Oklahoma to test political leanings of teacher applicants from N.Y., Calif.

Oklahoma volition necessitate applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to walk an exam that the Republican-dominated state's apical acquisition authoritative says is designed to safeguard against "radical leftist ideology" but that opponents decry arsenic a "MAGA loyalty test."

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's nationalist schools superintendent, said Monday that immoderate teacher coming from the 2 bluish states volition beryllium required to walk an appraisal exam administered by PragerU, an Oklahoma-based blimpish nonprofit, earlier getting a authorities certification.

"As agelong arsenic I americium superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms volition beryllium safeguarded from the extremist leftist ideology fostered successful places similar California and New York," Walters said successful a statement.

Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters speaks during a peculiar authorities Board of Education gathering successful April 2023 successful Oklahoma City. Sue Ogrocki / AP

PragerU, abbreviated for Prager University, puts retired abbreviated videos with a blimpish position connected authorities and economics. It promotes itself arsenic "focused connected changing minds done the originative usage of integer media."

Quinton Hitchcock, a spokesperson for the state's acquisition department, said the Prager trial for teacher applicants has been finalized and volition beryllium rolling retired "very soon."

The authorities didn't merchandise the full 50-question trial to The Associated Press but did supply the archetypal 5 questions, which see asking what the archetypal 3 words of the U.S. Constitution are and wherefore state of religion is "important to America's identity."

Prager didn't instantly respond to a telephone connection oregon email seeking comment. But Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU, told CNN respective questions connected the appraisal subordinate to "undoing the harm of sex ideology."

Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches past of acquisition astatine the University of Pennsylvania, said Oklahoma's declaration with PragerU to trial out-of-state would-be teachers "is a watershed moment."

"Instead of Prager simply being a assets that you tin gully successful an optional way, Prager has go institutionalized arsenic portion of the authorities system," helium said. "There's nary different mode to picture it."

Zimmerman said the American Historical Association did a survey past twelvemonth of 7th- to 12th-grade teachers and recovered that lone a number were relying connected textbooks for day-to-day instruction. He said the upside to that is that astir past books are "deadly boring." But helium said that means past teachers are relying connected online resources, specified arsenic those from Prager.

"I deliberation what we're present seeing successful Oklahoma is thing different, which is really empowering Prager arsenic a benignant of gatekeeper for aboriginal teachers," Zimmerman said.

Oklahoma's determination sharply criticized

One of the nation's largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers, has often been astatine likelihood with the Trump medication and the crackdown connected teacher autonomy successful the classroom.

"This MAGA loyalty trial volition beryllium yet different turnoff for teachers successful a authorities already struggling with a immense shortage," said AFT President Randi Weingarten.

She was captious of Walters, who pushed for the state's program standards to beryllium revised to see conspiracy theories astir the 2020 statesmanlike election.

"His precedence should beryllium educating students, but instead, it's getting Donald Trump and different MAGA politicians to announcement him," Weingarten said successful a statement.

Tina Ellsworth, president of the nonprofit National Council for the Social Studies, besides raised concerns that the trial would forestall teachers from applying for jobs.

"State boards of acquisition should enactment existent to the values and principles of the U.S. Constitution," Ellsworth said. "Imposing an ideology trial to go a teacher successful our large ideology is antithetical to those principles."

State Rep. John Waldron, the Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman, decried the trial arsenic "political posturing."

"If you privation to spot a textbook explanation of indoctrination, however astir a loyalty trial for teachers," said Waldron. "It's a bittersweet echo of a much paranoid past."

Waldron, a New Jersey native, said helium would person been successful the people demographic for this benignant of trial erstwhile helium moved from Washington, D.C., to Oklahoma to thatch societal studies successful 1999. He said it would person struck him arsenic an denotation that the authorities "wasn't superior astir attracting prime teachers."

"Teachers are not rushing present from different states to teach. We've got an tremendous teacher shortage and it's not similar we person a elephantine proviso of teachers coming successful from bluish states anyway," helium said.

• Oklahoma