SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education is considering a set of new standards for teachers and administrators that are aimed at making them more sensitive to students of different cultures and backgrounds, but the proposal is sparking controversy among some religious conservatives.
The “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading” standards would amend current standards that apply to all teachers and administrators by adding a host of new requirements meant to ensure they understand how certain population groups have been marginalized in society and encourage them to adapt their teaching methods to be more inclusive of students with diverse cultures, family backgrounds, languages, sexual identity and orientation.
“Every student deserves to feel welcome, included, and accepted at school and to see their cultural identity affirmed and represented in the curriculum,” state board spokeswoman Jackie Matthews said in a statement about the proposed standards. “This feeling of belonging is critical to improving academic and behavioral outcomes for Illinois’ students.”
But the proposed rules have run into opposition from the Peoria-based Illinois Pro-Family Alliance, a group that regularly lobbies at the Capitol to advocate for what it calls “biblical principles from the word of God.”
Source and full article: https://www.lakecountyjournal.com/2020/11/10/religious-conservatives-object-to-culturally-responsive-teaching-and-leading-standards/aiof9p4/