council On WorkForce And The Economy oklahoma planned economy stakeholders State Longitudinal Database System technology workforce

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