PragerU’s Teacher Test: A Culture War at the Classroom Door
Imagine packing up your life to teach in a new state—a fresh start, new students, unfamiliar hallways. Now picture being turned away at the threshold for failing to answer a question not about your teaching credentials, but about a hot-button culture war issue. This is the new reality in Oklahoma, where state officials, in a partnership with the conservative organization PragerU, have instituted what is being called the “America First” teacher test. All out-of-state teacher applicants—particularly from blue states like California and New York—must now pass this exam before entering Oklahoma classrooms.
At the center of this policy is State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a self-avowed champion against what he terms “radical leftist ideology” in public education. Walters sees the test—developed with PragerU and defended in a full-page ad in the New York Times—as a bulwark against progressive social change. The test covers basic civics, but it doesn’t stop there: it features pointed prompts about “biological sex,” gender identity, and the notion of protecting “fairness, safety, and integrity for both sexes.” Is this a reasonable measure of teacher competence, or a political litmus test in disguise?
According to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the consequences are potentially dire. Oklahoma already faces a dire teacher shortage, and critics argue this move may scare away the very professionals schools are desperate to attract. “We need more great educators, not more hurdles,” argues Randi Weingarten, President of the AFT, warning that Oklahoma’s new test will solve exactly none of the problems it purports to address.
The Test Itself: More Than Just Civics
A closer look reveals the test isn’t your standard measurement of knowledge. Sure, teachers are quizzed about the number of U.S. Senators (it’s 100, for those keeping score). But interspersed among topics like freedom of religion and American government are questions straight from the culture wars—asking, for instance, which chromosome pair determines biological sex, or ponderings about gender roles and “the preservation of fairness in sports.” PragerU and Oklahoma’s education leaders defend these as basic facts, yet advocates for equality and inclusion see them as signals of a deeper agenda.
Why embed questions about gender identity and sexuality in a teacher qualification test? According to PragerU CEO Marissa Streit, it’s about ensuring “community standards” and “restoring integrity, responsibility, and truth.” Yet “community standards” can become a euphemism for exclusion, especially when wielded to gatekeep public education. The consequences reach beyond policy debate and into the makeup of teaching staffs—who gets to teach, and whose values shape the classroom environment.
“We should be focusing on giving our students the best teachers, regardless of what state they come from or what culture war battles are raging. This test isn’t about competence—it’s about control.” — Oklahoma teacher applying for license transfer
Oklahoma’s move is not isolated. The culture wars have arrived in America’s school districts, not just in curriculum restrictions but now in the very credentialing process for teachers. It’s a high-stakes extension of recent legislative efforts seen in states like Florida and Texas, where book bans and curriculum oversight echo louder than ever. Conservative leaders often frame such measures as efforts to safeguard children or uphold American values, but their practical effect is too often chilling: teachers are driven out, wary of running afoul of a political agenda they had no say in shaping.
The Real Stakes: Who Loses When Gatekeeping Trumps Qualifications?
History offers poignant reminders of what happens when professional qualifications are wielded as political weapons. In the McCarthy era, public servants needed to prove not just their training, but their ideological loyalty—often at immense personal and societal cost. Today’s “America First” teacher test, despite its advocates’ insistence that it only enforces standards, looks worryingly similar in its implications.
Beyond that, the numbers don’t lie—Oklahoma is already struggling to find enough qualified teachers. The Oklahoma State School Boards Association reports that the state started this school year with nearly 1,200 teaching vacancies—a number unlikely to shrink if recruitment efforts now hinge on passing a highly politicized test. Harvard education policy expert Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond notes, “States that erect unnecessary barriers to teacher certification during shortages are essentially prioritizing ideology over education. It’s students who pay the price.”
Supporters of the test—including Walters and PragerU leadership—frame it as a guardian against indoctrination, citing concerns about “leftist ideology” infiltrating classrooms from teachers trained elsewhere. Yet this presumes teachers are little more than vessels for state-sponsored ideas, dismissing their agency, professional judgment, and—ironically—the very critical thinking skills schools say they aspire to teach.
Yet the backlash isn’t just theoretical. Lawmakers, advocacy groups, and educators warn of the real world impact: a smaller, more ideologically homogenous teacher pool; discouraged diversity in the ranks; and, most crucially, gaps in classroom staffing that hurt children’s education. The fear is palpable: what stops the next wave of legislation from targeting another group, another belief system, another set of “community standards”?
A Path Forward: Equity, Not Exclusion
Is this what public education in America should look like? Do we want school gates policed by politicized exams, or do we believe that excellence and diversity—not ideological conformity—serve our children best?
Experts agree that setting a high bar for teachers is essential, but the content and framing of that bar matter enormously. “Tests that weed out diversity of thought ultimately undermine the rich tapestry of experiences and backgrounds from which students learn best,” says Dr. Sharon Contreras, former superintendent and education equity researcher. Rather than acting as sentinels against progressivism, public schools should reflect the pluralism and dynamism that define American democracy.
Oklahoma stands at a crossroads. It can succumb to the politics of fear and exclusion, or embrace an education system that values diversity, expertise, and compassion—virtues indispensable to real progress. The test’s public availability—encouraging anyone to “see if you can pass”—serves only as a PR stunt, masking the underlying motivation of control over genuine qualification. The task ahead is clear: ensure our teachers are excellent, but never at the expense of justice, inclusion, or the collective good.
