Oklahoma is reportedly requiring teachers who have relocated to the state to first take a Prager U–formulated 50-question exam to ensure they’re not too “woke” before they can formally receive a teaching license.
The state’s new directive fully aligns with the Trump administration’s declaration that, among other things like winding up the Education Department, schools will now also ensure they codify the discrimination of LGBTQ+ people. It also aligns with Project 2025 — which the Trump campaign denied being familiar with throughout their run. But now, it seems that was not exactly true. Or perhaps this is just a mighty coincidence.
At the center of this new controversy is Prager U. When Trump defunded PBS and NPR, some experts had already predicted that all support would shift to the conservative content creation platform. Prager U is a California-based media company with a considerable following, whose self-stated mission is to “promote the American values of life.” The media company has long been associated not only with anti-LBGTQ+ rhetoric but also with instances of normalizing slavery by asserting that “slavery was a part of life all over the world” and that it was the U.S. that ended it.
CNN reports that Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent for public instruction, has said that while the test has not yet been implemented, it is coming very soon. Walters explained, “We will not allow these leftists’ plans and schemes to take place here in Oklahoma. They are trying to warp the minds of our kids to turn them into social justice warriors, instead of kids that are getting the most of their God-given talents to go get a good job, to go live a fulfilling life.” Walters assures that if applicants don’t pass the test, then they will not earn a teaching license in the state.
Some of the questions included in the examination ask about chromosomes and how biological sex affects gender, aiming to undo the “gender ideologies” that Walters claims have been forced into students in states like California. Other questions cover philosophical topics, such as why freedom of religion is important, while others deal with standard governance issues, like how the Senate and Congress operate.
Prager U’s videos are geared toward children, which is perhaps why they’re so effective at shaping public opinion. The videos present a conservative perspective on just about every social issue, from climate to race. The stated goal is to push back against left-leaning media and online content.
Prager U’s relationship with the president has been growing for a while now. Last December, after Trump officially won the election against Kamala Harris, the president attended a gala hosted by the media company at his Mar-a-Lago golf resort in Florida. Trump reportedly told the crowd, “I want you tonight to think about all the good things you are doing. You are a spectacular group, and you are so successful. I have many friends in the crowd.”
At this moment, Prager U educational material is officially in use in Alaska, Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana, Arizona — and the list just keeps growing.