At this point in time it’s fair to say that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) found a great way to deceive parents by injecting critical race theory into the framework of their newly adopted Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards. ISBE’s newly adopted teaching standards do not require Illinois K-12 teachers to teach factually accurate American history. Instead ISBE is recklessly determined on changing American history (as they call it “accurate American history”). ISBE is also forcing equity.
National School Board Association
In February of 2021, the National School Board Association published a guide called “Reimagining School Board Leadership: Actions for Equity”. According to NSBA, this guide was a collaboration between NSBA’s Dismantling Institutional Racism in Education (DIRE) initiative and Center for Safe Schools that focuses on acknowledging and understanding current events and the historical issues of systemic racism in America. This resource establishes a drive for school boards to rise to these current challenges our school systems are facing to transform public education, with a focus on equitable access to a world-class education for every student.”
Defining Culturally Responsive
“Culturally responsive” also goes by other names such as “cultural competence” or “intercultural competence”. According to the American Psychological Association, the term “cultural competence” is “loosely defined as the ability to understand, appreciate and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one’s own — has been a key aspect of psychological thinking and practice for some 50 years.”
It’s one thing to expect others to acknowledge their mindset about different cultures while interacting with others in our daily lives in order to respect and understand others. It’s a completely different story when it involves modifying factually accurate American history in order to put an end to racial intolerance which results in a divided nation and anti-American prejudice, hatred, and fear.
Who’s Helping ISBE Push This Political Agenda?
In order for ISBE to push this sickening political agenda, they needed to shop local. So, who did ISBE seek out to further their political agenda? Well, school boards of course. It’s pretty unfortunate that some Illinois school boards have been gullible to the point that they willingly accepted a turd wrapped in flashy gift wrap, topped with a big pretty bow. Obviously, these particular Illinois school boards have failed to recognize that ISBE sold them on a concept that completely ignores American freedoms of which are guaranteed in the Constitution. It’s repulsive that Illinois school boards have accepted a classic Marxist idea which has proven time and time again to fail throughout history.
Who Allowed ISBE To Adopt These New Set Of Rules?
On February 17, 2021 a legislative committee called The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) approved a set of teaching standards that changed the way educators are trained to teach students in Illinois. This approved new set of teaching standards has therefore allowed the ISBE to implement a new set of rules called “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Standards”which forces teachers to conform to political ideologies, therefore teaching progressive viewpoints, and promoting political activism.
Progressive Viewpoints
Under Section 24.50 The Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards:
Section a) states:
“Self-Awareness and Relationships to Others – Culturally Responsive Teachers and Leaders are reflective and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and how they impact others, leading to more cohesive and productive student development as it relates to academic and social-emotional development for all students. The culturally responsive teacher and leader will:
1.) Understand and value the notion that multiple lived experiences exist, that there is often not one “correct” way of doing or understanding something, and that what is seen as “correct” is most often based on our lived experiences.
2.) Approach their work and students with an asset-based mindset, affirming the validity of students’ backgrounds and identities.
3.) Know about their students and their lives outside of school, using this knowledge to build instruction that leverages prior knowledge and skills.
4.) Include representative, familiar content in the curriculum to legitimize students’ backgrounds, while also exposing them to new ideas and worldviews different from their own.
5.) Engage in self-reflection about their own actions and interactions and what ideas and biases motivated those actions.
6.) Explore their own intersecting identities, how they were developed, and how they impact daily experience of the world.
7.) Recognize how their identity (race/ethnicity, national origin, language, sex and gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical/developmental/emotional ability, socioeconomic class, religion, etc.) affects their perspectives and beliefs about pedagogy and students.
8.) Educate themselves about students’ communities, cultures, and histories.
9.) Critically think about the institutions in which they find themselves, working to reform these institutions whenever and wherever necessary.
10.) Assess how their biases and perceptions affect their teaching practice and how they access tools to mitigate their own behavior (racism, sexism, homophobia, unearned privilege, Eurocentrism, etc.).
Promoting Political Activism
Under Section 24.50 The Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards:
Section e) states:
“Leveraging Student Advocacy – Culturally responsive teachers and leaders will support and create opportunities for student advocacy and representation in the content and classroom.”
Subsections further state:
- Emphasize and connect with students about their identities, advocacies, and self-interest.
- 2) Offer guidance to students on how to develop a self-advocacy plan to inform decisions and choices.
- 3) Include students in the creation of an inclusive learning community with more opportunities for student expression.
- 4) Help students identify actions that can be taken to apply learning to develop opportunities and relationships for alliances.
- Create a risk-taking space that promotes student advocacy.
- Research and offer student advocacy content with real world implications.
- Communicate high expectations to which all students can be held and urge students to lead as student advocates appropriate to the students’ age and development
- Give students space to solve their own problems, negotiate their advocacy needs, and present their perspectives.
According to the executive director of legislative affairs for the Illinois State Board of Education, Amanda Elliott has stated that these new teaching standards do not change the evaluation process for licensed teachers or administrators, it only changes the process in which licensed teachers and administrators are trained. These new teaching standards should not be confused with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signing of law House Bill 2170, a standard backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus which focuses on improving access and racial equity in the state’s education system.
When Does Illinois’ Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards Take Effect?
The Illinois State Board of Education’s Notice of Proposed Amendments Title 23: Education and Cultural Resources under Subtitle A: Education Chapter I: State Board of Education Subchapter b: Personnel Part 24 Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards for All Illinois Educators” states the following:
“Beginning October 1, 2021, approval of any preparation program or course of study in any teaching, school support, or administrative field pursuant to the State Board of Education’s rules for Certification (23 Ill. Adm. Code 25, Subpart C) shall be based on the congruence of that program or course’s content with the applicable standards identified in this Part.”
This means that changes to all course taught teaching programs took effect on October 1, 2021 and made the following changes to these particular sections:
Illinois’ previous teaching standards included the following sections:
- Content Knowledge
- Human Development and Learning
- Diversity
- Planning for Instruction
- Learning Environment
- Instructional Delivery
- Communication
- Assessment
- Collaborative Relationships
- Reflection and Professional Growth
- Professional Conduct and Leadership
Here are the new Illinois teaching standards that replace previous teaching standards:
- Student Representation in the Learning Environment
- Self-Awareness and Relationships to Others
- Systems of Oppression
- Students as Individuals
- Students as Co-Creators
- Leveraging Student Advocacy
- Family and Community Collaboration
- Content Selections in All Curricula
The Illinois State Board of Education’s Notice of Proposed Amendments Title 23: Education and Cultural Resources under Subtitle A: Education Chapter I: State Board of Education Subchapter b: Personnel Part 24 Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards for All Illinois Educators” also states the following:
“Programs already approved under 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25, Subpart C shall submit program alignment by October 1, 2025.”
This means that already approved teacher preparation programs offered by Illinois Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) Illinois Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) must align their teacher preparation programs with these new teaching standards by October 1, 2025.
Leveraging Student Advocacy
ISBE’s website states that’s the following:
“The Illinois State Board of Education partners with Illinois Classrooms in Action to provide a wide variety of resources, including social emotional learning competencies organized by grade band.” Illinois Classrooms in Action is a partnership between ISBE and the Center for Educational Initiatives at Illinois State University.
Illinois Classrooms for Action’s website contains a page titled “Diversity: Education in Action” which provides a link to a pdf titled “Combined K-5 Diversity and Engagement“. Within this pdf on page 14 titled “For Administrators/School Boards” (section titled “Preparing for conversations;Facilitating for conversations”) you find another link to Education Glossary Terms by ADL which describes the glossary as “Terms and definitions that are often associated with and provide a common, working language for anti-bias programs.”
Within this glossary you will find the term “Activist”. Please note the elementary school version underneath it.
Activist: Someone who gets involved in activities that are meant to achieve political or social change; this also includes being a member of an organization which is working on change.
- Elementary school version: A person who uses or supports actions such as protests to help make changes in politics or society.
How One Illinois School District Defines “Equity”
Antioch School District 34 defines “equity” in their Equity Action Plan as: “To ensure a systemic and continuous development toward advancing equity within all policies, processes, procedures, initiatives, decision-making and fiscal responsibilities.” Defining “equity” in this fashion allows school board members and superintendents the ability to look concerned parents and guardians in the eye and tell them they are not teaching critical race theory.
What this K-12 school is actually stating is that their Equity Action Plan not only requires equal opportunities for all students but the plan requires guaranteed equal outcomes for all students. This requires that deliberate systems and supports be put into place in order to achieve and sustain racial equity. The same goes for school board members and superintendents stating that the school district seeks to ensure all cultures represented in the classroom are treated respectfully and fairly. Anyone with common sense can clearly see that school boards forcing equality are completely out of touch because forced equality is essentially out of reach. School boards forcing equity upon their students and staff are bound to not only see their school districts fail.
Illinois’ newly adopted Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards under Section 24.50 The Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards | Section a.) “Self-Awareness and Relationships to Others” promotes “self-awareness” and specifically states teachers and leaders must “reflective and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and how they impact others, leading to more cohesive and productive student development as it relates to academic and social-emotional development for all students.”
Under Subsections:
5.) Engage in self-reflection about their own actions and interactions and what ideas and biases motivated those actions.
6) Explore their own intersecting identities, how they were developed, and how they impact daily experience of the world.
7.) Recognize how their identity (race/ethnicity, national origin, language, sex and gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical/developmental/emotional ability, socioeconomic class, religion, etc.) affects their perspectives and beliefs about pedagogy and students.
10.) Assess how their biases and perceptions affect their teaching practice and how they access tools to mitigate their own behavior (racism, sexism, homophobia, unearned privilege, Eurocentrism, etc.).
What they mean by “identity” is implicit bias (also known as implicit stereotype and part of social identity theory) which is based on any aspect of a person’s social identity, from race or ethnicity to sexuality or nationality, or even arbitrary (i.e., minimal) group categories. This is therefore their reasoning for Implicit Bias Training. Critical race theory is a framework which helps examine social identity.
What Happens To Teachers That Do Not Choose To Follow This Activist Agenda?
Should all children (and of course ALL people) cultural heritage and sexual identity be treated with respect? Of course! This becomes a major problem when K-12 curriculums are based on false beliefs of systemic racism, it also stomps all over a teachers First Amendment rights (in regards to their own views). Here’s another great question- what happens to teachers who don’t agree with teaching from this activist curriculum (which by the way includes revisionist American history) based on equal outcomes instead of equal opportunity? Will this result in teachers not receiving their license? Looks like these teachers will find this answer soon enough.
