A conservative media organization with no accreditation as an actual university has quietly become an official educational content provider in ten American states, raising alarm among educators and civil liberties advocates about the nature of material now being presented to schoolchildren. PragerU, despite its misleading name, has secured partnerships with Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah to supply videos, books, and other educational materials directly into public school classrooms.
Leading this expansion is Marissa Streit, a former Israeli military intelligence operative who has publicly stated she applies techniques learned in the Israel Defense Forces to influence American aunces. Streit’s background in psychological operations and information warfare now informs the strategic direction of an organization that by its own estimates reaches one in three Americans through its heavily produced political content. The group’s shift from adult aunces to targeting children represents a significant escalation in its mission to reshape American political discourse from the ground up.
Florida became the first state to embrace PragerU’s classroom materials in 2023, when Governor Ron DeSantis identified the organization as aligning with revised state standards under his Stop WOKE Act legislation. The resulting curriculum ces have proven deeply controversial, including requirements that middle school teachers instruct students on supposed benefits of slavery for enslaved people, such as s development that could theoretically be used for personal advancement. One particularly contentious lesson features an animated Christopher Columbus character dismissing slavery as “no big deal” and suggesting that enslavement was preferable to death.
Oklahoma has implemented perhaps the most aggressive adoption of PragerU materials, with former state superintendent Ryan Walters developing an ideological screening test for teachers based on content from the organization. Walters used the evaluation tool to filter out educators from states he characterized as too liberal, effectively creating a political litmus test for teaching certificates. After championing these policies, Walters left his government position to lead the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a conservative advocacy group opposed to teachers unions.
Educational experts have expressed significant concerns about the academic rigor and historical accuracy of PragerU materials now appearing in classrooms. Unlike legitimate educational publishers, PragerU faces no accreditation standards, peer review processes, or oversight from academic institutions. Its content explicitly advances conservative political positions on topics ranging from climate ce to economic policy, presented in slickly produced videos that blur the line between education and advocacy. Students in New Hampshire can now earn official academic credits by completing online PragerU courses, despite the organization’s lack of formal educational credentials.
Looking ahead, PragerU has announced plans to expand beyond American borders with PragerU Español, targeting schools throughout Latin America. The organization’s growth shows no signs of slowing, backed by substantial funding from conservative donors and enthusiastic support from Republican state officials. As more states consider similar partnerships, the debate over what constitutes appropriate educational content versus political indoctrination in public schools seems certain to intensify, with PragerU positioned at the center of a broader culture war over American education.
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