SEED

Oklahoma is on the verge of an education and workforce revolution—one that can lay the foundation for lifelong success for graduating students. But only if the right decisions are made and the right paths are pursued.

By planting the seeds of innovation now, we can cultivate a future where students graduate not just with high school diplomas, but with low-cost college options and real-world skills ready for life, ready to flourish, and ready to pursue happiness and ready to live out the American Dream.

Ready, Set, Thrive (click here for the framework)

A transformative workforce development plan to prepare Oklahoma students for life beyond the classroom, Ready, Set, Thrive aims to ensure that every student is ready to launch into a successful career, prepared for a future filled with opportunity and empowered to drive innovation.

Ready, Set, Thrive offers three essential pillars:

• Ready to Launch — Building career-connected learning high schools to establish clear pathways for students. Ready to Launch proposes a seed fund to establish career-connected learning high schools across Oklahoma, fostering innovative educational models that align with industry demands.

• Ready for the Future — Ensuring all students leave high school ready for life. Inspired by Kansas City's successful implementation of Market Value Assets (MVA’s), this pillar works to implement similar frameworks in regional Oklahoma school districts, equipping students with the skills and experiences they need to succeed in life.

• Ready for Innovation — Creating cutting-edge innovation centers to connect industry needs with student skills, fueling the Oklahoma economy. Based on other models, Ready for Innovation seeks to offer high-impact workforce pipeline credentialing that connects students and recent graduates with immediate job opportunities.

Tekton Academies: Building Skills for Life (click here)

Tekton: noun — Ancient Greek (τέκτων) — master craftsman and artisan; related to modern words like "technician," "technical," and "technique"

As part of Seed, Tekton Academies is a concept for a new type of public school, allowing young adult men to finish a high school diploma, learn a skilled trade, and engage in a Great Books and classical virtues curriculum in two years.

It provides a crucial framework for young adults to rediscover the dignity of work, emphasizing the transformative power of hands-on learning. I believe that young adults who haven’t finished high school are capable of so much more. Don’t count them out. Count them in.

Tekton Academies is focused on the power of work with dignity, aiming to build pathways for those who haven’t had the opportunity to finish traditional education.

This new idea blends the classical virtues, great books, and skilled trades to transform lives through meaningful work. Tekton Academies is rooted in the belief that craftsmanship is not only about the hands but also about the mind and soul.

Is this a realistic idea? Certainly. It’s already been implemented elsewhere, and Oklahoma now has a funding mechanism to make it possible. Harmel Academy in Michigan uses the same model in a private faith-based school.