Reshaping the movement’s future?
OKLAHOMA CITY — State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced his resignation Wednesday night during a Fox News appearance. Walters said he will step down to become CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a conservative nonprofit dedicated to supporting educators “in their mission to develop free, moral, and upright American citizens.”
On air, Walters declared, “We’re going to destroy the teachers unions,” accusing them of corrupting schools. He also pledged to launch Turning Point USA chapters in every high school nationwide.
His departure signals a pivot to the national stage, bringing the culture battles that defined his Oklahoma tenure to a broader platform.
A Controversial Tenure
Walters, a former Advanced Placement history teacher, was elected as Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2022 and took office in January 2023. Before that, he served as the state’s Secretary of Education from 2020 to 2023.
He quickly made headlines for policy proposals centered on religion and ideology in public schools. Among them:
- Requiring Bible instruction and mandating that Bibles be placed in classrooms.
- Proposing “ideology tests” for teachers relocating from liberal states, in cooperation with PragerU.
- Ordering social studies standards to include an analysis of alleged “discrepancies” in the 2020 election.
- Threatening to revoke teaching licenses of educators critical of state policies tied to HB 1775, the law restricting critical race theory instruction.
- Moving to alter accreditation or oversight for districts, such as Tulsa, that resisted his directives.
His efforts — and highly charged language likening teachers’ unions to terrorist organizations — have prompted lawsuits and sharp criticism, including accusations of violating the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise clauses. The Oklahoma Supreme Court has temporarily blocked several of his proposals while litigation continues.
The Wall Street Journal provides more details:
In July, members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education reported they saw images of naked women on Walters’s office television, sparking an investigation into the incident. Walters denied any wrongdoing. The Oklahoma County district attorney’s office reviewed the incident but said earlier this month there was insufficient evidence to file criminal charges.
Walters, who had been rumored as a possible contender for governor, said on Thursday he would be focusing on leading his new organization. He is still determining his resignation date, he said.
Clash with Lawmakers and Local Officials
Walters’ approach often put him at odds with fellow Republicans. State lawmakers questioned his management of state funds — including allegations that he delayed money intended for school security upgrades — along with his oversight practices and efforts to impose education rules without legislative approval. Large school districts, particularly Tulsa, became battlegrounds as Walters pushed for compliance with his policy agenda.
Earlier in 2025, Walters clashed with Governor Kevin Stitt (R) over a proposed rule requiring students to verify their citizenship status before enrolling in public schools. Stitt called the plan an overreach, arguing that collecting immigration information from children — including 6-, 7-, and 8-year-olds — was “not a public safety issue” and risked discouraging school attendance. Walters fired back, accusing the governor of being part of a deep state conspiracy against President Trump.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond, another Republican, was also among Walters’ fiercest critics. Following the resignation, Drummond said that under Walters’ leadership, “we have witnessed a stream of never-ending scandal and political drama.”
Education Outcomes Under Scrutiny
Despite Walters’ carefully cultivated national profile as “the state’s top culture warrior,” Oklahoma’s student performance metrics remain stubbornly low.
According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP):
- Reading: 23% of 4th graders and 20% of 8th graders scored “proficient,” below the national averages of 30% and 29%.
- Math: 31% of 4th graders and 17% of 8th graders reached proficiency, compared to national averages of 39% and 27%.
A separate 2025 WalletHub report ranked Oklahoma 50th in overall K-12 school performance, ahead only of New Mexico.
A National Stage Ahead
Walters’ resignation aligns with his broader push to take his profile and agenda nationwide. At the Teacher Freedom Alliance, he will focus on building a movement of conservative educators, challenging teachers’ unions, and expanding the influence of groups such as Turning Point USA.
While his charisma and speaking skills have made him popular among grassroots conservatives, Walters leaves behind a deeply divided education landscape in Oklahoma — marked by ongoing litigation, stagnant academic outcomes, and renewed debates over the role of religion and ideology in public schools. His electoral performance reflects that divide, as he underperformed many Republican candidates, including President Trump by 9.38 percentage points.
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