New AI tutoring program announced to boost Oklahoma math scores

The Governor’s Education Task Force is working to implement a new AI tutoring program for Oklahoma schools. This month’s meeting was focused on ways to prepare Oklahoma students for success in the workplace of the future. 

“If our kids aren't graduating ready for college or careers then we haven't done our job,” said Secretary of Education, Nellie Sanders.

“Our kindergarteners, our 6th graders, are going to graduate into a job market that's defined by technologies that are beginning to emerge now, and of technologies that we cannot even fathom at this moment,” said Jennifer McGrail, Executive Director, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, (OCAST). 

The Governor’s Education Taskforce is charged with bringing innovation to Oklahoma schools. One of their new initiatives will be bringing in Synthesis, an AI-powered tutoring application.

“Oklahoma has an unprecedented opportunity to lead the nation by focusing on personalized learning that supports and nurtures all students,” Josh Dahn, Co-Founder of Synthesis.

Josh Dahn and Chrisman Frank, the founders of Synthesis, attended today’s task force meeting to discuss their application and how it would be implemented in Oklahoma districts. 

“In our mind, this is sort of an imperative here to develop something that can teach kids the fundamentals of math, give them that confidence,” said Dahn. 

It would initially work as a pilot program, watching the implementation of a few districts in the state.

“We can give you the data on how many kids are using the platform and then you can correlate that with the test scores and see if it's giving you what you want,” said Frank.

The interactive application caters the coursework to each individual student. 

“Matching them with coursework that's a fit for their skill sets that they have passion and they love,” said Sec. Sanders. 

Secretary Sanders says the ultimate goal is to prepare students for future jobs in data centers, cyber security, programming, and more.

“We have to start talking about the kind of technical skills we need to develop to equip them for the future of the 21st century needs,” said Sec. Sanders. 

When Governor Kevin Stitt announced the formation of the task force in September, he said in a statement, “We’re building the best workforce in the nation, and that means reimagining education to focus more on real-world experience and individual strengths of students in preparation for tomorrow's industry needs,” said Governor Stitt. “Investing in Oklahomans always pays off, because it’s Oklahomans who make our state the best place to live, work, and raise a family. I am grateful for Secretary Sanders’ incredible vision and dedication to education and to the future of the Oklahoma workforce.”

The governor laid out five goals for the Task Force: 

1. Identifying tools to develop student talents early and align them with workforce opportunities.
2. Researching and recommending ways to individualize and tailor curricula to the strength of the student while utilizing holistic teaching methodologies.
3. Collaborating with industries, community organizations, and educational institutions for students to gain practical experiences, and define essential soft skills students need for future success.
4. Expanding learning models by leaning into apprenticeships, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities.
5. Evaluating teacher preparation by identifying upskilling needs within the teacher pipeline from K-12 through higher education.

The task force will have monthly meetings to work through the goals. Secretary Sanders says she’s hopeful that the tutoring program will be available statewide for the 2025-2026 school year.