Oklahoma’s education system is once again at the center of a heated national debate, as State Superintendent Ryan Walters pushes forward with a controversial new requirement: an “America First” test for teachers arriving from states like California and New York. The measure, rolled out in August 2025, is designed in partnership with conservative media nonprofit PragerU, and has ignited fierce criticism from teachers’ unions, civil liberties advocates, and education experts across the nation.
Walters, who has served as Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2020, announced the new policy on August 15, 2025, via X (formerly Twitter), declaring, “Proud to launch our America First Test with PragerU! We will make sure only the best and brightest are teaching in Oklahoma classrooms, not Marxist indoctrinators.” According to The Wild Hunt, Walters specifically targeted educators from what he called “radical leftist” states, stating that “any teacher coming from these states will be required to pass our new PragerU assessment before receiving certification, because we refuse to let Gavin Newsom’s woke, Marxist agenda turn Oklahoma into the same dumpster fire California has become.”
The test, which has not been fully released to the public, reportedly consists of around 50 multiple-choice questions. According to CNN and The Hill, sample questions cover basic civics such as the first three words of the U.S. Constitution, naming the two chambers of Congress, and identifying all U.S. senators. Other questions delve into ideological territory, asking about chromosome pairs that determine biological sex and requiring candidates to explain why religious freedom is “important to America’s identity.” Walters has been explicit that the goal is to “safeguard Oklahoma classrooms from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York,” as quoted by The Wild Hunt.
PragerU, the organization behind the test, is not an accredited university but a media company founded in 2009 by Dennis Prager and Allen Estrin. It produces videos and educational content promoting conservative interpretations of American history, economics, and religion. While PragerU’s materials have been approved for use in K–12 classrooms in states like Florida and Oklahoma, they have also been criticized by fact-checkers for oversimplifying complex issues and for ideological bias. As reported by IBTimes, PragerU’s involvement in Oklahoma’s education system extends beyond the test; Walters enlisted PragerU leaders to review the state’s social studies standards in 2024, leading to increased references to Christianity in the curriculum.
Walters’ broader agenda for Oklahoma’s schools has been marked by a series of moves that critics say blur the lines between church and state. In December 2024, he established an Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism within the State Department of Education, following a controversy in Skiatook where Bible verses were removed from a classroom after a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Walters called the removal “unacceptable” and has dismissed the long-standing Supreme Court precedent separating church and state in public schools as a “myth.” He has advocated for Bible teachings in classrooms, proposed using taxpayer money to purchase Bibles, and supported the creation of a Catholic charter school.
During a State Board of Education meeting on July 24, 2025, Walters insisted the new test would protect Oklahoma children from “teachers who believe there are 27 genders” and from “anti-American, anti-Semitic hate.” He argued that curricula from states like California—which mandate lessons on gender identity, sexual orientation, and combating stereotypes—are “antithetical” to Oklahoma’s standards. “You’re not going to come in here and teach that there’s 27 genders. There’s boys and girls. That’s in our science standards,” Walters declared, as reported by IBTimes.
However, the rollout of the test has been shadowed by secrecy. Local journalists, including those from The Oklahoman, were initially denied access to the exam under the state’s Open Records Act. Only after national media coverage did the Education Department acknowledge the test’s existence, fueling concerns about transparency and the true intent behind the measure. The attorney general’s office has previously admonished Walters’ department for failing to comply with transparency laws.
The political firestorm comes at a time when Oklahoma is grappling with a severe teacher shortage. According to a recent WalletHub study, the state’s K–12 system ranks last in the nation, with many classrooms left understaffed. Walters has tried to counteract this by offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000 to attract educators from other states. Yet, critics argue that the new test will do more harm than good by deterring qualified applicants.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has been one of the most vocal opponents. She told USA Today, “Ryan Walters appears to be trying out for MAGA in chief, not educator in chief, because everything that he’s doing is about the culture wars, not about the reading, writing and arithmetic. If he wants to be MAGA in chief then go be MAGA in chief. But let someone else be educator in chief and focus on what people deserve—reading, literacy, wraparound services, and actual teachers who want to be in Oklahoma.” Weingarten further stated that the requirement is “a huge turnoff” for educators and that “teachers in this country are patriotic, and suggesting they’re not is insulting.”
Local union leaders have echoed these criticisms. Cari Elledge, president of the Oklahoma Education Association, called the policy “a political stunt to grab attention,” while David Goldberg, president of the California Teachers’ Association, remarked, “This almost seems like satire and so far removed from my research around what Oklahoma educators need and deserve. I can’t see how this isn’t some kind of hyper-political grandstanding that doesn’t serve any of those needs.”
Despite the backlash, Walters remains steadfast. He insists that his reforms are about “restoring integrity” to Oklahoma classrooms and reversing what he sees as a decline in “faith and family values.” In an April post on X, Walters wrote, “These reforms will reset our classrooms back to educating our children without liberal indoctrination. We’re proud to defend these standards, and we will continue to stand up for honest, pro-America education in every classroom.”
For many observers, the controversy over Oklahoma’s “America First” teacher test is emblematic of a broader national struggle over the future of public education. As debates rage over curriculum content, religious freedom, and the politicization of schools, Oklahoma’s experiment may prove to be a bellwether for how far states are willing to go in defining—and defending—their vision of American values in the classroom.
With teacher shortages persisting and cultural battles intensifying, the outcome of Oklahoma’s latest initiative will be closely watched—not only by educators and policymakers, but by families and students whose futures hang in the balance.
