Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton
Tulsa World Staff Writer
The founder of PragerU and the president of the Heritage Foundation have been tapped to help review and revise Oklahoma’s academic standards for social studies.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced Tuesday that the pair are among the appointees for an executive review committee charged with helping overhaul the state’s social studies academic standards to formally incorporate the Bible and highlight “American exceptionalism,” the belief that the United States is unique and exemplary as compared to other nations.
“It is crystal clear that we need to return to more rigorous social studies standards that emphasize the unique and exceptional nature of the American republic, promote a proper understanding of the nation’s founding and instill pride in our civic traditions and Oklahoma heritage,” Walters said in a press release.
State statutes stipulate that academic standards for each discipline are to be reviewed every six years and are subject to approval by both the Oklahoma State Board of Education and the Oklahoma Legislature after a public comment period.
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The review process for personal financial literacy and information literacy was completed earlier this year. Social studies is among the subjects already slated for review in 2025.
The state superintendent previously announced via a memorandum that school districts will be required to incorporate the Bible into their curricula for the coming school year. However, no details have been provided since the initial declaration on June 27, and classes at some area districts start in less than a month.
A conservative radio talk show host and author, Dennis Prager launched PragerU in 2009. Despite its name, PragerU is not a university or an accredited education entity. Instead, it is a nonprofit foundation that collects millions of dollars from donors to produce what it describes as educational videos meant to “promote American values” and serve as “a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education.” Prager’s own biography touts PragerU as “the most viewed conservative video site in the world.”
The State Education Department announced a partnership with the foundation in September and has links to its lesson plans, worksheets and other online materials on the social studies page of the agency’s website. PragerU’s materials include a video in which a cartoon Christopher Columbus downplays the impact of slavery and one in which an animated version of 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass defends the Founding Fathers for not outlawing slavery.
The former CEO of a Texas-based think tank, Kevin Roberts became president of the Heritage Foundation in 2021. He previously taught at a Catholic school in Louisiana and was president of a private college in Wyoming that refused to accept federal loans and grants.
Other announced appointees to the review committee include American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Robert Pondiscio; author and Oral Roberts University graduate David Barton; former Oklahoma Wesleyan University President Everett Piper; author John Dwyer; Association of Classical Christian Schools President David Goodwin; Emory University English professor emeritus Mark Bauerlein; talk show host Steve Deace; and Stacy Washington with the National Center for Public Policy Research.
Department of Education spokesman Dan Isett did not respond to inquiries Tuesday afternoon about when any revisions would be available for public comment as required under state law or the criteria used to select members of the executive review committee.
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Excerpt of PragerU video about Christopher Columbus
Oklahoma state Superintendent Ryan Walters announced a partnership with PragerU to use its content in public schools.
