We’re #50! Thanks, Ryan Walters

Soon, Oklahoma students will be heading back to school. They will be taught by a record number of emergency certified teachers. Recruiting and retaining qualified teachers is a problem, but Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, as usual, is spending his time and energy on solving problems that don’t exist.

Remember Prager University (PragerU), the not-university that produces cartoon characters from history sharing made-up information that State Superintendent (and, ironically, former history teacher) Ryan Walters loved so much that he encouraged Oklahoma teachers to use it in their classrooms? The cartoon I remember the most was one of Frederick Douglas talking to big-eyed, racially ambiguous children about how slaves were happy to help the United States’ economy by being slaves. Huh? Tulsa Public Schools wisely opted out of using PragerU materials. Districts can choose their own materials and, evidently, TPS would like for their students to have accurate information.

However, because it is approved by the state, teachers may use the materials in their classrooms. Those without an education background may reach for the easily accessible PragerU resources without realizing that they have been created to promote a Christian nationalist agenda, which critics say is a violation of the state constitution and of families’ religious freedom.

State Superintendent Walters recently announced another partnership with PragerU to assess teachers from other states with “progressive education policies” before they will be allowed to teach in Oklahoma public schools.

I have to ask, what qualifies PragerU to evaluate teachers? PragerU is not a university. It’s a nonprofit, conservative content creator. The content creators are not necessarily educators with a background in American history. It happily shares its PragerU Kids content for free. The founder, radio host Dennis Prager, admits his created content is meant to indoctrinate students to his ultra-conservative agenda. I apologize for using the word “conservative” or “progressive” or “woke” or any of those words that have in recent years lost their meaning.

In a news release from OSDE, Walters said, “We’re sending a clear message: Oklahoma’s schools will not be a haven for woke agendas pushed in places like California and New York. If you want to teach here, you’d better know the Constitution, respect what makes America great, and understand basic biology. We’re raising a generation of patriots, not activists, and I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep leftist propaganda out of our classrooms.”

Once the assessment is finalized, the OSDE will be able to evaluate teachers’ knowledge of  “the U.S. Constitution, their understanding of American exceptionalism and their grasp of fundamental biological differences between boys and girls.” Again, the evaluation is based on an organization that admittedly puts out revised history and misinformation.

Now that Oklahoma’s schools have been named dead last in the nation (behind California and New York, I might add), you would think Mr. Walters would start doing his job. Since he became state superintendent, our public schools have dropped like a rock thrown off the Golden Driller statue.

What teacher would want to come to Oklahoma to teach? They would have to enjoy being berated; they would have to work for low pay; they would have to promise to teach a certain state-sponsored religious curriculum, which takes away religious freedom, and be subjected to an embarrassing assessment of their political/religious beliefs.

According to the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Profile for Oklahoma, 20% – One in five students in Oklahoma aren’t completing high school within four years, putting them at greater risk of lower earnings, poorer health, and limited career options. Delayed graduation rates are often a reflection of systemic underinvestment in public education. 

It would be refreshing if Mr. Walters would do his job rather than creating problems, hating on teachers, paying out-of-state PR people exorbitant amounts of money (hey, maybe that money could be used for those free lunches he expects school districts to pay for with all the extra money they have), banning literature, squandering COVID funds, and the latest – showing nude images during a state board meeting!?  What?

We could have great schools. If we had a state superintendent who would work to support and retain teachers with degrees and certification; if he would work to help decrease class sizes; if he would work to help support districts who are struggling with poverty and mental health issues; if he would work to help schools provide a safe and supportive environment for ALL students; if he would work to get a budget that would increase teacher pay…. The list is long, but we could do it.

We want our children to have excellent schools. But we’re dead last. This has to change.