Northwestern Oklahoma State University will play host to the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice for an education policy listening session Tuesday, April 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Northwestern-Woodward campus commons area.
The Oklahoma Appleseed Center is a statewide social justice non-profit law firm. Its education justice coalition, Advance Oklahoma’s Kids, is playing host to the Better Outcomes for Oklahoma’s Kids (B.O.O.K.) initiative, a four-month education policy listening session across Oklahoma with the intended goal to create policy-oriented solutions to present to the Oklahoma Legislature for 2026 session.
Advance Oklahoma’s Kids is spending the next year gathering input, feedback and ideas about education from Oklahomans. The coalition aims to produce a set of 10 to 15 concrete policy recommendations for adoption through the legislature, State Department of Education, local school districts and community stakeholders to strengthen Oklahoma’s public education system by 2030.
Dinner will be served, followed by an introduction and presentation of the B.O.O.K. Initiative, a message from Western Plains Family and Youth Services and group discussions on education policy topics.
“This is inspired in part by the example of House Bill 1017, the landmark education legislation of 1990 developed on the basis of citizen input and a far-ranging education reform agenda that passed into law,” said Shelby Bomford, education justice organizer. “Now, 35 years later, while we are in a markedly different political and policy landscape, it is time to revive the spirit of HB 1017 by bringing Oklahomans together behind a bold, ambitious, forward-thinking education agenda.”
Specific topics to be discussed are strengthening the external environment, supporting the teaching profession, and special needs and accommodations.
“Our schools need support, but for years our leaders have refused to invest in public schools, taking resources and opportunities away from our students,” Bomford said. “The quality of a child’s education shouldn’t depend on how much you pay a private school, or even how close you live to private schools, which don’t exist in many parts of our state. When public schools are supported, they can meet the unique needs of our rural, urban, and suburban communities, bolstering our students’ ability to develop the skills they need in school and life. Faced with a steady barrage of hostile actions and rhetoric, public school advocates are often left in a purely defensive crouch, rather than putting forward a positive agenda that will improve our schools and lead to better outcomes for all Oklahoma’s kids.”
For more information, contact Bomford at shelby@okappleseed.org or (918) 804-2794.
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