Oklahoma has drawn national attention after unveiling a controversial new certification exam that requires teachers from California and New York to prove not only their professional credentials but also their political alignment. The so-called “America First” test will screen for acceptance of conservative education standards, including questions on “biological differences between males and females” and the state’s revised history curriculum that promotes contested theories about the 2020 presidential election.Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters insists the move is about “protecting classrooms from indoctrination.” Backed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, Walters has cast the requirement as a safeguard against what he calls “radically liberal” curricula being imported into Oklahoma classrooms.
Conservative revisions to education
The exam, developed with the help of conservative media company PragerU, reflects the sweeping changes Walters has already introduced. Oklahoma’s high school history standards now include material on alleged election irregularities, security risks of mail-in voting, and the contested theory that COVID-19 originated from a laboratory leak. At the same time, lessons on George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement were stripped away.In June, Walters also ordered Bible instruction in public schools. While he clarified that scripture would not be on the certification test, critics argue the broader trend represents a deep politicization of education.
Unions push back
Teachers’ unions across Oklahoma, California, and New York have condemned the exam as both discriminatory and unlawful. The American Federation of Teachers president, Randi Weingarten, called it “a huge turn off” at a time when classrooms across the nation face chronic staffing shortages.Cari Elledge, president of the Oklahoma Education Association, accused the superintendent of orchestrating “a political stunt to grab attention,” warning that such measures deter qualified educators. She also pointed out that Oklahoma law already requires recognition of out-of-state certifications if candidates meet baseline standards.
Politics over shortages
The timing of the new requirement has puzzled many observers. Like much of the country, Oklahoma is struggling to retain teachers. An estimated 30,000 certified educators in the state are currently not working in classrooms, many citing political tensions as a deterrent.California Teachers’ Association president David Goldberg echoed that concern, dismissing the certification as “hyper-political grandstanding” that does nothing to address the real needs of educators or students.
The broader battle
The “America First” test is emblematic of a larger clash over education in America. For Walters and his allies, schools have become a frontline in the fight against “liberal indoctrination.” For opponents, Oklahoma’s experiment risks politicizing the classroom and worsening a teacher shortage that already undermines student learning.Whether the policy can withstand legal challenges is uncertain. But what is clear is that Oklahoma’s classrooms, once a quiet battleground over funding and curriculum, have now been thrust into the national spotlight, caught in the crossfire of America’s deepening culture wars.
