Is Oklahoma Breaking Public Schools?

"But what's been happening to American public schools lately is different: more coordinated, more creative, and blanketing the nation. Pressure on what kids learn and read is coming from national parents' movements, the White House, the Supreme Court. "There used to be an idea that you could live in a blue state or a red state and sort of encounter the school system a little differently."

"We have paid close attention to how conservatives are systematically trying to overhaul the culture at universities. A similar enterprise is unfolding at public schools. In this episode of Radio Atlantic, we visit Oklahoma, where the official in charge of public schools has pushed the line further than most. State superintendent Ryan Walters recently announced an ideology test for new teachers moving to Oklahoma from "places like California and New York.""

Efforts to influence public-school teaching have become more coordinated, creative, and nationwide than past local disputes over evolution. Pressure on curricula and reading lists is coming from national parents' movements, the White House, and the Supreme Court. The Trump administration has pushed for deeper involvement in curriculum choices and educational options. State-level actors are implementing measures such as ideology tests for incoming teachers and curriculum overhauls that insert Christian and biblical references. Oklahoma's superintendent Ryan Walters exemplifies these moves with proposals targeting teachers from certain states and modifying classroom content. These actions aim to reshape school culture similarly to conservative efforts at universities.

Read at The Atlantic