Oklahoma is making waves in the education world again, and this time, the controversy stems from a new requirement for teacher candidates arriving from California and New York. On August 19, 2025, Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's public schools superintendent, announced that these out-of-state applicants must pass a 50-question assessment exam before they can receive state certification. The stated aim? To safeguard Oklahoma classrooms from what Walters calls "radical leftist ideology." But the move is already drawing heated criticism from educators, unions, and political leaders who warn it could worsen the state's already dire teacher shortage.
The assessment, designed and administered by PragerU—a conservative nonprofit based in Oklahoma—has been described by state officials as a tool to ensure that new teachers align with the values the state wants to see in its classrooms. Walters put it plainly: "As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York," he said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
PragerU, short for Prager University, is no stranger to controversy. The organization is known for producing short, punchy videos that present conservative perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. It touts itself as "focused on changing minds through the creative use of digital media." Now, with this new partnership, PragerU's influence is extending beyond online content and directly into Oklahoma's public education system.
Quinton Hitchcock, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, told media outlets that the PragerU test is finalized and will be rolling out "very soon." While the full 50-question exam has not been made public, officials released a glimpse: the first five questions include asking what the opening three words of the U.S. Constitution are and why freedom of religion is "important to America's identity." PragerU CEO Marissa Streit told CNN that several questions focus on "undoing the damage of gender ideology." The organization did not respond to requests for further comment from the Associated Press and The Daily Express US.
Education historian Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, called Oklahoma's contract with PragerU "a watershed moment." In his view, "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." Zimmerman added that, according to a survey by the American Historical Association, only a minority of 7th- to 12th-grade teachers rely on traditional textbooks for daily instruction, with many turning to online resources like PragerU. "What we're now seeing in Oklahoma is something different, which is actually empowering Prager as a kind of gatekeeper for future teachers," he explained.
The reaction from national education groups has been swift and fierce. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), one of the country's largest teachers unions, has long locked horns with conservative efforts to reshape public education. AFT President Randi Weingarten did not mince words: "This MAGA loyalty test will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage," she said. Weingarten also criticized Walters for previously pushing to revise Oklahoma's curriculum standards to include conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. "His priority should be educating students, but instead, it's getting Donald Trump and other MAGA politicians to notice him," she added.
Other education leaders echoed these concerns. Tina Ellsworth, president of the nonprofit National Council for the Social Studies, warned that the test could deter qualified teachers from seeking jobs in Oklahoma. "State boards of education should stay true to the values and principles of the U.S. Constitution," Ellsworth stated. "Imposing an ideology test to become a teacher in our great democracy is antithetical to those principles."
From the political arena, Oklahoma Representative John Waldron, who also chairs the state's Democratic Party, denounced the exam as "political posturing." Waldron, a New Jersey native who moved to Oklahoma to teach social studies in 1999, reflected on how such a test would have impacted him: "If you want to see a textbook definition of indoctrination, how about a loyalty test for teachers. It's a sad echo of a more paranoid past," he said. Waldron pointed out that the state already faces a massive teacher shortage and is not exactly seeing an influx of teachers from blue states. "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," he told the Associated Press.
The broader context for this debate is Oklahoma's ongoing struggle with educational quality and staffing. According to a WalletHub survey cited by The Daily Express US, Oklahoma schools are ranked 50th in the nation, ahead of only New Mexico. The survey evaluated 51 locations, including Washington, D.C., and awarded Oklahoma just 32.62 points out of a possible 100—80 points for educational quality and 20 for school safety. "The quality of public school systems varies widely from state to state, though, and is often a question of funding," WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann noted. For comparison, New York and California, the two states targeted by the new exam, were ranked 10th and 30th, respectively.
Supporters of the new requirement argue that it is necessary to protect Oklahoma's students from what they view as dangerous ideological influences. They point to PragerU's mission of "undoing the damage of gender ideology" and promoting conservative values as a positive step for the state's education system. But critics warn that this kind of ideological screening is not just unnecessary—it could be actively harmful. By creating new barriers for out-of-state teachers, Oklahoma may be making it even harder to fill classrooms with qualified educators at a time when shortages are already acute.
The rollout of the PragerU assessment is imminent, and its impact on Oklahoma's education system remains to be seen. Will it succeed in "safeguarding" classrooms, as Walters hopes, or will it drive away the very teachers the state so desperately needs? For now, the debate is raging, with no sign of cooling off soon.
As Oklahoma stands at this crossroads, the stakes for students, teachers, and the future of public education in the state could not be higher.
