Oklahoma has ignited a fierce national debate by announcing a controversial new requirement for teacher applicants from California and New York: before receiving state certification, these educators must pass a 50-question assessment exam administered by PragerU, a conservative nonprofit based in Oklahoma. The move, made public on August 18, 2025, by Oklahoma’s public schools superintendent Ryan Walters, is being hailed by some as a necessary safeguard against what they see as the spread of “radical leftist ideology,” while others are decrying it as a politically motivated barrier that will exacerbate the state’s teacher shortage.
Ryan Walters, who has become a prominent figure in the state’s education policy debates, stated on Monday that the new policy is intended to keep Oklahoma classrooms free from what he described as the “radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York.” Walters declared, “As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York.” According to Walters, the exam will be mandatory for any teacher coming from these two states, both of which are often associated with more progressive educational approaches and policies.
The assessment itself is the product of PragerU—short for Prager University—a conservative media nonprofit that produces digital content with a focus on American values, history, and economics from a right-leaning perspective. PragerU promotes itself as “focused on changing minds through the creative use of digital media,” and its involvement in public education has drawn attention and criticism in recent years. The organization’s CEO, Marissa Streit, told CNN that several questions on the new assessment are specifically designed to “undo the damage of gender ideology,” signaling that the test is not only about traditional civics but also about current cultural debates surrounding gender and identity in schools.
While the full 50-question exam has not been released to the public, Oklahoma’s Department of Education did provide the first five questions to the Associated Press. These include basic civics topics such as asking what the first three words of the U.S. Constitution are (“We the People”) and why freedom of religion is considered “important to America’s identity.” Quinton Hitchcock, a spokesperson for the state’s education department, confirmed that the PragerU assessment has been finalized and will be “rolling out very soon.” However, the lack of transparency about the full contents of the exam has only added fuel to the controversy.
The response from educators and advocacy groups has been swift and pointed. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), one of the nation’s largest teachers unions, has long clashed with conservative efforts to restrict what can be taught in classrooms. AFT President Randi Weingarten condemned the new requirement, stating, “This MAGA loyalty test will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage.” Weingarten further criticized Walters for focusing on political posturing rather than the pressing needs of Oklahoma’s students, adding, “His priority should be educating students, but instead, it’s getting Donald Trump and other MAGA politicians to notice him.”
State Representative John Waldron, who also serves as the Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman, echoed these concerns. Waldron described the PragerU test as “political posturing” and likened it to a loyalty test more suited to a “paranoid past” than to a modern, inclusive educational system. “If you want to see a textbook definition of indoctrination, how about a loyalty test for teachers?” Waldron asked. Drawing from personal experience, Waldron, a New Jersey native who moved to Oklahoma to teach social studies in 1999, remarked that such a requirement would have signaled to him that the state was “not serious about attracting quality teachers.” He added, “Teachers are not rushing here from other states to teach. We’ve got an enormous teacher shortage and it’s not like we have a giant supply of teachers coming in from blue states anyway.”
Academic observers have also weighed in on the broader implications of Oklahoma’s decision. Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor specializing in the history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, called the state’s contract with PragerU “a watershed moment.” Zimmerman explained, “Instead of Prager simply being a resource that you can draw in an optional way, Prager has become institutionalized as part of the state system. There’s no other way to describe it.” He noted that a recent American Historical Association survey revealed most history teachers rely on online resources rather than traditional textbooks, which he called “deadly boring.” While this shift has made digital materials more central in classrooms, Zimmerman argued that Oklahoma’s policy represents a new phase: “What we’re now seeing in Oklahoma is something different, which is actually empowering Prager as a kind of gatekeeper for future teachers.”
PragerU’s growing influence in education has not gone unnoticed. The organization’s short-form videos and lesson materials have become increasingly popular among conservative-leaning school districts seeking alternatives to mainstream curricula. However, critics argue that PragerU’s content often presents a one-sided view of American history and culture, and that embedding its materials into state certification processes blurs the line between educational resource and ideological litmus test.
Supporters of the new policy, meanwhile, argue that it is necessary to protect Oklahoma’s students from what they see as a politicized and divisive curriculum imported from more liberal states. They point to recent national debates over critical race theory, gender identity, and parental rights as evidence of a broader cultural struggle playing out in America’s schools. Walters and his allies insist that the PragerU exam is a reasonable measure to ensure that incoming teachers are aligned with Oklahoma’s educational values.
Yet, the practical effects of the new requirement remain uncertain. Oklahoma, like many states, faces chronic teacher shortages that have only worsened in recent years. Critics warn that additional barriers for out-of-state applicants—especially those from large talent pools in California and New York—could further strain the system. The AFT’s Weingarten emphasized that the policy “will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage.” Waldron, too, highlighted the disconnect between the state’s need for qualified educators and the imposition of what he called “a giant supply of teachers coming in from blue states anyway.”
As the rollout of the PragerU assessment approaches, all eyes are on Oklahoma to see how the policy will be implemented and whether it sparks copycat measures in other conservative-led states. The move has already drawn national media attention and prompted heated debate in education circles, with some warning of a slippery slope toward increased politicization of teacher certification and curriculum standards nationwide.
For now, the battle lines are drawn. Oklahoma’s experiment with ideological screening for teachers could either become a model for like-minded states or serve as a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences of mixing politics and public education. One thing is clear: the future of who gets to teach—and what gets taught—in America’s classrooms is far from settled.
