(NewsNation) — Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction says he is making sure the state’s school curriculum is in line with President Donald Trump’s orders to ban “woke ideologies” in education.
“Here in Oklahoma, we’re following President Trump’s lead here to get back to truth and reality into our schools,” Superintendent Ryan Walters told NewsNation. “We will teach science the way that it is, and we will also teach American history in a patriotic way, and we’re unapologetic about that.”
Walters, a Republican, introduced an assessment for teachers coming to Oklahoma from blue states like New York and California to prove that they share the state’s political values. The state is also offering teaching bonuses that go up to $50,000 to attract teachers from across the country, according to USA Today.
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The 50-question assessment, developed by conservative think tank PragerU, will quiz teachers on topics like gender ideology, the importance of freedom of religion and their ability to cite the Constitution. Walters said teachers must get a perfect score on the test to teach in the state.
“These are not trick questions,” Walters said. “These are very simple questions that educators should be able to answer.”
Critics of the test, like Oklahoma Education Association President Cari Elledge, say that it’s a “political stunt to grab attention,” adding that inserting politics into the state’s teacher screenings could harm morale and turn away good educators.
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He added that teachers there can thrive with the signing bonus and even a salary increase of up to $100,000 if they are found to be exceptional, but the state will not allow teachers to “lie to our kids.”
“We will always safeguard what our parents are concerned about, which is the radical, left-wing agenda,” Walters said.
Walters also pushed back on right-wing ideologies being taught in schools and indoctrinating kids, saying he has not seen any examples of that in the education system and that conservatives “want to teach to the standards.”
